The Purple Nightgown

About the Book

Book: The Purple Nightgown

Author: A.D. Lawrence

Genre: Christian Historical Suspense

Release date: March, 2021

9781643528922 Marvel at true but forgotten history when patients check into Linda Hazzard’s Washington state spa in 1912 and soon become victim of her twisted greed.
Book 10 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History

Heiress Stella Burke is plagued by insincere suitors and nonstop headaches. Exhausting all other medical aides for her migraines, Stella reads Fasting for the Cure of Disease by Linda Hazzard and determines to go to the spa the author runs. Stella’s chauffer and long-time friend, Henry Clayton, is reluctant to leave her at the spa. Something doesn’t feel right to him, still Stella submits herself into Linda Hazzard’s care. Stella soon learns the spa has a dark side and Linda a mean streak. But when Stella has had enough, all ways to leave are suddenly blocked. Will Stella become a walking skeleton like many of the other patients or succumb to a worse fate?

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About the Author

A.D. Lawrence makes her home in Northeastern Nebraska. She has been passionate about writing and true crime for years, and her two obsessions melded into the goal of authorship. She is an active member of the ACFW, writes a true crime blog, won the 2019 Crown Award and was a 2019 First Impressions finalist.

More from A.D. Lawrence

Times have changed. And like so many things, health retreats have experienced their own metamorphosis. Sure, they’ve always catered to people with both spare money and time, but aside from similar clientele, the face of the health spa is nothing like its early 20th century sister.

If you could afford a getaway to a modern-day health spa like The Golden Door, you’d be treated to the luxury of rest. Yoga on the beach. Deep tissue massages. A much-needed break from technology and life’s constant pressures. Mental well-being is valued almost as highly as physical health, and the two are thought to be connected. After days or weeks of pampering, you would return home relaxed, recharged, and ready to dip back into the hustle of the real world.

In 1911, during the time of The Purple Nightgown, the medical community took a diametrically different approach to health. Weight equaled health.The prevailing assumption was that any ailments were directly connected to weight. Thus, ‘fat camps’ grew in popularity. Men and women checked into sanatoriums where the aides put them through grueling exercise regimes and provided them with just enough food to sustain life. No coddling. Not many of us would subject ourselves to the treatments early health spas required.

In this era of already extreme health measures, Linda Hazzard made her mark in Washington State. Obsessed with fasting, she ran her patients through an unfathomable course of ‘diet and exercise’ that proved the undoing of many. She did give massages though, which you’ll learn more about when you read The Purple Nightgown.

Although it’s fun to long for a simpler time while reading historical books and watching shows like Little House on the Prairie, there are some modern ways of thinking and advances in human comfort I’d rather not give up. One of those is the vastly superior spa experience we have today. Somehow, a facial with soothing background music sounds much more appealing than running mile after mile every day with nothing to look forward to but a glass of orange juice or a bowl of canned tomato broth.

Hot stone massage anyone?

MY REVIEW

This series has been very intriguing and somewhat unsettling. They can be read as a stand alone book, but I think you should read them all for the vast knowledge of historical people who were devious and uncaring. This story has all the makings of a horror film. I was so engrossed in the story that everything faded around me.

For those who suffer from migraines will understand the desperation Stella felt in seeking treatment for hers. The story is set in 1911 where modern technology had not been archived yet. Poor Stella was coming to a point where she couldn’t function and needed to find relief somehow. The author gives a little background on Stella and how her uncle was trying to marry her off. In a few short years she would inherit enough money to be set for life. I think most of the men who wanted to marry Stella only wanted her money.

When we are introduced to Dr. Linda Hazzard I felt chills go up and down my spine. Her unorthodox ways to cure patients were nothing short of torture. Stella believed the doctor can get rid of her migraines and signs herself in to the place that has becomes an evil prison for patients. It was hard to read the different treatments patients went through and I cringed when I read about starvation and other things I don’t want to mention. The staff was horrible and perhaps a little brainwashed. The doctor was down right crazy and alas the scripture, “the love of money is the root of all evil,” fits this story perfectly.

Linda in her twisted mind thinks she has the cure for diseases and insists that fasting is the answer. Patients became skeletons as their lives slipped away. Linda’s plot to steal their wealth was sheer madness. Stella finds herself crying out to God for help. Her time praying and asking God for forgiveness brings her peace and strength. I loved how the author has a strong message of faith in the story and shows how we all need to never give up. He is always there with us.

I loved Henry and his unconditional love for Stella. Although he felt like he would never be good enough for Stella he still watched out for her. They share a dream of opening a home for children who have lost their parents and no one to care for them. Henry’s part in the story was my favorite because it depicts a person who sees past the outward appearance and sees the beauty that is inside. His determination to save Stella from the awful place she is illustrated beautifully. When he goes to save her the story takes on a heightened tension as the staff and doctor try to stop the rescue. The story is edgy, dark and hard to forget. The author writes with passion and with this true account of history gives hope to those who feel alone.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.