Can I read The Orchid House on EtoBox?

The Orchid House by P. Shand Allfrey; with a new introduction by Elaine Campbell is a book available to read on EtoBox.

What is The Orchid House about?

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 no

Author

P. Shand Allfrey; with a new introduction by Elaine Campbell

Publisher

Virago Press Ltd

Published

1982

Language

EN

ISBN

9780860682424

Subjects

Literary Fiction, Humanities

Rating

3.81 / 5 (1,565 ratings)

Updated

2026-03-14