Fascinating and Timely
I've been longing for historical fiction set during the Spanish Influenza, and this one seems to hit the mark. The story also hits on themes I really enjoy: class/culture divide in America and human survival. I also appreciate that the protagonist is a German-American coming of age during he First World War; it leaves room for some good tension and nuance.
The plot moves quickly, which definitely keeps the reader engaged and turning pages. There were a couple moments when I would have liked a little more reflection or nuanced lingering instead of rushing from one scene to the next (at a couple points I had to go back and re-read the previous paragraph because I wasn't sure how we got from the previous scene to the one I was currently reading). However, the pace of the first two chapters definitly lays a lot of groundwork for a good plot and character development.
The plot moves quickly, which definitely keeps the reader engaged and turning pages. There were a couple moments when I would have liked a little more reflection or nuanced lingering instead of rushing from one scene to the next (at a couple points I had to go back and re-read the previous paragraph because I wasn't sure how we got from the previous scene to the one I was currently reading). However, the pace of the first two chapters definitly lays a lot of groundwork for a good plot and character development.