As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner - Reviewed

                                                         About the book:

From the acclaimed author of Secrets of a Charmed Life and A Bridge Across the Ocean comes a new novel set in Philadelphia during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, which tells 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.

About Susan Meissner:  

Susan Meissner was born in San Diego, California, the second of three. She spent her childhood in just two houses.

Her first writings are a laughable collection of oddly worded poems and predictable stories she wrote when she was eight.

She attended Point Loma College in San Diego, and married her husband, Bob, who is now an associate pastor and a chaplain in the Air Force Reserves, in 1980. When she is not working on a new novel, she is directing the small groups ministries at The Church at Rancho Bernardo. She also enjoy teaching workshops on writing and dream-following, spending time with my family, music, reading great books, and traveling.

My Thoughts:

Susan Meissner knows how to write character driven stories that capture your heart from the beginning. As with her other books she takes a particularly devastating time in history and weaves a story that is both rich in history and raw in emotion. I am sure I learned about the Spanish Flu Epidemic in history, but nothing could've prepared me for emotional ride of this book.

I am thankful for author's like Ms. Meissner who write about things that happened in history, putting skin on, making it real not just lines in a history text book.

Whether you are a fan of historical fiction or not, this is a book about overcoming adversity, and finding hope in the darkness, something we all can relate to. It is a definite must read!