A spine-tingling Edwardian tale based on truth - The Purple Nightgown (2021) by A. D. Lawrence

 

Set in the year 1911, when heiress Stella Burke suffers from migraines of unimaginable pain, she is willing to try almost anything to obtain relief, even if it means checking to a "fasting" clinic in Washington State run by Dr. Linda Hazzard. Despite the fears of her chauffer and childhood friend Henry, Stella pursues treatment from Dr. Hazard, only to discover soon enough that the clinic is not everything she had hoped for and the treatments are brutal and cruel resulting in residents who appear as little more than walking skeletons.

The mystery itself is chilling. Dr. Hazzard is a cold, cruel woman who places no value on human life or any life for that matter, and her husband and son simply go along with her. What makes the story more terrifying is that the woman was released from prison after 2 years and went right back into practice despite having no medical degree. More innocents fell victim to her starvation technique of treatment until she finally starved herself when she began to feel ill, making herself her final victim. That surprises me because it means she actually bought into her own lies Crazy. It's also crazy realizing Hazzard's book is still available to be read today as if it's some sort of reputable treatment for ailments. How is THAT even possible?

Stella is a kind, sweet girl who is constantly battling against her headaches, the manipulations of her uncle, and the pushiness of her chauffeur who was her childhood friend. She constantly thinks of herself as selfish and headstrong, when that couldn't be further from the truth. A woman of twenty-four has every right to seek out medical attention, whether her chauffeur agrees with her or not. And she had every right to be an heiress and every right to refuse the suitors her uncle parades before her. One even had the gall to say that he was all for women having the right to vote because it would be like he himself had an additional vote and if his wife didn't agree with his politics then he would not permit her to vote. Nasty, nasty man who I wouldn't wish on any woman, let alone poor Stella.

In her quest to break free of Dr. Hazzard, had she shifted her focus from God's power again? He had commanded His children to stand still on the banks of the Red Sea, and they had seen a miracle that day. The same God who had parted the waters held her in the hollow of His hand. If God hadn't changed, then the fault lay on her shoulders. Had she truly stood still or waited long enough to see God's delivering power? No. She had seized every glimmer of opportunity, and her headstrong will had brought her to this point.

I take issue with the above paragraph. Stella has nothing to feel guilty about for trying to escape from the evil woman's clutches. Should she have simply laid down and attempted nothing? Just wait for some miraculous intervention? If so then she would not have actually sent the telegram that brought her rescue. I cannot agree with instructions to just sit and do nothing when you're in danger, just like I can't agree with the following statement.

And every decision she'd made for months - maybe even years - had been dictated by her own wishes. God's plans for her had never touched her mind.

Here's the thing. God uses the desires of our hearts. When we pray, ask for his guidance, and make decisions based on a desire to please Him, that is within His will. Stella is a young woman who prays regularly and seeks the Lord. She is within His will by that very act. It's not sitting around and waiting for some sort of miraculous something to fall from heaven and hit us on the head. It's praying, asking the Lord's counsel, and moving forward in trust that He will use the decision.

Which leads me to Henry. I don't like him. He's constantly berating Stella in his thoughts for being selfish and thinking that he sees a glimmer of selflessness in her from time to time when she does what he thinks she should do. What woman is he seeing? She is not selfish, she simply is suffering from pain and seeking relief. Also, I'm sorry, but the man is her chauffeur. He is not her father or her uncle or any male relative. He has no right to try and hold power over her or refuse to do her bidding when he is a paid employee. If he was truly concerned for her, he would have stayed in the vicinity of "Starvation" Heights and made sure she was safe, rather than thinking she's made her own bed, let her lie in it.

He spent a lot of time making her feel guilty and that was unfortunate because it meant I wasn't engaged in their relationship at all by the end.

Overall, the thriller part of the story was exciting. But the romantic relationship between Henry and Stella bogged the book down to the point where I skim-read most of their sections when they were thinking about each other with the whole "loves me, loves me not" approach. Stella's foolishness also knows no bounds in certain aspects. People are stick-thin and dying and yet she's still not sure Linda Hazzard is guilty of anything until it is almost too late. And who brings their expensive jewelry to a health clinic? The Purple Nightgown is still an intriguing read. I enjoyed most of it, all of the spine-chilling bits. If there had been no romance, the story would have been far, far stronger, and more appealing to me.

For those who don't mind this type of sappy romance, and a little bit of excessive preachiness to their books, and are excited to read a historic thriller, then I'm sure The Purple Nightgown will be right up your alley. I don't regret reading it and I will keep an eye out for other books by A. D. Lawrence in the future.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Barbour Publishing for a complimentary copy! I was not required to give a positive review, and all thoughts included are my own.

The Purple Nightgown

Author: A. D. Lawrence

Series: True Colors

Year: 2021

My Rating:  ★★★

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