The White Witch of Rosehall [Mass Market Paperback]

Herbert G. de Lisser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1982

A very striking and curious story, founded on fact, of the West Indies of the earlty nineteenth century. Robert Rutherford is sent to the Islands to learn the planter`s business from the bottom. He becomes an overseer at Rosehall, the property of a young widow, Mrs Palmer, whose three husbands have all died in curious circumstances. She takes a violent fancy to Rutherford, who is also embarrassed by the attentions of his half-caste housekeeper, Millicent. His housekeeper is urging him, with some sucess, to fall in with West Indian habits, when Mrs Palmer arrives. Millicent defies her and threatens her with the powers of Takoo, an Obeah man. Mrs Palmer, herself skilled in Obeah magic, puts a spell on the girl, which Takoo`s rites, shattered by the white woman`s stronger magic, are powerless to remove.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"de Lisser utilizes the conventions of a romantic entanglement to investigate and debate the wider socio-political issues within the novel that relate to colonialism, Jamaican identity and culture... The White Witch of Rosehall is a delightful read, written by an author who sought not only to entertain, but also to educate." Donna-Marie Tuck, Society for Caribbean Studies Newsletter" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

For some forty years Herbert de Lisser was editor of the Gleaner, the leading daily paper of the West Indies, and of the annual Planter's Punch. His influence on Jamaican thought and life were immeasurable. He was awarded the C.M.G. for his literary work. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Humanity Press; reprint edition (December 31, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0333349695
• ISBN-13: 978-0333349694
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,086,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars White Witch of Rosehall, August 22, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The White Witch of Rosehall (Mass Market Paperback)

To many Jamaicans, the White Witch of Rosehall is considered fact, not fiction.

Having travelled to Jamaica on numerous occasions and studied Carribean Studies, particularly plantocracy, I felt compelled to read this novel.

In my opinion, the book is a combination of both fact and fiction - with some folklore thrown in for good measure.

It is a fascinating read leading up to the slave rebellions in 1831 on the island, focusing on Rosehall Estate and it's mistress, Annie Palmer. Legend says Annie murdered all three of her husbands and that she was a witch.

If any truth lies in this novel, which unfortunately, I suspect it does, Annie Palmer was a wicked woman, who relished the physical and psychological torture of her plantation workers. Their eventual uprising, although disturbing (because similar events really happened during this time period) was gratifying.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has travelled to Jamaica, particularly Montego Bay - which is the closest city to the estate. Regardless of fact or fiction, the book offers an interesting slice of Jamaican history.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Scariest Book Ever, April 17, 2004

By 

Arlena Flanders (Staten Island, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The White Witch of Rosehall (Mass Market Paperback)

De Lisser did a magnificant job of capturing the story of Jamaica's infamous witch Annie Palmer. Based on a true story, which actually took place on the island of Jamaica. This was the most scariest book I've ever read being the fact that I am West-Indian, and I'm quite familiar with the story. De Lisser certainly set out to do what he intended; to scare the living daylights out of me. The White Witch of Rosehall is a brilliantly written fictional account of a true story which took place over a century ago on the beautiful island of Jamaica. De Lisser's captivating telling of this story will leaving you shaking and at the same time, it will leave you with a sense of knoweledge of part of the history of Jamaica's infamous Annie Palmer,"The White Witch of Rosehall."

For more on Annie Palmer you could visit Rosehall in Jamaica. Good Luck! Let me know how it goes.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME BOOK ON THE LEGEND OF ROSEHALL, October 17, 2010

By 

K. A. Williams - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: White Witch of Rosehall (Paperback)

As a Jamaican I must confess that this book is an excellent read from a local writer. I was actually amaze to learn that the book was first published in 1929.

This book neatly weaves fact and fiction together. Indeed there is a Rosehall estate. Annie Palmer was a slave owner in the dying moments of slavery in Jamaica and her 3 husbands all died under mysterious circumstances and she was found strangled in her bed room.

The book is set against the backdrop of the impending emancipation of the slaves in Jamaica in 1834 and the simmering under-current of revolt fueled by the belief in the slave population that emancipation was already granted from the UK and that it was the planters who was withholding their freedom. The 1831 slave uprising in Jamaica did in fact happened and out of those events came one of our national heroes - Sam Sharpe.

What this book does so well is to give some explanations (fictional though they may be) to the Annie Palmer legend and to her eventual death. It also paints her aptly as part witch, part slave overlord and all woman who despite her tough exterior wanted to be love unconditionally. In enters the dashing Mr. Rutherford. The books also shows that despite the curelty of slavery people of all class and colour in Jamaica in that time could love, be happy and in some way co-existed if not out of an uneasy pact.

The author allows the read to feel for each character and understands what drove each of the main character to the things they did be it out of love or sheer necessity. It was a great read for me and I would recommend it to all.