What Do You Know About the Spanish Flu?

Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Reviews for a copy of AS BRIGHT AS HEAVEN by Susan Meissner.   I won this copy from Suzy’s site. 

I had the opportunity to meet Susan Meissner last March.  She was at a book signing for her previous novel A Bridge Across theOcean.  Whenever you go to a signing one of the common questions to an author is what your next project is?  Susan began to describe for her audience AS BRIGHT AS HEAVEN. 

Synopsis:

Maggie and her family have lived in the Pennsylvania countryside all of her life.  One day she watches her parents discussing the opportunity to move to Philadelphia for a new opportunity.  The family had been mourning the loss of their baby brother who died.  Her mother is the deciding vote and they decide on  a fresh start in Philadelphia and her father would learn the trade of undertaking.  Once they are settled their family strikes up a friendship with the neighbors.  Then World War I occurs and life changes. When the war ends and Philadelphia celebrates the flu arrives.  How would it impact Maggie’s family?  What impact will  her actions have during the flu?  How will this  impact her family?

My Thoughts:

I liked this novel.  I had never read a novel set against the Spanish flu.  The author researched the novel well.  I enjoyed experiencing this novel through Maggie’s family.  It has a great setting in Philadelphia during World War I and the later Spanish Flu epidemic.  I wanted to look at some of the research on the Spanish flu myself. 

The only part of the novel that I was not a fan of was the length of the novel.  The pacing slowed for me towards the end of the novel.  I wondered why this section was so important about one of the daughter’s choice of profession? This part that discusses one of the daughter’s occupations influences how the novel ends.  As a reader I could not wait to figure that out!    

I can’t wait to read the next Susan Meissner novel!  Readers will also be ready to devour the next novel!

You can purchase a copy of AS BRIGHT AS HEAVEN here.

Rating:

4/5

Susan Meissner is available on these platforms: 


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