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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
2.5 stars
Overall a very average experience. While I appreciate the very obviously detailed research that went into writing this book, the reading experience of this was incredibly tedious. I don’t have much to add to the critique of the book itself because I’ve seen a number of poor to average reviews that say, effectively, what I would’ve said in an even more eloquent way.
One note I would add is that I originally heard about this book from a podcast called Medical Murders, who cited this book as one of its sources. I would recommend listening to that podcast in lieu of reading this. While the author deserves an immense amount of credit for the research that went into this book and I’m sure the podcast episode would not exist without this book, the podcast does a much much better job of telling and summarizing this story, and where this book is lacking and falls short, the podcast does seem to supplement with its own research.
Overall a very average experience. While I appreciate the very obviously detailed research that went into writing this book, the reading experience of this was incredibly tedious. I don’t have much to add to the critique of the book itself because I’ve seen a number of poor to average reviews that say, effectively, what I would’ve said in an even more eloquent way.
One note I would add is that I originally heard about this book from a podcast called Medical Murders, who cited this book as one of its sources. I would recommend listening to that podcast in lieu of reading this. While the author deserves an immense amount of credit for the research that went into this book and I’m sure the podcast episode would not exist without this book, the podcast does a much much better job of telling and summarizing this story, and where this book is lacking and falls short, the podcast does seem to supplement with its own research.
A short story turned in to book length by the addition of a lot of fluff.
I finished half of it, but I was hungry the whole time I was reading it.....
Creepy because I don't life too far from this location and the house is still standing.
Found the story interesting, as it took place in the Pacific NW. The narrative was a bit sluggish, though.
I've said it before and it still stands - I'll read anything Gregg Olson writes! He is an absolute master of True Crime. This is a re-release of the book, which was originally published in 1997. I'm so glad I stumbled across it. I alternated between the physical copy and the audiobook and like all of his books, this was a seamless transition thanks to a beautifully written narrative of actual events and a perfect narrator. Olsen's true crime reads like detailed fiction. Obviously extremely well researched, this story was often hard to believe and even more difficult to swallow (see what I did there?). Highly recommend for fans of True Crime, Gregg Olsen, and his most recent book, American Mother (if you haven't read that yet, be sure to check it out, too!).
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free e-audio copy of this book in exchange for my review.
I'm not a true crime reader (anymore), but I do like history, and I 've heard the story of Dr Hazzard many times in other titles and podcasts over the last few years, so I was curious to get into this book. I also currently live in Washington state, so it's a part of local history as well.
The story of "Dr" Hazzard is interesting in a current point of view due the the number of ideas she was working from, the health plans she was selling, compared to what is going on currently. Would people buy into her ideas today? We'd probably like to think they'd know better, but really, many fad diets closely mirror Hazzard's ideas.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, even given the book topic. It was interesting to hear the full story rather than snippets here and there. The topic saddens me, but I thought the book was well researched and put together.
I'm rating this one 4 stars - I doubt I would re-read it, but I'm glad I did read it, and will recommend it to others.
I'm not a true crime reader (anymore), but I do like history, and I 've heard the story of Dr Hazzard many times in other titles and podcasts over the last few years, so I was curious to get into this book. I also currently live in Washington state, so it's a part of local history as well.
The story of "Dr" Hazzard is interesting in a current point of view due the the number of ideas she was working from, the health plans she was selling, compared to what is going on currently. Would people buy into her ideas today? We'd probably like to think they'd know better, but really, many fad diets closely mirror Hazzard's ideas.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, even given the book topic. It was interesting to hear the full story rather than snippets here and there. The topic saddens me, but I thought the book was well researched and put together.
I'm rating this one 4 stars - I doubt I would re-read it, but I'm glad I did read it, and will recommend it to others.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an ARC of this book! I was absolutely fascinated by the topic, but I have to be honest, I feel like this book could have been half as long and still gotten the point across. I found myself skipping chapters in order to slog through some of the information, primarily when it got to the court case. Sadly, the important bits kind of get overshadowed by the minutiae that is discussed.
The beginning portion of the book that talks about Clair and Dora and how they came to know about Linda Hazzard's methods, how they made the decision to participate in this fasting cure, etc. is thoroughly interesting. The methods that Dr. Hazzard uses are bizarre and anyone on the outside would clearly be concerned about what was occurring, but the fact that they were all-in for this was mind blowing. The outcome of their decisions is tragic, and learning how much they were deceived by Linda and Sam is disgusting. The fact that she continued to practice without a license, continually getting arrested with a minor slap on the wrist, after killing and stealing from her patients is awful.
Overall, the book's premise is truly an interesting one, and I do give Olsen credit for his research. No stone was left unturned in discovering every detail about Starvation Heights and the tragedies that occurred there, but some editing down to the most important details would have been beneficial.
The beginning portion of the book that talks about Clair and Dora and how they came to know about Linda Hazzard's methods, how they made the decision to participate in this fasting cure, etc. is thoroughly interesting. The methods that Dr. Hazzard uses are bizarre and anyone on the outside would clearly be concerned about what was occurring, but the fact that they were all-in for this was mind blowing. The outcome of their decisions is tragic, and learning how much they were deceived by Linda and Sam is disgusting. The fact that she continued to practice without a license, continually getting arrested with a minor slap on the wrist, after killing and stealing from her patients is awful.
Overall, the book's premise is truly an interesting one, and I do give Olsen credit for his research. No stone was left unturned in discovering every detail about Starvation Heights and the tragedies that occurred there, but some editing down to the most important details would have been beneficial.