As Bright as Heaven

I wanted to learn a little bit more about life during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and this book was recommended to me. Susan Meissner's historical fiction novel, As Bright as Heaven, was one that was recommended to me.

Other than it being set in Philadelphia, an epicenter of that pandemic, I didn't learn much more than things were more of less like here now. Except that there was a war going on in England. And when people were stuck in their homes, they were stuck in their homes totally isolated. No internet. No TV. Now that I think of it, they never did mention listening to the radio or reading newspapers.

The Bright family of Quakertown, PA is invited to move to Philadelphia so the father, Thomas, can take over his uncle's funeral home. They'd just lost an infant son so the chance to start over somewhere else was appealing. Thomas Bright, his wife and 3 daughters head off to live with Uncle Fred.

The story follows the adaptation to life in the city and then the impact of the flu on the Bright family. Some survive, some don't. But those that are left behind have to live with the lingering effects of their life experiences. The girls deal with career choices and romance choices all influenced by what they experienced during the pandemic and the waning days of World War I.

This is much more a family drama about recovery after loss than it is specifically about a flu pandemic. It was easy to read and a change of pace from what I'd been reading.