As Bright as Heaven

Written by Susan Meissner

Narrated by Tavia Gilbert, Jorjeana Marie, Cassandra Morris and Abigail Revasch

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Audio
• Release date: Feb 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9780525531081

Susan Meissner

Susan Meissner is a USA TODAY bestselling author with more than three-quarters of a million books in print in eighteen languages. Her novels have been named to numerous "best of" lists, including Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Goodreads, and Real Simple magazine. A former newspaper editor, Susan attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their yellow Lab, Winston. When she's not writing, Susan loves long walks, good coffee, and reading bedtime stories to her grandchildren. Visit her online at susanmeissnerauthor.com; Instagram: @susanmeissnerauthor; Twitter: @SusanMeissner; Facebook: @susan.meissner; and Pinterest: @SusanMeissner.

Reviews for As Bright as Heaven

[shazjhb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting book about the 1918 flu pandemic written before Covid. The flu went on much longer than what was written in the book. Interesting family. Imagine what it was like for undertakers etc. Psychiatry was misrepresented

[classyhomemaker · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A few weeks ago, I happened to be at my public library when they made the announcement that they were closing in a few hours, indefinitely, due to COVID-19. I was in the process of filling my bag with all kinds of apocalyptic and plague-heavy reading. I thought it would be fun and novel to read about crazy world happenings when we were seeing one on the horizon. Like I said, that was weeks ago and no one could predict---no one can predict now---the ramifications of this virus on our community, country, and world. To say the least---reading this book was not a fun and novel experience. It was extremely depressing. Since it's the first fiction book I've read in a good 10 years set during a plague of this kind, I'm not sure how much our current world situation contributed to that sense of dull sadness.

I don't normally like stories told from multiple perspectives. This one has four narrators---a mother and her four daughters. While I was getting to know the characters, it was easy for me to remember who was who, age wise, because their names are in alphabetical order from oldest to youngest. The story tellers switch from present to past tense often...not sure if that was intentional, but it was irritating. Because we are dealing with multiple perspectives, some events just happen without any lead up. The Spanish flu just appeared abruptly and unintroduced in the story, without any foreshadowing or hint that it was coming. I guess that's probably how it happened for the people who went through it in real life. I know the reality and the gravity of the Coronavirus just showed up here one day---we didn't think much of it until it affected us personally.

While the story was predictable, I still liked seeing how it played out. I thought the mortuary was an original background for the story, offering a perspective I'd never considered---that an undertaker would often be tending to a close friend or loved one. Very sad. I really admired the gentle way this family was with one another. They were very careful and compassionate of one another's feelings---even during times when it would have been acceptable to lash out.

I wouldn't say the book necessarily has a happy ending. The characters ended up changed and the reader leaves them seemingly contentedly adjusting to a new normal. Is that how it will be for us when COVID-19 has passed? Will life go on as usual or will we find ourselves adjusting to a new normal?

[paradiseporch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set in 1918 Philadelphia amid the Spanish Flue pandemic, this is enjoyable women's fiction - although there is tragedy, things are okay in the end.

The blurb here says that the story involved a family with three daughters, but honestly, all I remember is the youngest daughter sneaking out of the house to sing at speakeasy and another training to a mortician - or maybe a beautician at the funeral home? Or maybe that wasn't this book at all.

I rated it 4 stars at the time so I must have found it quite enjoyable to read. But, ultimately, forgettable.

[quondame · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well enough written with decent flow, but... the characters are an impressionistic collage which the sparse detailed realistic elbow, profile, selfishness, or yearning makes grotesque rather than believable. A lovely family morning a sad loss moves to Philadelphia just in time for the influenza epidemic to confront them with more loss and strange gains.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner is story of historical fiction that deals with the 1918 flu pandemic. The main characters are from the Bright family that moves to Philadelphia so that the father, Thomas, can join his uncle in his mortuary business. The whole family, wife Pauline, and daughters Evelyn, Maggie and Willa are grieving the death of 4 month old Henry, who was born with a defective heart. This was a difficult time as the Great War in Europe was escalating and then as the family settles into their new home and business, their lives were about to be torn apart by the devastating epidemic that struck with deadly intent.

The story is divided into halves, the first part is about how the family and the city of Philadelphia deals with the pandemic, while the second half shows what life became after the end of the war and the flu. The Bright family were however strongly impacted by events and choices made during that time. The book’s main focus in on the females of the family and the story unfolds from their viewpoint, alternating between the mother and her daughters.

