As Bright as Heaven
is the next novel by, one of my favorite authors, Susan Meissner. The story
opens in January 1918 as Pauline Bright visits the grave of her infant son and
contemplates a move which will uproot her family and into an unknown future. Her
husband, Thomas, has been offered an inheritance in Philadelphia. His uncle,
Fred, runs a mortuary in the city and asks Thomas to be his heir and take over
the business. It’s an opportunity that seems hard to turn down. Pauline and
Thomas along with their three daughters, Evelyn, 15, Maggie, 12 and Willa, 6,
leave the only life they’ve known and move to Philadelphia. As they settle into
their new home and new city, the Great War rages in Europe and many American
men are preparing to join the fight. And soon rumors of an illness spreading
across Europe reaches the shores of America. Soon the city and the Bright
family are faced with the growing pandemic of the Spanish flu. Will the family
be touched by this horrible illness? How will they endure the challenges they
face?
I was very eager for this new book. I’ve been a fan of Susan
Meissner since I read A Fall of Marigolds
a couple of years ago. So when I won an advanced copy from Bookish First, I
was on pins and needles as I waited for it to arrive. Told from the
perspectives of Pauline, Evelyn, Maggie and Willa, the story unfolds in a very
dramatic roller coaster of tragedy and heartache. I’ve heard of the Spanish flu
pandemic before and read about it in other novels; however, I have never read a
story quite like this one. Ms. Meissner has a gift to give her characters such
a voice that their words stay with you. So different from her recent novels
where the present is connected with events of the past; however, the story is
still an emotional ride with the Great War and the pandemic as the catalyst to
the events the Bright family must face and endure. I highly recommend As Bright as Heaven.
As Bright as Heaven
will be available in
hardcover and eBook
on February 6, 2018
No comments:
Post a Comment