Devil Water [Hardcover]

Anya Seton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1962

This fiercely beautiful novel tells the true story of Charles Radcliff, a Catholic nobleman who joined the short-lived Jacobite rebellion of 1715, and of his daughter, Jenny, by a secret marriage. Set in the wilds of Northumbria, teeming London, and colonial Virginia—where Jenny eventually settled on the estate of the famous William Byrd of Westover—Jenny’s story reveals one young woman’s loyalty, passion, and courage as she struggles between living in the Old World and the New. This vividly powerful novel, like its predecessor The Winthrop Woman, combines thoroughly documented history with superb storytelling.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Anya Seton is the author of the bestselling historical novels Katherine, Green Darkness, Dragonwyck, Avalon, and The Winthrop Woman. Philippa Gregory is the author of many bestselling novels, including The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl, and The Queen's Fool.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 526 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co (June 1962)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395081718
• ISBN-13: 978-0395081716
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,560,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

112 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting novel of love, loyalty, and intrigue., July 15, 1998

By 

R.L. Holly "piper909" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Devil Water (Hardcover)

Anya Seton crafts a completely believable and utterly compelling portrait of life, love, and death in 18th century England and the Virginia colonies. Jacobite intrigues on behalf of the exiled Stuart dynasty catch many characters in a web of blood, and Seton's descriptions of imprisonment in Newgate gaol and the Tower are breathtaking in their detail and horror. This is grim stuff for a historical novel, but there is also a poignant love story that lights the darker passages. Based on true events, much like Seton's equally gripping "Green Darkness" (Tudor England) and "Avalon" (Dark Ages England and Iceland), this tale of the doomed Radcliffes of Northumberland will leave a lasting impression. Don't miss it. Why this beautiful book is out of print when the stores are so full of hackwork is a mystery to me.

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HISTORICAL FICTION AT ITS FINEST..., January 28, 2006

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This best selling novel by Anya Seton showcases her at her best. A master storyteller, she weaves a spellbinding work of historical fiction about the Catholic Radcliffe family. It tells the tale of James Ratcliffe, the Earl of Derwentwater, and his younger brother, Charles, first cousins on the wrong side of the blanket to exiled James Stuart, Catholic son of the deposed King James II of England, who had seen his crown usurped by his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband William, the Prince of Orange.

By right, James Stuart should have been King James III of England. He would see his crown usurped by Mary's sister, his own half-sister, the Protestant Anne. In aligning themselves with the cause of the Catholic Stuarts, James and Charles Radcliffe would become involved in a Jacobite rebellion that was to color and change their lives and the lives of those whom they loved.

The book also focuses on an early misalliance that Charles would have in Northern England that would give him the love of his life, his daughter Jenny. The lives of Charles Radcliffe and Jenny are artfully drawn, taking the reader through two Jacobite rebellions and the political wheeling and dealing that such engendered. The impact that these political intrigues would have upon their lives is well drawn, as is life in early eighteenth century England with all of its grandeur, cruelty, and class distinctions.

The author also takes the reader on a trip to the plantation wilderness of the early colony of Virginia in the New World. It was in Virginia that Jenny would seek refuge from the political quagmire that was England and search for Rob, the man whom she loved who had been transported for something he had done in service of her. It was in Virginia that Jenny would find great happiness, as well as great sorrow, only to discover that to show loyalty to her father she would have to make one final, heartbreaking journey to England.

Based upon actual historical events, the book is a beautifully drawn portrait of early eighteenth century England, as well as the colony of Virginia. Vividly descriptive and replete with the politics and well-known personages of the day, it details the struggle of the Stuart Dynasty to try to regain the throne of England through a number of ill-fated uprisings that were to impact greatly on any number of families, including the prominent Radcliffes. It is a rip-roaring good read and historical fiction at its finest.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of Romantic English History, April 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Devil Water (Hardcover)

"Devil Water" by Anya Seton will capture your heart and interest. A haunting tale of the doomed Stuarts of eighteenth century England and the two failed Stuart rebellions, this writer has convincingly captured the character of Charles Radcliffe, a charming, dashing hero who is destined to never love any woman truly, but shows undying love and loyalty to his brother, James, the Earl of Derwentwater, and his daughter, Jenny. A gypsy forsees the death and disaster ahead, but Charles brushes aside the warning. Two loving and loyal women love Charles, but he fails them both. Tragedy seeps through the pages like the fear which is synonymous with the devil's water. If it were to be made into a movie, Brad Pitt would have to play Charles Radcliffe. Don't miss this perfect book.