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As Bright as Heaven  By  cover art

As Bright as Heaven

By: Susan Meissner
Narrated by: Cassandra Morris, Tavia Gilbert, Jorjeana Marie, Abigail Revasch
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Publisher's summary

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 12,000 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. Amid 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.

©2018 Susan Meissner (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A story of one family’s heartbreak and hope. Strong [and] resilient, Meissner’s characters step off the page and into history.” (Lisa Wingate, New York Times best-selling author of Before We Were Yours)

“A family saga, coming-of-age tale, and riveting historical fiction all in one. A must read!” (Pam Jenoff, New York Times best-selling author of The Orphan's Tale)

“A thoughtful examination of life...somber, gripping, and illuminated with hope.” (Kate Quinn, USA Today best-selling author of The Alice Network)

What listeners say about As Bright as Heaven

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

As Bright as Heaven

Being an avid reader, it takes an exceptional author for me to say" wow, I didn't see that coming ! " 3 times I was surprised by the twist and turns of the story. Most of the time I can anticipate a story line or ending way before it happens. I will definitely be on the lookout for more of Susan's books. Narrating Complimented the story, very well done!!!!

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good story, but slow start

I enjoyed this book overall, the characters were interesting, the historical perspective on the Spanish flu is fascinating, and the writing was great. Still, the story started out really slow and there was a moment when I thought I was just going to quit listening to it. But I’m glad that I kept on because the story ended up getting a lot better about 1/3 of the way through and I was riveted until the end after that.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Book Love 💗 📚

A friend chose this book for our June 2020 book club choice. I thoroughly enjoyed this book 100% and strongly recommend it to readers to enjoy during the current pandemic. Characters are all beautiful, inside and out. Narrators are highly talented. I held on so tight through to the end. Now that it’s over, I “miss” it!!!

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Spanish Flu and Community

Any additional comments?

Susan Meisner doesn’t disappoint! This was so interesting...and I found myself thinking what would I have done in that situation?!?! It is jarring and fascinating how epidemics impact community and this is a fascinating story of one family and its impact on them.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Love the narration of this

I didn’t want it to end. So good. Well read. Great story of hardship and triumph.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Slow and strange: just an ok read

I realize that part of the story happens during the Spanish flu of 1918, but the obsession with death and undertaking (the family owns a mortuary) was a bit much. One scene where one of the daughters is standing in the embalming room, curious as to what happens there seemed to go on forever. Then there's a long scene where 2 of the characters are kissing in the embalming room as a dead guy lies on the table behind them that is called “beautiful.” Yuck. In general, descriptions of death, dying, and all that relates to it seemed to go on forever.

Most historical fiction gives more of a nod to the vernacular of the time. This book, not so much. Strange repetition of words and phrases that just didn’t work. I think the author was trying to be poetic, but instead it was annoying. In a couple of cases, I wondered if the audio narrator accidently said the same thing twice and it didn't get edited out.

Insta-love and unrealistic depictions of love didn’t help the story.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

So hard during pandemic

I should not have read this during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a lot to handle. But the story is so good and told so well and I loved each of the characters so much. But there is a lot of things in this story that could be very triggering. So much loss and hardship and if you can relate to those specific problems, it's rough. However, thats also why it's such a great story.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing Story. Great Readers.

I absolutely loved this book. I obsessively listened to it in my car, at the gym and on my Alexa. Wonderful characters that I won’t forget anytime in the near future. The Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918 is told through the voices of the Bright girls-young Willa, Maggie and Evie- older sisters whose compassion propel the story through war and illness and death. It is their hopeful voices that cause you to care about them and the outcome of their stories.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this book

The story line was captivating. The readers were fantastic. This book was full of insight, emotion, and realness.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I loved this story.

This story touched my heart and helped me heal. I loved how the story was laid out and enjoyed the different readers representing the different characters.

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2 people found this helpful