I was initially really intrigued by the synopsis of As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner. I love historical fiction, and haven't read much set in the time of the Spanish Flu epidemic which is something that I find incredibly fascinating.
Unfortunately, I just could not get into the story of Pauline and her daughters as they move to Philadelphia to learn a new family business of undertaking, right as the Spanish Flu hits America. I felt it was extremely slow moving, nor did the prose really do much to pull me in to want to be invested in the characters. While sometimes having "Death" as seemingly another character or real presence can be an interesting plot device (i.e. The Book Thief), ultimately I didn't feel it worked in this novel and I couldn't even finish the book.
Unfortunately, I just could not get into the story of Pauline and her daughters as they move to Philadelphia to learn a new family business of undertaking, right as the Spanish Flu hits America. I felt it was extremely slow moving, nor did the prose really do much to pull me in to want to be invested in the characters. While sometimes having "Death" as seemingly another character or real presence can be an interesting plot device (i.e. The Book Thief), ultimately I didn't feel it worked in this novel and I couldn't even finish the book.