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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
I was getting divorced and got too busy. Then I couldn't get back I to it. Will eventually try again.
Fascinating story of two sisters in the 1910s who likely suffer from Munchausen syndrome and have the money to seek out whatever treatments they fancy, so they travel to America to seek the guidance of "Doctor" Hazzard, a starvation specialist.
Based on the title of the book, I expected a little more time spent on more of Hazzard's patients, and the lives she ruined with her "treatments". The last two thirds of the book (it seemed) were spent recreating Hazzard's legal trial after one of the sisters goes after Hazzard
for murdering the other, as well as her and her husband's sketchy past. To be honest, these topics were not near as interesting to me and I found myself waiting for the book to be over.
Content warning for eating disorders and physical abuse.
Based on the title of the book, I expected a little more time spent on more of Hazzard's patients, and the lives she ruined with her "treatments". The last two thirds of the book (it seemed) were spent recreating Hazzard's legal trial after one of the sisters goes after Hazzard
Spoiler
for murdering the other
Content warning for eating disorders and physical abuse.
I thought that this story was compelling for the medical grotesquerie alone. I definitely went down one or two internet black-holes looking up information about quack doctors, serial killers, and starvation cures. Olsen's writing style wasn't my favorite, but I was able to overlook it in order to learn more about this story.
A really interesting read, however, I felt that it failed to explore topics like the science of starvation to really broaden the readers understanding of what the patients went through, or the different dynamics of serials killers and cult leaders. That said, its still a totally wild story that is worth reading.
Interesting true story, but not really the best writing I've ever come across. Probably won't see him out for any other books.
From The Book Wheel:
Wow. Just wow. I honestly tried to think of a better word to describe this book, but ‘wow’ is still the main one that comes to mind. You just can’t make this stuff up.Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest by Gregg Olsen is a book that will keep you reading into the wee hours of the morning because you’re equally fascinated and horrified. I, for one, was horrified by several things: politics and the justice system in the early 1900′s, the doctor’s actions, the people who sought her help, and the zealousness of her followers. But I was also fascinated. Why did the doctor practice what she did? And why did people go to her? And moreover, why did they staywith her? You see, Starvation Heights is a true story. It’s a story about murder, theft, coercion, corruption, conspiracy, botched medical treatments, bigamy, and more. It starts out with the admirable goal of helping people and ends with more than a dozen deaths.
In the early 1900′s, Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard’s one goal in life was to build a sanitarium in small-town Olalla, WA, where she could practice her unconventional (and non-medically certified) cure for the ailing. She had grand dreams, a large piece of land, and a compliant husband. Her belief was that, by fasting, problems such as rheumatoid arthritis, stomach ailments, and other organic diseases could be eliminated. The problem, aside from only taking on wealthy patients she could coerce into handing over their estates, was that they kept dying. One of these patients was Claire Williamson, a wealthy Briton who chased faddist cures and, along with her sister Dora, stumbled into Dr. Hazzard‘s care. The silver lining is that while Claire died (although the body shown to her family members was probably someone else’s), her sister Dora survived and brought the doctor to trial. But going to trial wasn’t enough and the story doesn’t end there.
To be honest, I don’t know what is more horrifying: the fact that Dr. Hazzard did what she did or the things I learned about how things worked in the early 1900′s. The county was so poor that the victim’s family had to foot the bill to go to trial because the prosecutors didn’t want to proceed. They were, in fact, so poor that the jury pooled its money to buy the court bailiff new shoes during the trial because his were so old. Then, there’s the fact that the fasting cure was approved by the State of Washington and that they gave Dr. Hazzard a license to practice medicine in the first place when she had absolutely no schooling in the subject. On top of that, coroners didn’t need medical experience, either! What’s even more shocking is that this is actually still true in a lot of places, but that’s a whole other subject. And that’s not all! Despite the accusations, people still came to her for treatment.
For the full review, click here.
Allison @ The Book Wheel
Wow. Just wow. I honestly tried to think of a better word to describe this book, but ‘wow’ is still the main one that comes to mind. You just can’t make this stuff up.Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest by Gregg Olsen is a book that will keep you reading into the wee hours of the morning because you’re equally fascinated and horrified. I, for one, was horrified by several things: politics and the justice system in the early 1900′s, the doctor’s actions, the people who sought her help, and the zealousness of her followers. But I was also fascinated. Why did the doctor practice what she did? And why did people go to her? And moreover, why did they staywith her? You see, Starvation Heights is a true story. It’s a story about murder, theft, coercion, corruption, conspiracy, botched medical treatments, bigamy, and more. It starts out with the admirable goal of helping people and ends with more than a dozen deaths.