As Bright As Heaven gives us a detailed look at the 1918 pandemic, and there were certainly many aspects that reminded me of what we are experiencing today with Covid. The author is to be commended for her historical research and also for delivering a story that was unique and absorbing. I did find the ending was a little too neatly wrapped up but overall, I enjoyed this story. This is the second book I have read by this author and I am looking forward to reading more by her.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It came like a thief in the night, this virus that didn’t care if you were young or old, or rich or poor. It struck with no warning. It left some sick, but weak and recovering. Many others it took within days of being infected, coughing and gasping for breath at the end. Even if you weren’t infected, someone in your family was, or your neighbor, or your friend. This disease touched everyone, in one way or another. Schools were closed, hospitals were overcrowded, people were dying at home. Those giving aid, or food, or comfort wore masks for protection, for there was no cure. Homes were quarantined, people avoided crowds. The year was 1918. Author Susan Meissner has written a chilling account of World War I and the Spanish Flu. A family moves north to Philadelphia where the husband becomes an undertaker, working with his uncle. He and his wife have thee daughters, and for a while, life is good. But then the flu strikes, and no one remains untouched. It’s a gripping tale that illustrates how an innocent act can have devastating effects years in the future. Maggie and her mother, taking food to the sick, find a baby whose mother is dead, and whose sister is dying, and rescue the baby. In so doing, they begin a wondrous yet heart-breaking journey. This well-written story is filled with vibrant characters placed in a fascinating and terrible time and place. This is a story of fiction, but its roots are in a history that echoes through the years, even a hundred years later. This well-researched novel is one you will be glad you read.

[beckyhaase · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

AS BRIGHT AS HEAVEN by Susan Meissner
In 1918 there was the Spanish Flu. It was devastating. Millions died. This is the story of how one ordinary family was affected.
The Bright family choses to move to Philadelphia where they will take over the family mortuary just as the Great War and the Spanish Flu descend upon the city. Thomas and Pauline and their three daughters, Evie, Maggie and Willa, take up residence and intend to have a better life than tobacco farmers. The victims of the flu upend their plans as the mortuary fills and then is inundated with bodies. Disease strikes every family even as the war takes away the young men.
This picture of how a family and a city is changed, gives a realistic picture of medicine and funerary practices as well as family life in a middle class family. Well written and researched, the book is compelling even as Corona 19 claims lives today.
5 of 5 stars

[niquetteb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Novel about the 1918 flu involving a family who owns/works for a funeral parlor and the effects of this loss on the institution. The story is told in alternating chapters from the women characters' points of view, the mom, and three sisters. My only problem with this is that the author used the character's voice to tell the other character's stories instead of their own story, but I liked that the story continued rather than repeating from all of their view points.

[janismack · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was a bit disappointed in this book. I thought the author could have given me more of a feeling of what it was like to live during the outbreak of the flu and life in a funeral parlour. The author did touch on these subjects, but did not elaborate too much on these subjects. The characters were sympathetic and I wanted to know what happened to them. The story was a bit predictable, while I was reading, I knew why the author incorporated a new person, before the characters did.

[codonnelly · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

In a year when the flu hit the US much harder than usual, Susan Meissner’s As Bright as Heaven, set during the deadly Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, sparks heightened interest. Following the death of an infant son, the Bright family moves to Philadelphia to aid an elderly uncle with his funeral business. As the flu strikes with a vengeance, the Brights struggle to balance helping those in need and keeping their own family safe and healthy. While categorized as historical fiction, the novel reads more like a melodrama with shallow characters making irresponsible and irrational decisions in exaggerated situations.

Pauline, the matriarch of the family, and her three daughters, Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa, narrate alternating chapters in the first person perspective. While the four women are easy to differentiate due in part to age and personality differences, the characterization appears lazy and superficial. Once Pauline is established as the mother, that’s all she is. Evelyn never moves beyond her label as the “intellectual,” while Willa, despite a significant leap in time halfway through the novel, is always the needy and selfish baby of the family. Maggie, the middle child and the character with the most substance, eventually loses her charm as she becomes consumed by her obsession with a young man. Poorly fleshed out characters lead to apathy and boredom.

The novel is separated into two parts, with the first half taking place pre- and post- flu, and the second half jumping ahead seven years to an older, allegedly wiser, family who have rooted themselves in the Philadelphia community. The three daughters have budding careers, but their personalities and decision-making abilities remain static. They do not learn from or even acknowledge the mistakes they made in the past. The tone shift between the two parts is also jarring. It is difficult to jump back and forth between profound tragedies and trivial matters. Whether it be a byproduct of so many different perspectives or not, it does not do the novel any favors, and comes across as insensitive.

Historical events take a backseat to the everyday lives of the Bright family. Meissner could have placed her characters in any time period and the essence of the novel would not have been affected. Readers who picked it up specifically to read about the Spanish flu will most likely leave disappointed, as it only directly appears in the middle of the novel, causes paranoia and death, and then promptly disappears throughout the last half. The Great War does play a small role, as well as Prohibition, but they are both glossed over quickly and without deep reflection.

As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner tries and fails to present a moving glimpse into the lives of a family intimate with death during the largest flu pandemic in modern history. Superficial characters, inane plot threads with laughable resolutions, and a lack of delicacy surrounding sensitive topics left me perplexed and disappointed. If you’re in the mood for tragedy dripping with drama, you may leave satisfied, but I still highly doubt it.

[authormarion · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As Bright As Heaven follows the Bright family as father Thomas, mother Pauline, and their three daughters Evie, Maggie, and Willa make the move from Quakertown, Pennsylvania to Philadelphia. We meet the family shortly after the death of their six-month old son Henry. Each family member is trying to cope with the loss of their beloved baby in differing ways. Around the same time Uncle Fred, Thomas’s unmarried uncle, extends an invitation for the family to move to Philadelphia where Thomas can assist Fred in his undertaking business and one day inherit the business as his own. After much discussion, Thomas and Pauline decide to make the move, leaving behind the tobacco business that has been in Thomas’s family for generations.

