The Light of Luna Park

Addison Armstrong

Publication Date: August 10, 2021 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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:

Prepare to be immersed! This book grabs the reader right from its opening pages and doesn’t stop. With a marvelously executed dual-timeline, Addison Armstrong tells the story of nurse Althea Anderson and Stella Wright. Through Althea’s story the reader experiences the plight of premature babies and the limitations of health care in the mid-1920s. One seemingly insignificant newspaper article about the treatment of premature babies using incubators on Coney Island, forces Althea to question everything she knew and subsequently make a life changing decision. Stella is forced down a path of discovery as she grapples with the loss of her mother. As she and her husband waiver on how their lives should move forward, Stella learns there was more to her mother than she ever knew. With some shrewd investigative work Stella sheds light on long forgotten choices and discovers the truth of her mother’s sacrifices for her. Revelations about her mother, herself, and her husband round out a magnificent debut novel.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.