In the early 1900′s, Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard’s one goal in life was to build a sanitarium in small-town Olalla, WA, where she could practice her unconventional (and non-medically certified) cure for the ailing. She had grand dreams, a large piece of land, and a compliant husband. Her belief was that, by fasting, problems such as rheumatoid arthritis, stomach ailments, and other organic diseases could be eliminated. The problem, aside from only taking on wealthy patients she could coerce into handing over their estates, was that they kept dying. One of these patients was Claire Williamson, a wealthy Briton who chased faddist cures and, along with her sister Dora, stumbled into Dr. Hazzard‘s care. The silver lining is that while Claire died (although the body shown to her family members was probably someone else’s), her sister Dora survived and brought the doctor to trial. But going to trial wasn’t enough and the story doesn’t end there.
To be honest, I don’t know what is more horrifying: the fact that Dr. Hazzard did what she did or the things I learned about how things worked in the early 1900′s. The county was so poor that the victim’s family had to foot the bill to go to trial because the prosecutors didn’t want to proceed. They were, in fact, so poor that the jury pooled its money to buy the court bailiff new shoes during the trial because his were so old. Then, there’s the fact that the fasting cure was approved by the State of Washington and that they gave Dr. Hazzard a license to practice medicine in the first place when she had absolutely no schooling in the subject. On top of that, coroners didn’t need medical experience, either! What’s even more shocking is that this is actually still true in a lot of places, but that’s a whole other subject. And that’s not all! Despite the accusations, people still came to her for treatment.
For the full review, click here.
Allison @ The Book Wheel
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
dark
fast-paced
This review originally appeared on my blog at www.gimmethatbook.com.
In 1911 two wealthy but hypochondriacal sisters found a sanitorium that promoted a special “fasting” cure for whatever ails you. They were so eager to check in and become patients, but didn’t know that Dr Linda Hazzard would try to kill them, not by fasting, but by placing them on a starvation diet that would weaken and terrify them. This is their story, including the famous court case against Dr Hazzard.
Claire and Dora Williamson thought that the revolutionary “fasting” cure would help their vague maladies: female trouble, headaches, malaise. A plan was concocted to get in touch with Dr Hazzard and gain admittance to her sanitorium. The sisters told no one of their journey, and thus no one missed them, as they were always traveling here and there. The sisters were separated once the fast started in earnest, and could only hear each other. As they grew weaker, dizzy and exhausted, each one thought the other one was getting stronger. Finally Claire slipped away, her jewelry and money appropriated by Dr Hazzard and her husband Sam. Dora was told that she was becoming insane, and it was her sister Claire’s wishes that she stay on at the sanitorium until her death. Purely by accident the sister’s former nanny tracked Dora down, and spirited the emaciated woman away. Part Two of the story tells the story of how the British Vice Consul championed the Williamson’s plight and attempted to take legal action against Dr Hazzard and Starvation Heights.
This is a true story, told with chilling detail due to author Gregg Olsen‘s thorough research. Washington State provided archival materials to the author, such as Claire Williamson’s death certificate, the court ruling, interviews with former residents and photographs of the town of Olalla at the time of the incident. Dr Hazzard’s place was notorious amongst the residents, but they were an insular group and no one thought to say anything against the Hazzards. This was why so many people had died (at least 40) at Linda Hazzard’s hands.
Linda Burfield Hazzard was a strong willed woman, a feminist who railed against the Old School of male doctors. In fact, she was never given a real medical license, a fact that was made much of in court. She felt the medical establishment was against her, and only wanted to provide an alternative method for healing.
On the one hand, she did prove herself as a maverick, but on the other hand she took things too far and was greedy. Healing by starvation was not her intent–or was it? Olsen paints a picture of her as just a little off, controlling and single minded. I was not sympathetic to her character at all, and felt as if she set the female gender back many years with her antics. Being an advocate of natural healing does not mean starving someone against their will in the name of medicine.
Olsen’s writing is detailed and colorful, giving equal time to both good and bad guys. Back story on both Linda and Sam Hazzard is given, albeit towards the latter part of the book, but it does explain a lot about both of their psyches. The court proceedings do not consume too much, which I liked, but the parts about the Consul trying to enlist help from the British and neighboring cities became a bit dry.
All in all, this was a good read. Fans of true crime will enjoy this, and marvel at the facts that permitted such injustice to proceed unchecked for so long. Author Olsen is well versed in the true crime genre, and provides fact and sensation equally. Want your own copy? You can pick it up here.
Starvation Heights by Gregg Olsen is a true story that takes place in 1911. It follows the Williamson sisters, Claire and Dora. They have traveled to the Institute of Natural Therapeutics, run by Linda Hazzard. Hazzard believed in the power of fasting to cure ailments. She convinced people that her treatments would heal them and then she proceeded to torture them. She would get them to sign over their finances, property, and make her their legal guardian. This book details her treatments and the court trial against Hazzard when someone finally stood up to her. Obviously this is not a happy story and has horrific information about what happened to her “patients”. I have liked Gregg Olsen’s writing style in the past and had hoped this one would be as fascinating. It was honestly a slog. It seemed like it got repetitive and could have been a shorter story. Hazzard was evil, that is for sure. For so many people to have seen what she was doing to people and then they turned a blind eye is a tragedy. I feel like this story could have been better executed in the telling of it. The narrator for the audiobook is wonderful, though. 2/5 stars.
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