Upon their arrival in Philadelphia, the Bright family settles in although Pauline is finding it difficult to adjust. She feels that since the passing of her infant son, Death has been her constant companion. So in an effort to overcome her fears of death she takes on the job of making the deceased who pass through the funeral home cosmetically presentable for their final appearances. This seems to sooth her and soon she allows her middle daughter Maggie to assist her. Maggie, it appears, has no fear of death or the dying.

But ten months later, the Spanish Flu runs rampant. Even as it claims thousands of lives and the demand for caskets exceeds the supply. While Thomas and his uncle work to keep up with the numbers of deceased that arrive on their doorstep at all hours of the day and night, Pauline and Maggie volunteer to take food and medicine to the poorer parts of the city. On one of their trips, while Pauline is tending to a sick woman, Maggie follows the sound of a crying baby and finds a house where the dead mother is still abed, a young girl who appears to be at death’s door is on the sofa, and a baby is in a crib. The infant is dirty and unfed and will surely die if left on its own. Maggie bundles the child into her coat and takes it with her, whispering to the young girl that the baby is now safe.

Back at home, the baby is cleaned and fed; the authorities have been notified. But Pauline soon learns that even the orphanages are overloaded and there is no where to place the baby. Perhaps Pauline and her family could care for the child until such time as a family member comes looking for the child? Meantime, young Willa has contracted the Spanish Flu. Pauline concentrates her efforts on caring for her youngest daughter – never leaving her bedside until at long last the young girl turns a corner and her fever breaks. What Pauline and her family thought at first to be exhaustion on the mother’s part soon turns into the flu and it is Pauline’s life that is claimed.

We follow the story as the three sisters and their father, now in charge of the funeral home as Uncle Fred also succumbs to the flu, deal with the aftermath of the epidemic. Their lives have all been affected by the loss of family and friends as a result of the sweeping illness – especially the life of Maggie. All of this is set against the backdrop of the beginnings of World War I as well.

The Spanish Flu epidemic took my mother’s sister when she was still a child – an aunt I would never know. I must admit that I didn’t know much about the illness before I read this book other than it was horrible. But author Meissner does a terrific job of seamlessly weaving facts with fiction in As Bright As Heaven. She has created characters that you’ll become familiar with instantly. This reader simply couldn’t put down the book. This looks like another winner for Susan Meissner. And if other reviews are any indication, you’ll be totally absorbed in this story.

[cariola_6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I got caught up in the early parts of this novel, when the Bright family, grieving for the death of an infant son and having financial troubles, leaves their farm for Philadelphia, where the father will partner in his uncle's funeral home. Each female in the family--mother Pauline and daughters Evie, Maggie, and Willa--tell their stories in individual, alternating chapters as they adapt to living and working in a funeral home. The details of the mortician's occupation were something I could have done without yet important to the story. When the 1918 influenza epidemic hits the city, business, sadly, is booming, and everyone is touched by tragedy, including the Brights. The only spark of joy for them is Alex, a baby brought home by middle sister Maggie. While helping her mother, who had been tending to the ill, Maggie entered a home to find a young mother dead, her daughter apparently near death, and her infant son alone. Maggie's thought is that a new baby boy will make the family happy once again.

But the war ends, time passes, and this novel starts going downhill, at least for me. The daughters all fall into sappy, ridiculous, and predictable romances, and, one after another, a series of impossible coincidences drives the plot to the expected ending. Other reviewers have said that they wished the author had stayed focused on the war years and the flu epidemic, and I totally agree. We didn't really need speakeasies and insane asylums and broken engagements. Since I'm not a fan of either coming of age stories or romances, I doubt that I will seek out other books by this author.

[ang709 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I didn't feel that the book's description was the most accurate depiction of the story that waited inside. Living in a funeral parlor and learning the work of an undertaker were huge parts of the story but were left out of the description. On the other hand, the flu seemed as if it would be a huge part of the story. Instead, it doesn't enter until about 1/3 of the way in and is gone by the 2/3 mark. I would describe the story as being about a family learning to deal with loss. Flu is just one obstacle on the route to recovery.


I wish there had been more character growth. Instead, Willa begins the novel as a selfish six year old brat, prone to throwing temper tantrums and making promises she doesn't intend to keep. At the end of the novel, Willa is a selfish fifteen year old brat, prone to throwing temper tantrums and making promises she doesn't intend to keep. Ugh. Even her narration voice stayed the same. Did she not mature at all over the years?

Then there was Maggie. She did something, initially with the best intentions, but when she realized maybe she'd made a mistake and would have to give up something she wanted, she lied. She knew the pain she could cause but gave in to selfishness. And when she learns of the suffering her actions have caused others, she still has the nerve to act as if she is the one being wronged. No decency or character growth. Again, ugh.

I didn't care for the romances. While there may not be anything abnormal about a 13 year old girl developing a crush on a 21 year old guy, the fact that he wrote her a letter expressing inner thoughts and feelings that he hadn't even revealed to his family creeped me out. As for Evelyn, her romance is at the very least unethical.


