I want to thank BookishFirst, Berkeley Books, and Penguin Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have been hearing about As Bright As Heaven for a while and it has been on my "must-read" list. I was so excited to win a copy of it for advanced reading! I love historical fiction and this was set in a time that I did not know much about previously (flu pandemic). As Bright As Heaven follows the Bright family who relocate to Philadelphia during WW I and just as the Spanish flu pandemic is hitting the world. They come to Philadelphia after a tragedy hits them in the hopes of starting a new life in the family mortuary business - and then tragedy strikes again as the flu hits and takes many, many lives. Though there are some heartwrenching scenes/events, this is ultimately a book about the triumph of the human spirit, the love of family, and our ability to survive and love.
I was hooked by the story from the moment I started reading the book. The writing was beautiful and I loved how it was told in differing characters' voices - Susan Meissner was superbly able to capture each characters' voice, emotions, and thoughts even down to the youngest child (and it was quite fun to see the events unfolding through a young child's eyes!). I felt invested in each of the characters and couldn't put the book down as I wanted to find out what happened next and how the story unfolded - I was completely immersed in the story which is a sign of a truly amazing book for me. As Bright As Heaven surpassed my expectations and it will go onto my all-time favorites list. Definitely highly recommend!!
I was hooked by the story from the moment I started reading the book. The writing was beautiful and I loved how it was told in differing characters' voices - Susan Meissner was superbly able to capture each characters' voice, emotions, and thoughts even down to the youngest child (and it was quite fun to see the events unfolding through a young child's eyes!). I felt invested in each of the characters and couldn't put the book down as I wanted to find out what happened next and how the story unfolded - I was completely immersed in the story which is a sign of a truly amazing book for me. As Bright As Heaven surpassed my expectations and it will go onto my all-time favorites list. Definitely highly recommend!!