Review - As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner

5 ✩✩✩✩✩

"The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." -Ferdinand Foch

My love for historical fiction continues to grow and As Bright ad Heaven has nurtured my soul! What an amazing story! This is a story about love and family. About choices, consequences and the amazing resilience of the human spirit. 

Set in 1918 Philadelphia during the Great War and The Spanish Flu pandemic which is believed to have claimed the lives of about 50 million people, worldwide.

After the death of her infant son, Henry, who was born with a heart defect, Pauline and Thomas Bright make a decision to move from the small town of Quakertown Pennsylvania to Philadelphia in hopes of giving their three daughters a better life. 

They arrive in Philadelphia with their daughters; Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa. The family moves into Thomas’ Uncle Fred’s home and begin anew. Soon they are faced with challenges that are greater than anyone ever imagined. Lives are changed in the chaos that was The Great War and the Flu pandemic. Choices will be made with great, life changing consequences. 

One of my favorite things in a book is to read the story though the eyes of each of the characters. The story is told in four different points of view which makes it that much easier to fall in love with each one of them. It contains a set of unforgettable characters with lives that change as the story progresses. They each grow, or are forced to grow in a world where hope seems to have been lost and replaced by despair and anguish. 

Life is made up of choices and each choice we make comes with a consequence, a cause and effect, if you will. Sometimes the consequences are revealed to us right away, while others might take longer, much longer to appear. Sometimes an entire lifetime. Some choices are small, like weather to have tea instead of coffee, buy a red car instead of the white. Some are life changing and this story is the perfect example of how life works in mysterious ways. 

If you enjoy historical fiction as much as I do, you will most definitely enjoy this one. It will have you in tears from start to finish and leave you with a wonderful and warm feeling in your heart.

Review - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

5 ✩✩✩✩✩

“Hope can get you through anything.” ― Jamie Ford

I like a book to transport me to places I can only dream about (or read about). I want to be taken back in time to a period where war tests the human spirit. My fascination with WWII historical fiction has taken me on numerous adventures with each book I read. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet has taken me on an amazing journey.

The story is set in 1942 Seattle’s Chinatown and Japan Town. Henry Lee, a twelve year old Chinese American, attends an all white school where he is constantly tormented by bullies for being ‘different’. Henry is a quiet kid who keeps his head down and goes tough life seemingly unnoticed. At home, Henry is asked to only speak English even though both his parents only speak Cantonese, thus, creating a barrier on communication between Henry and his father.

The conflict in the Pacific has cause animosity between Chinese and Japanese living in the west coast. This causes Henry’s father to become obsessed with the war and his hatred toward Japanese people grows.

At school, Henry meets a Japanese girl named Keiko. She is about the same age as Henry and they immediately become best friends. This friendship causes Henry a great deal of anxiety and fear because he knows how much his father dislikes Japanese people.

As the story progresses, so does Henry and Keiko’s friendship. Together they try to make sense of the world around them. With FBI raids, evacuations, Jazz music and bullies, Henry and Keiko must find a way to maintain their friendship. This story is a beautiful reminded that love will always triumph. Hope is what keeps the human spirit alive.

With stunning detail and outstanding narrative, Jamie Ford’s debut novel is a must read.  In these uncertain times we’re currently living, it’s important to remember that things can only get better. They should! Henry’s story has given me hope. 

Review - The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

5 ✩✩✩✩✩

“Don't waste time when there's someone you love.” 
― Alice Hoffman

I am not a big fan of fantasy. Ok, let me rephrase that. I never read fantasy. I have nothing against it I just never really got into it. This changed once I got my hands on The Rules of Magic. I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader’s Copy) via Goodreads. I am so glad I gave it a try. I will never again say that I don’t like fantasy. I am very selective in what I consider to be a favorite book for me. This one is. 

The rules of Magic is a powerful book about accepting who you are fighting for what you want. This is a story about 3 siblings, Franny, with skin as pale as milk. Shy and beautiful Jet and charismatic Vincent. They live in New York but must follow very important rules. As they grow they become curious as to who they are, where they came from and why they each have special magical powers.

One of the main rules they must adhere to is never fall in love. In a story that expands decades we become aware of why these siblings must accept who they are. Each character spoke to me in different ways and I found a very powerful message in this book. You will laugh and cry and you will fall in love with every one of the characters. 

Though it’s a prequel to Practical Magic written in 1995, this book is an excellent read on its own. This one is now one of my favorite books of all-time.