The Orchid House [Paperback]

Phyllis Shand Allfrey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

Lally helps to raise three white sisters in the Orchid House on the Island of Dominica and observes as each flees to the cold northern lands of England and America only to return to their magical past and the man they love. (General Fiction).

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

First published in 1954, The Orchid House, Phyllis Shand Allfrey's only published novel, is a classic of Caribbean literature. In this markedly autobiographical story of the three daughters of a once-powerful but now impoverished white family, Allfrey interweaves her family's history with the history of her home island of Dominica in the twentieth century. The novel is written in a sensuous style and the story remarkably told through the eyes of Lally, the black nurse of the three sisters. Often praised for the clearsightedness of its analysis of the Dominican historical process, The Orchid House stands at a crucial intersection of West Indian politics. It was during this period that the colonized took over from the colonizer the direction of local governments. Allfrey, a Fabian socialist and founder of Dominica's first political party, articulates in this novel the central tenet of a political philosophy that guided a lifetime of grassroots activism: that profound changes had to take place in the power structures of Caribbean societies to bring social justice to its peoples, and that those who persevered in seeking to revive the past were doomed. This edition makes this classic novel available in paperback for the first time in years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081352332X
• ISBN-13: 978-0813523323
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,053,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #73 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Caribbean

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fell short of my expectations, October 16, 2010

By 

K. Huff (Radnor, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Orchid House (Paperback)

The Orchid House is the story of three young white women growing up in Dominica, in a house called L'Aromatique, or the Orchid House for its conservatory. The point of view is from their nurse, Lally, who took care of them when they were growing up. Stella, married to a German but living in America, is now a mother; Joan, also a mother, is a political activist; and Natalie is a wealthy widow. The girls have grown up and moved away, but one by one each returns. It's a novel in which women are the focal point of the story; each of the male main characters is weak, both physically and/or emotionally.

This is a weird one, both in tone and story. As far as plot goes, there's not much of one; it's mostly just a flurry of activity as one sister leaves and another one comes. The narrator, Lally, isn't believable; she's far more educated than I imagine someone in her position might be, and she has less of a presence in the novel than some of the male characters. She claims that she loves the three girls, but you don't really get a feel for that in this book. Of the three sisters, Joan and Stella are the more interesting, since their role in the story is much larger than Natalie's. As far as the tone goes, though, it's atmospheric and brooding, which I enjoyed; I've never been to the West Indies, but I can imagine it very clearly through this book. You get this feeling of being suspended midair while reading this novel, much as the humidity of a summer afternoon hangs in the air. There's almost a repressive feeling to the tone of this novel sometimes, which works for it in a way.

Nonetheless, this book is important in terms of its place in West Indian literature; apparently, Jean Rhys was influenced by this book in the writing of Wide Sargasso Sea. Unfortunately, I just didn't care much for The Orchid House.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Orchid House, January 7, 2008

By 

Book Worm (Belmont, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Orchid House (Paperback)

The book is in really good condition and was received promptly. I'd buy again from this source.