Unforgettable Story...Unforgettable Characters
I am a big fan of Susan Meissner and As Bright as Heaven was definitely my favorite of her novels. I was fortunate to receive an Advance Reading Copy from Penguin Random House. This story is about a family who moves to Philadelphia from the countryside and moves in with an elderly bachelor uncle who runs a mortuary from his large home. This would have made for an interesting story in itself, but shortly following the move the Spanish Flu epidemic arrives and Philadelphia is one of the hardest hit cities.
As the story opens you immediately find out that the only son, an infant, has passed away. This will have a continuous impact on the family throughout the novel. Ms. Meissner tells the story primarily from the first person point of view of the three daughters, thus providing the reader with an intimate and honest relationship with each of them.
As Bright as Heaven is not a happy, light tale. It is hard to fathom what people went through during a time when medicine was basically nonexistent and communication was so limited, especially among the poor. Ms. Meissner has easily shown how family members might be misplaced. She has a knack of showing this in times of war or immigration in her other books and I felt she did a believable job describing how the Bright family came to raise and care for a little boy they named Alex.
I’m not sure I liked how the end was wrapped up for the eldest daughter Evelyn. I didn’t find it as believable as the storyline for the middle daughter Maggie. As for Willa, the youngest, I hope her story continues. Book clubs will enjoy discussing which of the girls readers relate most to and why. Of course I had my favorite but felt quite attached to all the characters; I will miss them and remember them clearly for a long time. Remembering characters is what puts a book on my favorites list and this is one that will surely hold a place on that shelf.
As the story opens you immediately find out that the only son, an infant, has passed away. This will have a continuous impact on the family throughout the novel. Ms. Meissner tells the story primarily from the first person point of view of the three daughters, thus providing the reader with an intimate and honest relationship with each of them.
As Bright as Heaven is not a happy, light tale. It is hard to fathom what people went through during a time when medicine was basically nonexistent and communication was so limited, especially among the poor. Ms. Meissner has easily shown how family members might be misplaced. She has a knack of showing this in times of war or immigration in her other books and I felt she did a believable job describing how the Bright family came to raise and care for a little boy they named Alex.
I’m not sure I liked how the end was wrapped up for the eldest daughter Evelyn. I didn’t find it as believable as the storyline for the middle daughter Maggie. As for Willa, the youngest, I hope her story continues. Book clubs will enjoy discussing which of the girls readers relate most to and why. Of course I had my favorite but felt quite attached to all the characters; I will miss them and remember them clearly for a long time. Remembering characters is what puts a book on my favorites list and this is one that will surely hold a place on that shelf.