I know I'm in the minority, but this book frustrated me, and I can not recommend it.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thomas Bright's family moves to Philadelphia to help Uncle Fred with his funeral home. They'd lived near his wife Pauline's family, but they wanted a better life. Evie loved books so she loved perusing her uncle's library as well as the nearby public library. Maggie found making friends a bit more difficult but she struck up a friendship with Charlie Sutcliffe and his older brother Jamie who lived across the street. Willa, the youngest, made friends easily. The war raged in Europe. Jamie's draft number came up. Thomas, now well-versed in the undertaker's trade, signed up for the medical corps to avoid the front lines. The flu hits Philadelphia hard. Schools close. Pauline volunteers with the women at church to take food to families affected. Maggie goes along, discovering a baby crying with a mother dead from flu and a sister she believes will die soon. "Alex" as the family calls him comes home to live with them. Thomas informs the authorities in the event family members seek him out. Willa comes down with the flu and recovers, but then Pauline comes down with it. Uncle Fred calls Thomas home from the training camp because of the family emergency. Life will never be the same for the Bright family. After the end of the war, the book takes up in the year 1925 where we see how the events of 1918 still affect the family. This book is beautiful. During the war sections, I considered awarding this book 5 stars. Although the mid-1920s sections were strong, they just failed to mesmerize me as the earlier sections did. Willa's under-age performances, and Evie's responsibility for a divorce caused this. Still, the authored penned a beautiful historical novel that captivates readers.

[liscarey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In 1918, with the Great War under way, but not yet having a big impact at home in America, the Bright family moves from Quakertown to Philadelphia. Thomas Bright has been asked to join his Uncle Fred's undertaker business, and eventually be his heir.

It's not Thomas's viewpoint, or Fred's, that we see this story from. It's Thomas's wife, Pauline, and their three daughters, Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa, who tell the story.

All seems bright and hopeful when they arrive. Evelyn has access both to her uncle's own library, and to the public library not far away. Maggie makes friends with Charlie Sutcliffe, and his older brother, Jamie, who live across the street. Willa makes new friends. Thomas learns to be an undertaker, and in time, a fully trained mortician. Fred is reluctant to agree, at first, but Pauline takes over the cosmetics for the dead, once they are embalmed and any major injuries repaired by Thomas and Fred. Even more gradually and reluctantly, Maggie is allowed to join her mother in that final preparation of the dead. They both find comfort and fulfillment in it.

Then things change. Jamie Sutcliffe is drafted. Thomas enlists so that he can get assigned as a medic rather than infantry. The Brights and the Sutcliffes adjust to life without Thomas and Jamie, but that's only the start. Stories of an exceptionally nasty influenza, called the Spanish flu more by accident than any good reason--and it's not long before the flu makes its way to Philadelphia.

Philadelphia was one of the hardest-hit American cities in what was possibly the deadliest pandemic in human history. The Brights and the Sutcliffes work their way through it, as the undertaking business becomes dramatically harder, and dramatically more heartbreaking. Both the numbers of the dead, and the potential threat of spreading the disease from handling them, makes speed, efficiency, and preventing gatherings of the family and friends terrible and necessary steps.

All four of the Bright ladies try to find their way to do the right things, the sensible things, the moral things in this time of trouble.

Not all of them will survive.

This is a very finely crafted and humane story, with beautifully developed characters.

Highly recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

[bemislibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The flu epidemic of 1918 occurred during World War I devastating impact on families is told through the many characters that pass through the door of Uncle Fred’s funeral home. This is a tale of missed opportunities, sadness, and consequences. The setting is accurate to the period. My favorite line in the book comes near the end, “I guess all of us are just doing the best we can with what life hands us”.

I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway. Although encouraged, I was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[vintagebeckie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Susan Meissner is one of my favorite authors. I have loved all the books that I have read by this very talented author — from her poignant contemporary debut through her richly detailed historical novels. When given the chance to read As Bright As Heaven, I, of course, issued a resounding YES! But I have to say I have mixed feelings about this novel. It is indeed a beautifully written novel set during an unfamiliar (to me) era in US history. But it was a difficult book to read. I said to a friend that it was very true to life, making it messy and filled with sorrow despite the joy. I definitely recommend this one, but this book requires work on the part of the reader, so don’t expect a quick or easy reading experience.

The setting of As Bright As Heaven is Philadelphia in 1918 and then skips ahead 7 years to 1925. The book begins in the early days of the United States’ involvement in WWI and before the devastating Spanish Flu pandemic hits the city. The Bright family has made a big transition from tobacco farm to the big city and a new venture for parents, Pauline and Thomas. The story is written in the first person voice of the Bright women, mom Pauline and daughters, Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa, with each chapter alternating perspective. The style of the novel provides an intimate look into each character’s thoughts while spotlighting the family dynamics. As the tragedy and consequences of both the flu and the war unfold, Meissner explores the impact on this family and the community as a whole. The combination of the two large events presents a unique framework to show how lives can be changed quickly and unexpectedly. Meissner certainly did her research — the fear, loss, and desperation of those times are clear. While the book is at times rather dark, the Brights have moments of beauty that keep the soul hoping and living. As one character puts it — “We only see a little bit of our stories at time, and the hard parts remind us too harshly that we’re fragile and flawed. But it isn’t all hard. Your story isn’t all hard parts. Some of it is incredibly beautiful.” That pretty much sums up the book and life in general. The characters are very real — they make bad choices often for the right reasons, and those have unimagined and widespread effects (again very true to life). For those who have read Meissner’s Christian fiction, this book is targeted to the general market and has no overt faith message. However, the author’s worldview informs the novel and breaks through in subtle ways.

