The White Witch of Rosehall

by Herbert G. de Lisser

A very striking and curious story, founded on fact, of the West Indies of the early 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 success, 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.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Classics, Gothic, Historical, Horror

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1929

Reviews

[Orlando Fato · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this novel because of an upcoming trip to Jamaica. I first read Orlando Patterson's Children of Sisyphus, which is one of the best novels that I have read, and now Herbert De Lisser's "The White Witch of Rosehall". De Lisser was a skillful writer. His use of the language and descriptions of the island are a pleasure to read, and the novel is well structured and interesting at all times.

However, the plot seems dated. The White Witch of Rosehall is basically a love triangle among Annie Palmer, the white planter; Robert Rutherford, the Englishman; and Millicent, the mulatto girl. In this sense, there's nothing new about the plot. The descriptions of these characters are also a bit trite. Women are slender and gorgeous and men are handsome and muscular. While there are people in real life who can fit these descriptions, in this novel they made me think of a soap opera.

In spite of this, the novel is well crafted and is never boring. There are interesting facts about Jamaica, slavery, the plantation trade and local obeah. I also found Annie's background very interesting: from her Irish ancestors to her initiation in the occult in Haiti, and the legend she becomes in Jamaica.

De Lisser's novel is very different than Patterson's, for the "Children of Sisyphus" is a novel as raw and eye openeing as it is realistic. De Lisser's is a historical soap opera, which is enjoyable and worth reading for its depiction of slavery and the plantation trade in the West Indies.

PS: I read the 2007 MacMillan Caribbean paperback, which, unlike another reviewer pointed out, is a neatly put together edition that shows quality in its binding and printing.

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this book because I thought I had read it many, many years ago and I wanted to refresh my memory. Turns out, it wasn't familiar to me at all. I think what I actually had read was literature from the Rosehall Plantation and I just thought I had read this book. The research I did on Annie Palmer and Rosehall indicates that this legend is totally untrue. Seems Herbert G. de Lisser let his imagination get carried away by West Indies voodoo stories.

Events happened much too quickly to be realistic. The protagonist Robert admits this near the end of the novel. "I had all sorts of high hopes and resolutions. I was going to learn a lot while enjoying myself; I was going to have a fine time and yet become a competent planter. I was going to make my old man proud of me . . . . But I hadn't been here a day before I was making love to a woman I knew nothing about, and I hadn't been here a week before I was philandering with one of the native girls, and drinking lots of Jamaica rum, and neglecting my work, and beginning to ruin my constitution . . . . A lovely record in less than a month. . . . I am only a rash, impulsive fool, after all, not the paragon I imagined myself to be."

So, the lesson to be learned is if you go to Jamaica, be prudent. Don't consort with the natives. Drink in moderation. And avoid the "old Hige" at all costs.

[Sharon]

DNF - page 72 (28%)

I was just trying to get to the witchy stuff discussed on the back of the book, but the entire first quarter plus was just about a very not-special White Savior Man™ being fought over by multiple women.
I think I'll pass.

[cpr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was written in 1929 and some of the language reflects that time. I enjoyed the book, it was a fun read. But I could never figure out why two completely different women would fall in love SO QUICKLY with this semi-interesting guy (main character). And, could never understand his feelings for Annie (the White Witch), because she was so awful to him, and to everyone around her. She had no redeeming qualities. Why would two of the men in the story be so in love with her? These things didn't make sense to me, so I didn't invest a lot of hope that the book would be very good. It was fun to read though.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this historical novel by a well respected caribbean author gave me a real sense of the colonial history of jamaica. it also highlights the infamous story of anne palmer, the reputed witch of rose hall. (the rose hall building still stands, restored and owned by a resort, and it is reputed to be haunted.) the book truly took me back in time. it is atmospheric, and i loved envisioning familiar locales hundreds of years ago, and getting a deeper sense of the history of jamaica. this book is a keeper that i re-read on steamy summer days.

[Jane(Pixie) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not really comparable to authors such as Anthony Winkler or Andrea Levy who can deliver us to Jamaica with only their words.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving it 3.5 stars because I fell a little let down as I was expecting to learn more from the story. In saying so, what I mean is that I thought that I was going to get more out of the story than a repetition of what I had already picked up from oral-legend. Growing up in Jamaican, and having lived in the general area, I have driven past the plantation numerous times and I have been exposed to the story of Annie Palmer and Rosehall from a very young age. Due to explicit implications of curses and hauntings whenever the legend was told, I was always very fearful of the Annie Palmer story and had actively avoided reading it for some time. As a result of ALL that build up I felt let down because it turned out to be more of a love story than anything else.

