To be honest, I'm not sure if this book knew what it wanted to be, which might sound strange. As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner focuses on the tragedies during and after the 1918 Flu Pandemic in Philadelphia. This honestly sounds perfect to me. As somebody who lives in Philly and also works in museums on such a topic, I could not wait to read this book. Also, it follows the lives of three sisters, and a mother. All told from their perspectives. The first half of the book was addicting as it crafts this delicate world during WWI. The family moves to Philadelphia to work in a funeral home. Then the flu strikes. Yet that was not even the most interesting part. Nonetheless, I could not wait to find out what happened next only to find out the book kept going on and on into the 1920s. There were a handful of surprising plot elements that I guess added intrigue to the situation. I personally felt like it took away from the tragedy of the Spanish Flu, but that may be me. I would still recommend this book especially if you are interested in the early 20th Century, we rarely have books that delve into such a time, that allow us to immerse ourselves into such lives.