As Bright As Heaven was a difficult book for me to read. It is a bit unconventional and it touched on difficult circumstances. I didn’t ugly cry during it, but I did have feelings of sorrow for both the characters and those who lived through those difficult times. Meisnner is a very talented writer and has created a beautifully crafted novel. It is a recommended read for me.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to Berkley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

[erickas-3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Set during WWI and the outbreak of the Spanish flu epidemic, As Bright as Heaven follows the Bright family and their move to Philadelphia to begin a new life helping their uncle run his funeral business. There are 3 daughters: Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa, who each have their own plans for the future. The family is already under the burden of mourning, and they hope that starting again in a new town may help overcome their grief. The book is organized with multiple points of view, so the reader can understand the family’s situation from different characters’ perspectives.

The Spanish flu affected everyone during this time, especially a funeral home overwhelmed with the number of victims requiring burial. The flu took the old and young alike, the healthy and the infirm, and there was no explanation for those who recovered and those who did not. On top of the desperation and fear of the flu, men were leaving to fight in the war, leaving behind many women to endure this calamity on their own. This book was well-researched and skillfully organized.

This story is wholesome; there is little violence, no bad language, and no sex. It’s a book you can lend to your grandmother or your middle-schooler without concern. Despite the lack of the usual sordid inclusions, it’s still a riveting story and the drama doesn’t disappoint.

As Bright as Heaven had steady pacing, and the plot moved forward with new developments to keep my interest. The writing was superb, never trite or cloying. I read this book in two days, and I always looked forward to reading more. There were no slow sections, no middle-of-the-book slump. I enjoyed the experience of this book,and I’m definitely going to investigate some of this author’s previous work.

Recommended to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or an easy-to-read, enjoyable story.
Many thanks to BookishFirst and Penguin Random House for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[janarose1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Bright family move from the farm to Philadelphia, where Thomas, the husband, is to become an undertaker. The book alternates between Pauline, the mother, and their daughters, Evelyn, Maggie and Willa. With an outbreak of Spanish flu, their new life is suddenly transformed beyond all belief. When Maggie and Pauline visit the sick to hand out food, Maggie finds a baby and a dying girl in one of the houses. Taking the baby, Maggie pretends that he was alone and that she can't remember where he was found.

This was a well written and engaging book. Each point of view was interesting and added to the story. Well paced, the book spanned multiple years, showing how the flu epidemic changed and shaped their lives. I love historical fiction and this is one of the better ones that I've read. Overall, highly recommended.

[m.belljackson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What could possibly be As Bright as Heaven?

Readers may be mystified by the title and guess, as I did, that it will turn out to be Hope and Promise.

The tragic challenges faced by the mother, daughters, and the nearly abandoned baby illuminate an
entire history of Philadelphia that many readers have never encountered, beginning with The Spanish Flu.
This epidemic in the United States was overshadowed by World War I and its infinite horrors,
as John Dos Passos wrote "And this was what all the centuries of Civilization had struggled for."

[staciele · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As a fan of Susan Meissner, I had no doubt that her tale of WWI and the crippling Spanish Flu would be a page-turning tale. I was not disappointed. Even though this tale of a family in Philadephia suffers greatly and tragic events fill the pages, I was still drawn to this story. Each chapter is told from a different character's perspective which gives the reader a broad view of how one small decision can change the trajectory of a family forever.

It's January 1918 and the Bright family has just buried their sweet infant, Henry, after an incurable heart condition. Pauline and her husband decide to join her husband's uncle in the funeral home business. This fairly new idea of funeral parlors and embalming is unheard of in their rural area, but Pauline is no longer afraid of death and has this desire to be closer to it. What she doesn't know is how surrounded by death she and her family will be.

Pauline and her three daughters tell their family's story. Evelyn, the bright teenager who is thrilled by the huge library in Philadephia. Maggie, the slightly younger caretaker of her siblings isn't afraid of what is behind the doors in the embalming room. Willa, the youngest, isn't happy with all the rules in this new house and doesn't understand why her family had to leave the countryside, her grandparents and live in a funeral home. As the family begins to adjust to living with Uncle Fred, to the dead bodies in the other side of the house, and the hustle and bustle of the city, their father decides to go help during the war efforts. Pauline is left behind to run the funeral home with Uncle Fred. There is word of a devastating flu moving swiftly through the city, but no one realizes the tragedies that lie ahead for them as bodies start to pile up outside their door.

You would think a story of war and a flu that took 12,000 lives in one city would be too full of sadness to read. Just when you think this family can't bear any more sadness, another layer is added, yet you keep reading because you have to believe there is hope for each of them. You have to believe that in the depths of a horrific disease, something will soon change. It does when Maggie finds a baby and saves him from certain death. This baby is the light in their dark tunnel. As Philadelphia emerges from disease, so too the Bright family must emerge from their own personal tragedies. Their story and resilience will amaze you and remind you that there can be happiness in even the worst of times.

