As Bright as Heaven
From the acclaimed author of The Last Year of the War comes a novel set during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, telling the story of a family reborn through loss and love. In 1918, Philadelphia was a city teeming with promise. Even as its young men went off to fight in the Great War, there were opportunities for a fresh start on its cobblestone streets. Into this bustling town, came Pauline Bright and her husband, filled with hope that they could now give their three daughters--Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa--a chance at a better life. But just months after they arrive, the Spanish Flu reaches the shores of America. As the pandemic claims more than twelve thousand victims in their adopted city, they find their lives left with a world that looks nothing like the one they knew. But even as they lose loved ones, they take in a baby orphaned by the disease who becomes their single source of hope. Amidst the tragedy and challenges, they learn what they cannot live without--and what they are willing to do about it. As Bright as Heaven is the compelling story of a mother and her daughters who find themselves in a harsh world not of their making, which will either crush their resolve to survive or purify it.
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Community Reviews
Set during WWI and the Spanish Flu pandemic, involves a family that moves from central PA to Philadelphia. The father gets an opportunity to join his wealthy uncle's mortuary business. The story is told by the mother and 3 daughters. Philadelphia is hit very hard with the number of residents killed by the flu. One daughter finds a baby in a home when they are sent on a errand to deliver supplies to the poor section of the city. The mother is dead but she lies that she was the only person in this home. They raise the baby as their own. We follow Evie, Maggie, and Willa as they grow up during this time of trouble and loss. Many interwoven details that come to light and connect early parts of the story by the ending.
The backdrop of this story was the Spanish Flu of 1918, set in a family of sisters and their parents as they navigate many changes around them. The Brite family inherit an uncle’s funeral home in WW1 Philadelphia, with many deaths coming to their door. And a baby who comes to live them in the turmoil. I stayed up all night reading this fascinating story, highly recommend.
Overall: 3.5 stars (Goodreads doesn't allow halves)
Story/plot: 3 stars - the story kept me interested, mainly due to the background circumstances of the epidemic and the experience of the undertaker. The plot was obvious.
Characters: 3.5 stars - I thought that the author did a good job with developing the characters and having them stay true to each character's personality until the end when I felt like things went a bit wonky.
Writing: 3 stars. The story is told through 3 characters (4 if you count the mother in the beginning). I thought that this was an interesting way to explore the characters and move the story along. I saw the twist - if you want to call it that - as soon as the character was introduced. Maybe it was meant to be obvious?
Learning: 3.5 stars. This historical fiction as a bit light on history. This is definitely more a story about a family than it is about the Spanish Flu or WWI, but I did learn some things. I had a healthy knowledge of the Spanish Flu pandemic before I read the book, including the parade that is mentioned in the book. Based on our recent experiences with Covid-19, I'm surprised that the situation wasn't more extreme. Philadelphia had 12k deaths, that's 2.25x more deaths than they have had from Covid-19. On one day alone, this required 10 trucks to carry bodies from the city morgue to Philadelphia’s potter’s field. Also, Philadelphia was the epicenter of the disease, the cases and deaths spiked in a ~4 week period, which would have totally overwhelmed any health worker and and undertaker. As horrific as the events were portrayed, and of course the personal impact was emphasized, I felt that more could have been learned about the situation.
Ending: 4 stars. A lot of books that I read don't even have an ending, so I'm giving 4 stars for an ending, even though it's a bit trite.
Overall/Entertainment: 4 stars I enjoyed reading this book, and I would recommend it - not as "the best book I've ever read" but because it was entertaining.
Story/plot: 3 stars - the story kept me interested, mainly due to the background circumstances of the epidemic and the experience of the undertaker. The plot was obvious.
Characters: 3.5 stars - I thought that the author did a good job with developing the characters and having them stay true to each character's personality until the end when I felt like things went a bit wonky.
Writing: 3 stars. The story is told through 3 characters (4 if you count the mother in the beginning). I thought that this was an interesting way to explore the characters and move the story along. I saw the twist - if you want to call it that - as soon as the character was introduced. Maybe it was meant to be obvious?
Learning: 3.5 stars. This historical fiction as a bit light on history. This is definitely more a story about a family than it is about the Spanish Flu or WWI, but I did learn some things. I had a healthy knowledge of the Spanish Flu pandemic before I read the book, including the parade that is mentioned in the book. Based on our recent experiences with Covid-19, I'm surprised that the situation wasn't more extreme. Philadelphia had 12k deaths, that's 2.25x more deaths than they have had from Covid-19. On one day alone, this required 10 trucks to carry bodies from the city morgue to Philadelphia’s potter’s field. Also, Philadelphia was the epicenter of the disease, the cases and deaths spiked in a ~4 week period, which would have totally overwhelmed any health worker and and undertaker. As horrific as the events were portrayed, and of course the personal impact was emphasized, I felt that more could have been learned about the situation.
Ending: 4 stars. A lot of books that I read don't even have an ending, so I'm giving 4 stars for an ending, even though it's a bit trite.
Overall/Entertainment: 4 stars I enjoyed reading this book, and I would recommend it - not as "the best book I've ever read" but because it was entertaining.
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