It's hard for me to say how someone who doesn't know anything about the legend of Annie Palmer would experience the story. It is a quick read, however. The language is a bit dated - but nothing hard to get used to. Overall, not a bad story, with a fairly compelling narrative.

[Priscillahorseluvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I visited Jamaica multiple times with my parents when I was young and Jamaica was still very undeveloped. I went to Rosehall before it was turned into a tourist attraction. It was the ruins of the house, it’s pillared gates and a large mill. I read this story as a young girl and wanted to reread it after Rosehall appeared in the Outlander series - Voyager. I think it was a good mystery, though the treatment of slaves is unsettling. Unfortunately it is an accurate depiction of the Jamaican world during the time period.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isn't it interesting, given this book was written by a white man in the 50s & 60s, that despite being about a strong and all-powerful woman, most pages are detailed exchanges between white men about their thoughts, feelings, and opinions about said woman and what should & shouldn't happen? I would love this book to be made into a film by some awesome feminist filmmakers with Anna Paquin as the lead.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this book for a literature class I'm taking in school. It's considered Gothic Caribbean, and it definitely has both of those elements. Set in Jamaica, right before the emancipation was passed, the story centers around Robert. He's a wealthy English man coming under the pretense of a book-keeper, but with the true intentions of learning more about plantation business to one day take over his father's. This being his first time in the West Indies, Robert sees his trip as more of an exotic adventure, than a serious task at hand. He instantly falls in love with the mistress of the house, Annie Palmer, who has been married 3 times before. All her husbands have mysteriously died, with whispers indicating that she might have had something to do with it. Slowly but surely, Robert starts realizing that there might be some truth behind the town gossip and personally sees how it is that such a fragile woman could go about committing these murders. I'll leave you with that, so you can read the rest of the book and figure out what Annie is up to.

I wouldn't say this is something I would voluntarily pick up on my own, as the language is very flowery and over-exaggerated. The protagonist, Robert, is very bland; I ended up liking Rider more than any of the other characters. Annie Palmer was a very creepy and sadistic character. The ending left me feeling a bit angry at both Robert and Rider, not because of their willingness to save a life, but because of their reasoning. I found myself comparing this to Jane Eyre a lot, not sure why, but I guess I'll find out since I'll be picking that up soon!

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in 1929, "a very striking and curious story," as promised in the frontispiece,"founded on fact, of the West Indies of the early nineteenth century." The author was editor of a West Indian daily newspaper, "The Gleaner" and author of 3 other books, some of which were praised by Somerset Maugham.
Like most old books--as separate from "classic" authors--the book is very characteristic, in its tone and attitudes of a particular time and place. I love that about old books, but they are not great art and great ideas, so I'm not sure this will be to everyone's taste. Also remember it was written by a white Jamaican in 1929, so people of color may not be comfortable with it; for instance, the difference between black slaves and whites is detailed and the author has to kill off all the black good-guys for the story to come out "properly".

[Kiki · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was about what you would expect. H.G. de Lisser, although a black Jamaican (allegedly...?), did an extremely convincing rendition of a racist white writer, content to dismiss the "negroes" as lazy/hysterical/stupid/jolly thieves as it suited the situation.

The first half was boring when Robert Rutherford, our bland handsome white MC, was more involved in estate matters, including Annie Palmer's bed. Things pick up in the second half when occult happenings took over amidst the relationship dramas.

The two stars are in acknowledgement of de Lisser's writing skills. Some of the diction can be pretentious but it was picturesque and pulpy. It's a real shame he didn't consider his African ancestors to be heroic figures. I would have loved to read his take on the slave rebellion which happened in the book with the freedom fighters centred.

[Martianngray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because we went to the Rose Hall plantation in Jamaica. It was interesting to learn more about Annie Palmer and a little history of Jamaica. I am sure a lot of the story is not factual but it was an easy interesting read.

[Rachael MacLean]

Wrote my thesis on this novel.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ten-star novel. One of the best I have read. Interesting and fascinating until the very end. An exotic Gothic setting and an interesting plot. I definitely recommend it!

[Joy F · Rating 4 out of 5]

We were in Jamaica for vacation, and I came across the story of the White Witch of Rose Hall. Apparently, this story was based on a book, so of course, I looked into it right away. Turns out, the book was written in 1929 so is available for free! Here’s the link. (https://pressbooks.library.torontomu....)
Ironically, I read “The Kitchen House” right after this one and kept getting the two confused in my mind. There are similar themes throughout, and reading them back-to-back allowed me to compare the history of slavery both in Jamaica and in the southern U.S.