Miessner expertly takes readers into the minds of her characters whether they are an eight-year-old girl full of fear and anger or a mother who can't shake the shadow of death following her every day since she buried her baby. The story moves swiftly because we are eager to hear the next character's voice. We wonder how Maggie is adjusting to her neighborhood crush leaving for the war or how Pauline is grappling with caring for her daughters and running an overflowing funeral home while trying to keep the disease away from her family.

I was fairly unaware of the devastation the Spanish Flu had in our country let alone the city of Philadephia. Meissner paints a vivid portrait of the awful events that took place and how it didn't discriminate...hitting the slums and the richest families equally. The fear seeps off the pages and the grief grabs you by the throat making it hard to believe any family could suffer this much. Fans of historical fiction and family stories will find Meissner's tale one they will want to talk about with others.

Favorite Quotes:

"You think you have a view of what's waiting for you just up the road,
but then something happens,
and you find out pretty quick you were looking at the wrong road."

"I think that grief is such a strange guest,
making its home in a person
like it's a new thing that no one has ever experienced before."

[clp412 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

From the beginning of the book I was completely hooked. The book portrays the awfulness that families went through during the Spanish Flu epidemic in 1918. While I loved the character development, there was just some things in the 2nd half of the book that I didn't love that makes me give this 4 stars instead of 5. I don't want to ruin the plot, but I feel like there were things that were intended for character development but that I didn't feel added to the storyline. Overall I loved Meissners writing and the voices of each girl through the changing narration (especially early on) were well done. The narrators of the audiobook were perfect, if you are a fan of audiobooks this is a good one!

[katebaxter_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kudos to author Susan Meissner whose thorough historical research provides solid ground on which she wove a stunningly beautiful and rich story of family, love, sorrow, regret, tragedy, endurance and joy. The precious nuggets of wisdom found within the book's pages are true gems. I savored each and every one of them.

This exquisitely written historical fiction book presents the life of the Bright family starting in 1918 and concluding in 1926. They had recently been struck by grief and find themselves moving to Philadelphia from Quakertown for opportunity and a fresh start. Mr. Bright is the sole relative of an aging uncle who owns a Philadelphia mortuary. The uncle would like to pass on the business to his nephew but first must teach him the ropes. In early 1918, no one could have imagined how vital that training would become as the Spanish Flu pandemic took hold of the entire world to the tune of 50 million lives lost. Philadelphia, in October 1918, was particularly hard hit. The story also weaves in historical elements concerning the Great War, Prohibition and current day psychology and psychiatric practices.

The story is told in alternating chapters through the voices and thoughts of the four strong Bright women; mother Pauline and daughters Evelyn (age 15), Maggie (age 12) and Willa (age 6). Each brings to the fore a different perspective regarding their observations and shared experiences.

Through Death's indiscriminate taking of lives, an orphaned infant is added to the Bright household. As much as the Bright's care for this child had likely spared him from the disease, he too, as it turned out, was a blessing to a yet grieving family.

During my own recent family genealogical digging, I've discovered several relatives stricken by this horrific flu pandemic. I found this story poignant as it gave voice to those family members taken so early in their lives.

I am grateful to author Susan Meissner, publisher Penguin Random House and Goodreads First Reads for having provided a free advance reading copy of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Synopsis (from back cover of Advance Reading Copy):

From the darkest hours rises life in all its glory…

Even as its young men go off to fight in the Great War, there are opportunities for a fresh start on Philadelphia’s cobblestone streets. Into this bustling town come Pauline Bright and her husband, filled with the hope that they can now give their three daughters – Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa – a chance at a better life.

Their dreams are short-lived. Just months after they arrive, the Spanish flu claims more than twelve thousand victims in their adopted city. 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 that surround them they learn what they cannot live without – and what they are willing to do about it.

[pdebolt_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This novel begins in 1918 during the confluence of the Great War and the Spanish flu. It centers around the Bright family who left the tobacco fields when the father, Tom, is asked to assist his uncle in running a mortuary in Philadelphia where the family will live. The Brights' only son died as an infant leaving his parents and three sisters bereft. The experiences of the family members are seen in first-person accounts in alternating chapters. The unexpected advent of a foster son is shrouded in a mystery known only to the middle daughter, Maggie. They name him Alex and he brings joy to their lives. The mystery of his arrival at their home will have haunting repercussions. Tragedy strikes the family during the flu epidemic; however, the next eight years bring changes to the daughters' lives that ultimately end in happiness.

I am in the minority in not giving this book a higher rating, but I found that an interesting premise turned into a stereotypical happily-ever-after ending that lacked credibility. For me, it simply lacked a depth of emotion that would have made it memorable.

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This historical fiction novel takes place in in 1918, when the world was stricken with the great influenza known as “The Spanish Flu.” Some 675,000 Americans died from it, with the hardest-hit city being Philadelphia, where this story is set. Thirty percent of Philadelphia residents contracted the flu, and more than 12,000 of them died in a short period of time.

The city was hit so hard for two main reasons. One was that there were many troops stationed there, with soldiers and sailors who had contracted the disease while abroad fighting World War I bringing it back to the cramped naval bases and military quarters. Second, against the advise of medical workers, the city sponsored a huge parade on September 28, 1918 to raise bonds for the war and to boost morale. More than 200,000 people turned out. The germs spread like wildfire.

