This was recommended to me
I enjoy reading Susan Meissner.
I was excited to read this book.

Rotating between characters gives you the entire story
from different viewpoints.

It is January 1918 and a family moves to Philadelphia
to live in a funeral home not truly knowing what future they have.
Then the Spanish Flu hits hard!

Something good comes out of that dark time.
A top quote is: "...eyes don't change much from when young, just how we see things that changes."

I loved a viewpoint of the Spanish Flu in this time period
and reading of a family during this epidemic and the lifelong consequences.

I really enjoyed this book. What a well written saga of a family during a time in our history that I haven't read much about. Learning about the Spanish influenza was heartbreaking.. This is a book that is hard to put down.

Beautifully written and vividly imagined, AS BRIGHT AS HEAVEN is a mesmerizing portrayal of a family who we come to mourn for as the Spanish Flu epidemic hits Philadelphia. This Mother and her three daughters could be someone we know and love, the author makes them so relatable I felt that they were a bit like family. I also learned a great deal about this epidemic that I hadn’t known. This author can tell a story that draws you in and won’t let you go. Ms. Meissner has won a spot on my favorite authors list. I look forward to reading more of her work.

I received an advanced review copy of this book from The Great Ninja Thoughts Review Team. All opinions are my own. This book was beautiful, amazing and lyrical. She makes the scenes so realistic that you feel as if you are there with them. The characters were wonderful and believable. I don't read a lot of historical books but she awakened a love for this genre in me. Most definitely put this on your list for reading or better yet pre order it so it'll be waiting for you on release date. It's not to be missed. Happy reading!

1918, Philadelphia, a city with many opportunities, a city that the Bright family, Pauline, Thomas and their three daughters move to for just that purpose. Thomas's elderly, childless uncle wants them to live in his large house, and for Thomas to train and takeover his mortuary business. Leaving Quakertown behind, this is what the family looks forward to, a new and better life, especially after the tragedy of a terrific loss.

I fell in love with this family, and we hear individually from each of them in alternating chapters. Things look promising for them but then the Spanish flu comes to call, an unwelcome Spector that causes further loss. Such a winning combination of characters, history and a first hand look at the devastation of War. The Spanish flu hit Philadelphia extremely hard, the hardest in the nation and caused untold hardship and heartache for many. The Bright family will lose much but also gain a baby in an unusual manner, and this child will keep the family moving forward.

We watch as the girls grow, but there is a secret one is keeping that will come back to haunt. Prohibition is also instated at this time so we also are treated to a look at some of the results of this act. This is a wonderfully told story, rich in family, love, and history. So many details make this book stand out, details for n the mortuary business and in everyday lives. Sorrows and hurts, joys and happiness. An immersive story that tugs at the heart.

ARC from bookbrowse and publisher.

This novel is a work of historical fiction, with the 1918 outbreak of Spanish flu and its victims coming on the heels of deaths from WWI. In Philadelphia, the Bright family is trying to make a new start after losing their son Henry. Living with an uncle who is an undertaker, the family is in Philadelphia where 12,000 died of the flu. I loved the characters, mainly Maggie, Evelyn and Willa, three sisters who move beyond tragedy to make very different decisions. I recommend this story of family and their strength in the face of tragedy,

When the family moves from rural Quakertown, PA to Philadlephia, PA for their father to prepare to take over his uncle's undertaking business the life of the Bright sisters change in ways they could never imagine. Between the first World War and the Spanish influenza epidemic the girls struggle to survive in a world that seems full of death. Each sister must find their own strength to build a life. A story of family and home and survival in spite of the ever changing world.

It is 1918, and Evie, Maggie, and Willa, who narrate the chapters alternately, are relocating from their rural hometown to Philadelphia, where their father has been offered employment in his uncle’s funeral parlor. At the heart of this novel is Death. Loved ones, strangers, children, and adults are affected by the terrible flu pandemic sweeping the world, and the Great War is raging, changing those who can never forget the horror they have seen. The research is excellent, the characters are unforgettable, and the story is compelling—I saw so many positive reviews on Netgalley I felt I had to read this novel. I am glad I did. As Maggie says, “We are all doing the best we can with what life hands us. That’s all we’ve ever been able to do. This is how we live our story.”

Exceptional writing delivers a tale centered on the grief felt by the Bright sisters, their parents, and those they come to love. Not just historical fiction centered on the 1918 influenza outbreak and its impact on Philadelphia, but an examination of death and loss, and how different personalities cope with being left behind.

I’ve read and loved all of Susan Meissner’s novels so when I saw As Bright As Heaven, her newest book due out in 2018, I knew I had to get my hands on an advance copy. I’m grateful for the sneak peek! Her writing is absolutely lovely and I’m only a few chapters in but I’m hooked.

Her writing is absolutely lovely and I’m only a few chapters in but I’m hooked.

Here’s the synopsis:

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.

How a flu that started in post WWI Europe changed the life and stole the innocence of 3 girls who came to Philadelphia where their parents believed they would be given an opportunity for a better life and education, but it all went terribly wrong when the flu epidemic of 1918 ravaged the city.

This book is an interesting read with fictional characters dealing with a dreadful real life event. My problem with the book is that there is an underlying lack of sophistication that brings to mind something a bit above a YA novel.



So, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend this to my more serious readers.

Meissner places her latest novel in 1918 Philadelphia where a mother and her three daughters try to find the American Dream amidst chaos and death. In a world-weary and weak after the Great War, people only wanted to move on and forget the horrors they had experienced, but there would be no rest, no time to grieve. In 1918 the Spanish Flu pandemic swept the globe, leaving millions dead. Pauline wants her daughters, Willa, Evelyn and Maggie to have a better life than she had, but the family faces tremendous odds in a city struck down by disease. I loved this book, I felt like I was right there alongside the sisters as they tried to overcome the tremendous challenges and heartbreak that they faced. A book that will hold readers rapt