First, “The White Witch of Rose Hall” tells the story of slavery in Jamaica in the 1800s. White woman Annie Palmer is the mistress of Rose Hall, a vast sugar cane estate located outside of Montego Bay. The main character, Robert Rutherford, comes to Rose Hall to be her new bookkeeper, although his real purpose is to learn the planting business from Annie so he can manage his own estate in Barbados. He’s introduced to Annie and almost immediately, she seduces him, and he becomes her lover. Scandalous back in those time, she gets away with sleeping with whomever she wants (including slaves) because she’s a landowner who lives in the middle of nowhere Jamaica.

Shortly after, Robert begins to learn his “sweet” Annie is actually a sadistic tyrant who loves nothing more than torturing and murdering people, whether it’s her three previous husbands or the unfortunate slaves on her property. It’s an interesting story, but to be honest, very little of it is true. Yes, there was an Annie Palmer in Jamaica’s history, but whether she’s a notorious murderess is up for debate. Still, it makes a good story, and whether you consider it fiction or nonfiction, it seems to give a realistic account of what slavery looked like during that time in Jamaica.

Second, “The Kitchen House” is a powerful, deep book about slavery in the U.S. The story starts with 7-year-old Lavinia coming to America from Ireland with her parents, who sadly die on the journey. Lavinia doesn’t remember any of this, and because she has no one to take her in once they land in America, she becomes an indentured servant to the ship’s captain, a white plantation owner, and his wife. Lavinia is put in the “kitchen house,” a home on the property occupied by the black slaves who work up at the “big house” taking care of the captain’s family. When I’ve read about slavery in the past, it’s always about the farm hands who work the land. I’ve never read one before about the slaves of the main house, who are in charge of the cooking, cleaning, and basically seeing to the every need of the white owner’s family. For some reason, I’ve never envisioned the lives of those slaves, so this was a unique perspective for me.

Back to the story…. Over time, Lavinia identifies with the “kitchen house” slaves as her family. There’s Papa George and Mama Mae, but Lavinia is a white child who grows into a beautiful white woman, and that means there will always be a line between her and her found family.

One line of the book stood out to me, and I can’t find it now of course, but it’s when Mama Mae is talking about Lavinia as an adult and says Lavinia is still “naïve” like a child thinking she can come back to the plantation as a grown white woman and everything will be the same. And that struck me because Mae was absolutely right! The story is told mainly through Lavinia’s eyes, and I took everything she said as fact, but Mae’s statement reminded me that Lavinia is a character with flaws, and one of those flaws is definitely her childlike belief that everything will be OK in the end. But the slaves know for them, not everything is OK and never will be OK. The fact is, Lavinia is white and as an indentured servant, her time in captivity will end, but for them, it won’t. Lavinia just doesn’t understand that, and I don’t think she ever will.

So yes, a lot of the characters were stereotypical (the white overseer = evil man; the big black man = hero; the pretty black woman = love interest; the big black woman = mother figure), but I still thought this was an excellent story, and it gave me an insight into slavery that I hadn’t gotten from other books. I would recommend reading this one.

[Abraham Wafula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was seated at St. Kizito's Library in Lusumu when I was struck by this title in the shelves. I wanted to have a quick overview of it since I had other things to do and found myself really in it and unable to put it down. De Lisser mastered the art of keeping his readers' concentration with: 'what next?'. A real page turner I should say. But I pitied Annie Palmer in the end and I have often felt that De Lisser was too rush in winding up this thriller. I was rather intrigued by the romance between Annie and Rutherford, and if given chance I could hold Millie's burial to let Takoo take revenge first before making plans for her burial. I could then add a few chapters to give Annie chance to escape that death by conjuring some creature to frighten off Takoo and his friends who would have fled the scene as Rider had hinted to her to do with his words and gaze. Palmer would have owed her life to Rutherford and Rider and offered to rid Millie of her fears she would die. Millie would have come out of the coma (not death) and escaped death. Rutherford and Annie would have made up again with Annie promising to entirely transform her ways. Takoo would have taken Millie far away from Rosehall. In a fit of anger and jealousy, Ashman would have sought to get Annie to the authorities accusing her of practising voodoo and for having killed her husbands. He names Takoo as his main accomplice, and out of fear, the slaves who are taken in for questioning attest to having witnessed Takoo strangle one of Annie's husbands in her very presence. Annie is arrested and convicted and with her Takoo as his main accomplice. Takoo in retaliation names Ashman as he who had masterminded the death of Rider. Rider had come upon men hired by Ashman to murder Rutherford who murder him mistakenly. Takoo names one of the murderers who, out of fear, confirms this as being true. Mr. Ashman protests that it was Annie's idea who wanted to get rid of Rutherford for having threatened him but is convicted nevertheless. Millie, on learning of the latest developments on Rosehall comes back in search of Rutherford and the two make up. Having had enough of Rosehall, Rutherford sets off back to England with his newly wedded wife, Millie. Justice has been served.