This novel tells the story of Pauline and Thomas Bright, who moved at the beginning of 1918 from a small town in Pennsylvania to Philadelphia. Tom’s Uncle Fred had offered him a job as an undertaker in his mortuary business, with the prospect of inheriting it when his uncle was gone.

The story is told from four points of view: that of Pauline, and of each of her three daughters: Evie - 15, Maggie - 12, and Willa, 6. There was also a new baby brother, Henry, but he died just recently from a defective heart. The family was of course deeply affected by the loss of the little boy.

Pauline has been preoccupied with death since Henry died. Now she feels Death’s silent presence by her side almost like a companion (in a way reminiscent of The Book Thief). She feels Death hovering over her. She constantly muses on the nature of Death, and why some are taken and some are not, and comes to conclude: “I am sure now that Death is not the enemy….” Death “spreads its reach with the tender embrace of an angel, not the talons of a demon.” She muses: “We are like butterflies, delicate and wonderful here on earth for only a brilliant moment and then away we fly. Death is appointed to merely close the door to our suffering and open wide the gate to Paradise.”

But the real focus of the story is Maggie. It does seem as if her voice sounds much older than a 12-year-old. But if you overlook that and just follow the plot, the story rapidly becomes more engrossing.

The family moves in with Uncle Fred, above the Bright Funeral Home, and they take on new roles. Tom is an undertaker now, and Pauline helps with the cosmetic work on the bodies. Maggie makes friends with the two boys across the street - Charlie, who is 16 and “simpleminded” and Jamie, 21, who is getting ready to leave for Fort Meade to join the war. Maggie befriends Charlie, and develops a crush on Jamie. She also begs to help her mother prepare the bodies.

Before long, Tom, 36, is also called up to serve in a field hospital to help with the influenza cases that been inundating military camps. And then the big parade is held to raise liberty bonds, and the civilians are struck down by the flu as well. Some seven thousand died in just 11 days. The city morgue gets too full for all the bodies, and the mortuary cannot keep up.

Maggie accompanies Pauline to bring soup to the afflicted, and while Pauline is inside a house, Maggie finds an abandoned baby and rescues him. They bring him home, with Maggie convinced he is their compensation for Henry. Meanwhile, Willa contracts the flu and Pauline must stay by her side constantly. Maggie and Evie take care of the new baby they call Alex. Evie knows Maggie is not telling the whole truth about the baby, but they both get too involved in caring for it.

Before long, the flu affects the Bright family as well, and once again, all of them have to take on new roles.

Then the story picks up seven years later, in 1925, and we learn what happened to all the characters who made it through that horrible year in 1918 of loss and suffering.

Discussion: The author does an excellent job limning the impact the flu had on the lives of Philadelphians - even the children, who, when the schools reopened, had to face finding out which of their teachers and classmates had died. She also highlights the ways in which the survivors of both the war and flu may not have always had visible wounds, but no one had survived the year unscathed.

The story focuses on survival in the face of tragedy and loss, and the tenacity of the human spirit. It also has an almost religious bent, although it is Death, rather than God, that plays a major role.

Evaluation: This engrossing story is deeply affecting, and will also help shed light on an era that is not well-known in U.S. history.

[debkrenzer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have to admit, at first, I didn't really feel anything for this family at the beginning. I even considered packing it away. However, the more I read, the more I felt. This family went through a whole bunch of hardships most families face, but they also had the Great War and the Influenza Flu epidemic. The latter really hitting the family and those around them really bad.

I really was moved by this book and thoroughly enjoyed my journey with this family.

By the end of the book, I was actually sorry to see them go. Ending it on a somewhat more happy note really made the tears flow.

An incredible story of a family who loved, lost and lived.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[sumisbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an incredible book! Such amazing story telling! Beautifully written and easy to follow each person's point of view. Great build up to a heart breaking climax then down again to prepare you for a great ending. This book made me laugh, cry, get mad, feel afraid and have hope. A truly amazing piece of fiction. BRAVO! ?????

[susan0316 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was another fantastic book from Susan Meissner. I have enjoyed all of her books but this one is my favorite - at least until her next book comes out.

This novel starts about 1917 when the Bright family decides to move to Philadelphia to better their lives. The dad has been given a chance to learn the mortuary business and eventually take over his uncle's funeral home. The family has been given beautiful room above the mortuary to live in. The novel is told in four alternating female voices - the Mom - Pauline and the three sisters, Evelyn, Maggie and Willa. As they begin to try to make friends in school, their lives are getting ready to change. The Spanish Flu epidemic hits Philadelphia and in fact the whole country with disastrous results. According to the author in the afterword, more than 12,000 people died in Philadelphia. The flu didn't discriminate between the rich and poor and didn't leave the Bright family untouched. After the flu epidemic is over, life will never be the same for the family and they struggle for normalcy and learn what is truly important in life.

This was a wonderful well-researched novel about a subject that I knew little about. It's always wonderful to read such a compelling book and learn more history at the same time. The characters were so well written that I laughed and cried with them throughout the book. If you enjoy historical fiction - this is a must read.

