As Bright As Heaven
| Modern Age |
|---|
 As Bright As Heaven
|
American History > Modern Age > Plagues
From the acclaimed author of The Last Year of the War comes a novel set during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, telling the story of a family reborn through loss and love.
In 1918, Philadelphia was a city teeming with promise. Even as its young men went off to fight in the Great War, there were opportunities for a fresh start on its cobblestone streets. Into this bustling town, came Pauline Bright and her husband, filled with hope that they could now give their three daughters—Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa—a chance at a better life.
But just months after they arrive, the Spanish Flu reaches the shores of America. As the pandemic claims more than twelve thousand victims in their adopted city, they find their lives left with a world that looks nothing like the one they knew. But even as they lose loved ones, they take in a baby orphaned by the disease who becomes their single source of hope. Amidst the tragedy and challenges, they learn what they cannot live without—and what they are willing to do about it.
As Bright as Heaven is the compelling story of a mother and her daughters who find themselves in a harsh world not of their making, which will either crush their resolve to survive or purify it.
Emily's Review
This was my first Susan Meissner book, and I will definitely be reading more. Her writing is incredibly immersive. She is fantastic at dropping you right into the story and giving you a vivid sense of time and place. Right from the beginning of the story I was invested in the characters.
This is the story of the Bright family's experiences during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 and the years following. Told through the perspective of Pauline and her daughters, we witness the tragedy of the pandemic its aftermath. Each had a distinct voice and while I disagreed with a lot of their choices, I still fell in love with them all.
I wasn't particularly fond of the romances in the story, there is a lot of insta-love and a super inappropriate age gap. I understand it was a different time, but still. I had a hard time with that one. But because the writing was excellent and the historical element was extremely well-done, I was still fully engaged in the story.
This is a book that I closed with a sigh, and I'll likely be thinking about for the next several months.
Other Similar Books
Other suggestions on the subject of the Spanish Influenza epidemic.
- Like the Willow Tree (by: Lowry, Lois, Plagues, Spanish Influenza epidemic, MG, UMG)
- Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918 (by: Brown, Don, Plagues, Spanish Influenza epidemic, UMG, YA)
- A Death-Struck Year (by: Lucier, Makiia, Plagues, Spanish Influenza epidemic, YA)
- In the Shadow of Blackbirds (by: Winters, Cat, Plagues, Spanish Influenza epidemic, YA)
- Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 (by: Marrin, Albert, Plagues, Spanish Influenza epidemic, YA)
- As Bright As Heaven (by: Meissner, Susan, Plagues, Spanish Influenza epidemic, A)