[Chrystal]

I was mainly interested in of this novel would provide any new knowledge on the subject of Annie Palmer, the Rose Hall plantation or Jamaican history. It did not. It sticks to the known narratives.

It’s a dramatic piece that can keep one’s interest but is written through the lens of an Englishman, who manages to amount to nothing in a very short time. (His own words, not mine.) However, even with an eventful ending, the story doesn’t deliver a strong point of view on anything.

After reading the story, I learnt more about the author’s perceptions of slaveowners and plantation systems. That is, they’re egregiously dismissive of the people and natural resources that they exploit for profit to their own detriment.

I think H.G. de Lisser is an interesting figure to read about and experience their additional works.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A better story than I had hoped. The author de Lisser relates events on a Jamaican sugarcane plantation of Rosehall, run by Annie Palmer, a woman who controls others through their fear of her obeah powers, and the overseer Ashman. The background around 1830-31 provides further ominous activity as the Baptist War associated with the Sam Sharpe rebellion brings the visceral sounds of drumbeats from surrounding estates and the looming stoppage of fieldwork. The author's powers of description proved a joy to read, in my opinion, capturing both the beautiful scenery and the Islanders' exuberant expressiveness. Some people say that the legend of infamous Rosehall started with this novel of historical fiction.

[Jennifer deBie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. Very colonialist and racist by today's standards, but relatively progressive by the standards of its day. Includes two fairly well rounded female characters (minor protagonist and primary antagonist), though their immediate infatuation with the male lead does set my feminist teeth on edge.

There's also some interesting, and not often utilized, Afro- Caribbean lore that finds its way into the pages. You don't find mention of the Caribbean vampiress in many books, and certainly not in books from the early 20th century, but she appears here, and if nothing else that fascinates my folklore happy heart.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book uses the story of Annie Palmer as the basis of a fictionalised story which, while using some facts of what happened, has integrated a great deal of the author's imagination. Its a real soap opera format with the Annie and another woman fighting over a hot young man which was an unexpected approach but an interesting choice. It is very light and while it has some interesting descriptions of Jamaica the characters are 2 dimensional. Its a light read but it has its moments and is worth a look.

[Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was written in 1929, which explains (but doesn't excuse) a lot of the racist storyline. A handsome young man is hired 'incognito' as a bookkeeper at a sugar plantation in Jamaica in 1831. The story is that his father in England has sent him to learn how to run a plantation (which the family owns on another island) from the inside. The owner of the plantation is a beautiful (of course) widow. Voodoo and witchcraft and the assumption that the black slaves are inferior people add to the story.

[Lynette · Rating 2 out of 5]

What even was this book? I had no idea what it was about going in - I had it on my "Want to Read" list for some reason - it was probably referenced in another book I'd read. When I first started reading, I thought it was going to be a gothic novel set in Jamaica. Then it was more like a trashy romance novel. Then I thought maybe it's pro-slave propaganda. Then I thought I was wrong, and it's maybe anti-slavery? Or is it historical fiction? But then the end was so awful and racist.

Whatever it was, at no point was it enjoyable.

[Hikari Miya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for a British Literature restoration class focusing on slavery and abolition at the PhD level. The pacing of this novel was great, and there was wonderful character development, but only from the white character standpoint. Some parts made me uncomfortable in terms of racial tensions and treatment of slaves. It was a nice story overall with elements of the gothic and romanticism present throughout the book.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure this would be my kind of thing, being written in 1929 and taking place at a sugar cane plantation in Jamaica, but I absolutely loved it. What made it even more amazing was that this is based on real people, at a real plantation that you can actually visit and tour. It wasn't scary but definitely a bit creepy. I do love old stories involving voodoo.

[Aya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is based in the West Indies. I give it a three out of five stars because it wasn’t the worst but it wasn’t the best. I recommend to readers of historical fiction.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, the drama.

[Chris H-C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting historical read. What's even more interesting is how much of the narrative has been adapted as fact into the Rosehall tour on Jamaica itself.

[Patricia Mayberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for class

I liked the plot. The characters were solid. Wasn't the ending I was expecting however it was a good ending.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. I wanted to know more after visiting the Rose Hall House in Jamaica. This was an easy read. Enjoy!