I received an advance review copy of this book from the Great Thought’s Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own.

[coverloverbookreview · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the type of story that, upon reading the last page, you slowly close the book, close your eyes, sigh and reflect. So many emotions roil through your mind and it takes some thought to allow them to settle.

I didn’t know what to expect from As Bright As Heaven. I’ve read other books by Susan Meissner, (Secrets of a Charmed Life is a favorite) so I was confident the author was a gifted storyteller who infuses deep emotion in her work, and I was drawn in by the exquisite cover art. But upon choosing a book to read, I normally only skim over the blurb to avoid learning ‘too much,’ so all I basically knew was the story was set in Philadelphia during the First World War.

I’m glad I didn’t know more, because learning each aspect of the multi-faceted story as it happened surprised me, grabbed me, and refused to release me. The storyline is riveting, the storytelling is stunning, and each heartbreaking challenge encountered is delicately wrapped in the hope and strength of the human spirit.

The story is presented in two parts, before the First World War and Spanish Flu pandemic (1918-1919) and after (1925.) The narration is voiced from the four riveting first-person points of view; the mother and three daughters of the Bright family—Pauline, Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa.

I became attached to each girl. They have distinct voices and views of the world, but I mostly connected and sympathized with Maggie. Perhaps because I’m also a middle sister.

Not only was I drawn into the Bright’s story, and pulled into the early 1900s and the hardships and atrocities endured and succumbed to, but I also learned much about the history of the Influenza (Spanish Flu) pandemic—the deadliest disease in history! I also have a better understanding of what it meant to be the wife and daughter of an undertaker during this time period, how widespread the Spanish Flu was distributed, precautions taken (or not,) and how bodies were delivered, prepared, and presented (or not) during the outbreak.

The Bright family finds themselves in a new city, new home, and new life after the death of their youngest Bright, only months-old, baby Henry. With death, war, sickness, and heartbreak around every corner, will they have the strength and desire to do more than exist in the new world they’ve been propelled into?

Without giving you more of a description or breakdown of the story, I can tell you that you will learn a lot.

You will most likely shed some tears, and find yourself in the circle of life and death, sadness and hope, heartbreak and healing. You might even wonder why you’re willingly putting yourself through such a host of emotions. But upon completion of the book, I doubt you’ll be able to forget a single member of the Bright family. And I’m also confident that you’ll be forever changed. Yes. It’s that powerful.

As Bright As Heaven is much more than a story. It is a powerful, riveting, unforgettable experience.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via BookPleasures.

[nancyadair-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In 1918 the Bright family leaves a tobacco farm in Quakertown, PA to move to center city Philadelphia. The father is to work for his uncle's funeral parlor, which he would then inherit. They have suffered the devastating--but at that time all too common loss--of a baby. Their grief travels with them into their new life.

In the autumn of 1918 the Spanish Influenza hits Philadelphia, leaving over 12,000 dead in its wake. The mortuary fills and the uncle dies. When a daughter falls ill, the mother keeps her alive but, worn down, succumbs and dies of the disease. Friends die, and a beloved neighbor leaves for the trenches of France. Amidst all this loss, one of the daughters rescues an infant in distress in a house full of the dead, and the child becomes the family's heart and reason to go on.

The women, the mother and her four daughters, speak in alternating chapters, their unique personalities and perspectives revealed through their own words. Philadelphia has a distinct presence, although fictionalized and geographically ambiguous at times. (The cover photo shows Logan Circle with City Hall in the background.) The time period, between 1918 and 1926, covers the flu and the war but also prohibition and the rise of the speakeasy.

The story is about people who suffer great loss and live through horrible times, who carry their ghosts and demons with them, until they are able to see that life goes on and somehow the world can be bright again.

My Goodreads friends have rated this a four or five star book and found it very engaging. So I will safely say that readers of historical fiction and woman's fiction will enjoy Meissner's book.

SPOILER ALERTS

I had several issues with the writing.

I lacked emotional connection to the characters. It could be the multitude of voices, but I think it was because the story is too much told and not enough shown. For instance, one daughter develops a crush on an older man who goes to war. He is gone for the bulk of the novel, and returns at age thirty-eight and the girl is still "in love." There is not enough interaction between them to make me believe she is "in love" with him for life. It seems contrived.

I found the book preachy and full of clichéd lessons. The ex-soldier, once returned home, consoles his now grown-up lover that the war was horrible and he had to heal. All this healing happened off camera and lacks emotional impact; he is just telling her a lesson he learned. Make peace with the past, he advises. Later, the foundling brother's family is discovered to be alive. The father forgives the Brights, saying that he was angry for a long time by his losses and is finally seeing there is good in life, ending with the old chestnut of 'we are all doing the best we can with what we have'. Nothing new here, kids.

And the story wrapped up with far too many predictable and implausible outcomes. I won't even go into them. There is talk of fate and destiny and finding patterns.

END OF SPOILER ALERT

Consequently, although I had looked forward to reading As Bright As Heaven, especially for its setting and the time period, I found the book an average read. For those who are not familiar with the Spanish Influenza, who like feel-good endings, and who want the horror of history softened by wish fulfillment romantic endings, this is the book for you. It was not my cup of tea.