Dr. Zastro's Sanitarium for the Ailments of Women

This beautifully written novel explores the joys and sorrows of passion during the 1880's. Fiercely independent Yana, a Gypsy artist, is led to Dr. Zastro's Sanitarium in New York City, where this eminent physician uses hypnotic powers and electrical/ magnetic apparatus in successfully treating his female patients. Spirited Yana is his prime awakening in a world of usually submissive women, forcing him to question his medical beliefs and structured life. Sparks ignite from their very first encounter, as Phillipe, isolated in his world of science, Yana, fortressed in her sphere of mysticism, collide in forays of deep emotion. Both defy their basic beliefs, succumbing to passions of deep love, bringing them to the brink of personal and professional destruction as they begin to see a world beyond their rigid views. This turn of the century narrative presents a microcosm of America in the 1880's and a histogram of the human heart.