My name is Miriam Sarzotti and I was a winner of an advance copy of As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner. Here is my review.
I thought the subject matter featuring death and the setting of a funeral home was very unique, albeit a bit morbid for me as the reader. I know Susan likes
to write on different subject matters, such as the haunting of the Queen Mary. I love her writing and stories, and she is a Facebook friend having met her at Mt. Hermon Writers Conference a few years back. I am a writer as well and thought the way she wrote from the POV (point of view) of different characters for each chapters helped move the
story along from each unique character. It was hard at first, to distinguish which character was which, as she did not give much physical description to Evelyn, Maggie and Willa, and I don't recall any for Pauline, I imagined her from the cover photo.
I feel the storyline picks up quickly once Pauline passes away, and I like Part 2 of the story when the characters are older. I was able to guess Ursula's brother was Alex and thought 'what a clever storyline Susan has written.' I discerned two themes: life goes forward even from brokenness and loss; and you can sweep the broken pieces of glass away and start new, which hinted of our lives in Jesus Christ. I felt Susan generalized the experience of death as not something to be afraid of, as if there is not the Christian beliefs of heaven, hell and judgement awaiting each person, which I would expect from a Christian novelist. I was disappointed it was skipped over so lightly and the Scriptural truths were not spoken.
I was moved by the story of the three sisters, as I have three sisters myself, and the loving bond of the Bright family. I appreciated how Susan dealt with mental illness and the hope that people can recover and not all is lost, sometimes our hearts have to heal, again hinting at a higher power (or Jesus) as the healing source. I was sad to end the storyof the Bright family, and particularly enjoyed the last line of the book, tying in the book title. Heaven is a real place and as Susan writes, people who die live on in our hearts.
Miriam Sarzotti
November 14, 2107
I thought the subject matter featuring death and the setting of a funeral home was very unique, albeit a bit morbid for me as the reader. I know Susan likes
to write on different subject matters, such as the haunting of the Queen Mary. I love her writing and stories, and she is a Facebook friend having met her at Mt. Hermon Writers Conference a few years back. I am a writer as well and thought the way she wrote from the POV (point of view) of different characters for each chapters helped move the
story along from each unique character. It was hard at first, to distinguish which character was which, as she did not give much physical description to Evelyn, Maggie and Willa, and I don't recall any for Pauline, I imagined her from the cover photo.
I feel the storyline picks up quickly once Pauline passes away, and I like Part 2 of the story when the characters are older. I was able to guess Ursula's brother was Alex and thought 'what a clever storyline Susan has written.' I discerned two themes: life goes forward even from brokenness and loss; and you can sweep the broken pieces of glass away and start new, which hinted of our lives in Jesus Christ. I felt Susan generalized the experience of death as not something to be afraid of, as if there is not the Christian beliefs of heaven, hell and judgement awaiting each person, which I would expect from a Christian novelist. I was disappointed it was skipped over so lightly and the Scriptural truths were not spoken.
I was moved by the story of the three sisters, as I have three sisters myself, and the loving bond of the Bright family. I appreciated how Susan dealt with mental illness and the hope that people can recover and not all is lost, sometimes our hearts have to heal, again hinting at a higher power (or Jesus) as the healing source. I was sad to end the storyof the Bright family, and particularly enjoyed the last line of the book, tying in the book title. Heaven is a real place and as Susan writes, people who die live on in our hearts.
Miriam Sarzotti
November 14, 2107