The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern

by Lynda Cohen Loigman

If I had been born a man, they would have called me an apothecary. Perhaps even a doctor, if I’d had the training. But because I was born a woman, they called me a witch instead. To ignorant men, every gifted woman is a witch.”

“If a person is denied a formal education,” said Esther, “she must be inventive in her quest for knowledge. She must study the folktales and the old stories. She must learn however she can.

“Must words be complicated or unusual for us to believe in them?”

“A kind word can fix a person’s spirit. A cruel one can break a person’s heart. Wicked words have caused wars, and honest words have made peace. Why shouldn’t they be able to heal?”