From the Bookshelf of Book of The Month…

As Bright as Heaven

Susan Meissner

Start date: January 1, 2018

Finish date: January 31, 2018

Why we're reading this: From the acclaimed author of Secrets of a Charmed Life and A Bridge Across the Ocean comes a new novel se…more
[close] From the acclaimed author of Secrets of a Charmed Life and A Bridge Across the Ocean comes a new novel set in Philadelphia during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, which tells 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.

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What Members Thought

May 14, 2018 Sarah rated it really liked it

This was exactly what I needed. The writing is beautiful and insightful. There were so many times when I wished I wasn't reading in bed or on the airplane without a pen! I will go back and underline many of these lines. I had never really thought about the devastation of the Spanish Flu in 1918. The story is set in Philadelphia, one the cities that saw the worst of it. The characters were absolutely wonderful...flawed, selfish, selfless, heroic, weak, strong,...human! The story definitely drives ...more

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Nov 20, 2017 Paula Hess rated it liked it

I have long been a fan of Susan Meissner and was very excited to receive a copy of her latest, As Bright As Heaven to review. The story takes place in Philadelphia in 1918. The Bright family has moved there to try and get a better chance at life. Sadly there dreams are short lived. Along comes the Great War and then the Spanish Flu. The Bright family is living and working in a funeral home with their father's Uncle who has taken on the family to help him run it. The family all get involved in th ...more

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Feb 20, 2018 Erica rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs-2018

"It's as if the body is a candle and the soul is its flame. When the flame is snuffed out, all that is left to prove that there had been a flame is the candle, and even that we only have for a little while. Even the candle is not ours to keep. And yet how we care for that candle for that stretch of time that it is still ours! How we want to remember the shape and fragrance of the little flame it held."
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"This flu is like a black shroud that has been flung across everything that breathes under the "It's as if the body is a candle and the soul is its flame. When the flame is snuffed out, all that is left to prove that there had been a flame is the candle, and even that we only have for a little while. Even the candle is not ours to keep. And yet how we care for that candle for that stretch of time that it is still ours! How we want to remember the shape and fragrance of the little flame it held."
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"This flu is like a black shroud that has been flung across everything that breathes under the canopy of heaven, and if you could stand back far enough you wouldn't see all the people it touches, only the immense length and breadth of its expanse."
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I could keep posting quote after quote from this beautifully-written novel. I counted and I highlighted 25 quotes from this book. The concept of a family running an undertaking business during the greatest epidemic the world has ever seen was a subject I was excited to read about. They lived in Philadelphia, which of all the cities in the United States, was probably hit the hardest. I read the book The Great Influenza by John M. Barry last year and the author mentioned she read that book as research for this one. I think it would be a great companion read to this to better understand the impact the flu had. The first third of this book goes slowly, and I almost stopped reading, but I'm glad I didn't. The author spent time developing the characters and it really shows. Maggie was definitely my favorite character, but I also liked Pauline and cute little Willa. There was a plot point that was very predictable to me, but that didn't take away from the story too much. The strengths of this book were the characters and their awareness of how death brings a new understanding and appreciation of humanity. I wish I had been able to read this book years ago when I lost someone very dear to me. Its messages would have brought comfort to my heart trying to make sense of grief and loss. You will need tissues while reading this book, but the ending is a good one, I promise. I gave this book four stars out of five. Graceful, poignant, and meaningful. ...more

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