My favorite thing about "As Bright As Heaven" is that each chapter is written from different characters’ perspectives, so we see how the entire family is affected by the pandemic and the war. I loved reading about Pauline, Maggie & Willa – I felt like Evie had a bigger plotline in the second half, but she also seemed like a bit of an afterthought. Pauline Bright amazed me – she lost an infant son and managed to work through her grief while working at the family’s funeral home during the Spanish Flu pandemic. Willa Bright was a breath of fresh air – as the youngest child, barely a tween, her viewpoint during the pandemic and the War was rather simple: she was frightened, she couldn’t go to school, and her friends died.
I usually only read historical fiction about WWII, but I had seen this book so many times over #bookstagram that I picked it up – and I’m so glad that I did. It’s a really pretty, engaging, and educational book. I didn’t know how badly Philadelphia was ravaged by the Spanish Flu until I read “As Bright As Heaven,” and the effect rather horrifying. Combine that with the Great War – I’m amazed at how resilient 1918 Philadelphia was.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t realize that it was written in two parts, but I like that there was a second half that showed the aftermath effecting the Bright family years later. We see the girls a few years older and a few years wiser, and it really does make all the difference. This wasn’t a fast read for me, but it was engaging and a lovely read over the holiday weekend.
I usually only read historical fiction about WWII, but I had seen this book so many times over #bookstagram that I picked it up – and I’m so glad that I did. It’s a really pretty, engaging, and educational book. I didn’t know how badly Philadelphia was ravaged by the Spanish Flu until I read “As Bright As Heaven,” and the effect rather horrifying. Combine that with the Great War – I’m amazed at how resilient 1918 Philadelphia was.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t realize that it was written in two parts, but I like that there was a second half that showed the aftermath effecting the Bright family years later. We see the girls a few years older and a few years wiser, and it really does make all the difference. This wasn’t a fast read for me, but it was engaging and a lovely read over the holiday weekend.