The Light of Luna Park by Addison Armstrong

 The Light of Luna Park

Book Summary

In the spirit of The Orphan Train and Before We Were Yours, a historical debut about a nurse who chooses to save a baby's life, and risks her own in the process, exploring the ties of motherhood and the little-known history of Coney Island and America's first incubators.

A nurse's choice. A daughter's search for answers.

New York City, 1926. Nurse Althea Anderson's heart is near breaking when she witnesses another premature baby die at Bellevue Hospital. So when she reads an article detailing the amazing survival rates of babies treated in incubators in an exhibit at Luna Park, Coney Island, it feels like the miracle she has been searching for. But the doctors at Bellevue dismiss Althea and this unconventional medicine, forcing her to make a choice between a baby's life and the doctors' wishes that will change everything.

Twenty-five years later, Stella Wright is falling apart. Her mother has just passed, she quit a job she loves, and her marriage is struggling. Then she discovers a letter that brings into question everything she knew about her mother, and everything she knows about herself.

The Light of Luna Park is a tale of courage and an ode to the sacrificial love of mothers

My Thoughts

The Light of Luna Park by Addison Armstrong is a dual timeline novel.  The story alternates between Althea Anderson and Stella Wright.  Stella has just lost her mother and her grief is highlighting parts of her life that are unsatisfactory.  Stella quits her job and decides to empty out her mother’s apartment on her own.  While going through a special box, Stella finds some curious letters.  She begins to wonder if she really knew her mother.  Stella decides to follow the clues and see where they lead.  Stella is in for a journey where her mother’s deepest secret will be revealed.  I found The Light of Luna Park to be a depressing story.  The beginning is slow with the pacing picking up in the second half of the story.  I thought the author captured both time periods (1926 and 1950) especially the attitudes of doctors in the 1920s, the PTSD that affected World War II soldiers, and the feelings of people towards the education of students with disabilities.  I did not find either character likeable and there was too much repetition of certain details (twice is fine, but more than that is too much).  Althea was preferrable to Stella for me.  Stella’s woe is me attitude got on my nerves.  I understood that Stella was grieving, but she let it overwhelm her whole life (it makes for a depressing story).  It was interesting learning about Dr. Couney, and his infamous incubator babies exhibit at Coney Island.  At the end of the book, I was left with unanswered questions.  The Light of Luna Park had an interesting premise, but it did not appeal to me.  Each of us view books differently.  I suggest that you read a sample to see if this historical novel appeals to you.  The Light of Luna Park is a dual timeline novel with infamous incubators, a committed mother, a repugnant principal, abnormal missives, an unsettled spouse, and an essential mission.

The Light of Luna Park publishes Tuesday, August 10 and it is available from Amazon*.  This is Addison Armstrong's debut novel.  You can follow her here on Amazon to receive news on her next release.  I appreciate you visiting today and reading my thoughts on this new novel.  I will return tomorrow to feature Death and Sensibility by Elizabeth Blake.  It is the 2nd A Jane Austen Society Mystery. I hope that you have sunny day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

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