Tontine is a form of gambling. The story begins with the Battle of Waterloo and ends when the 19th Century is drawing to a close. The action centers in London and includes Kings, Princesses, Millionaires, Actors, Sailors, etc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A superb read, Costain is a 20th century Dickens.,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Tontine (Volume 2) (Hardcover)
The story is set in England immediately after Wellington's victory over Napolean. A rather not so prominent businessman gets an idea that while rumors on the London stock exchange of Wellington's defeat are rampant, that these rumors could not possibly be true-- because Wellington is the English field general. While everyone is selling their securities at cut rate prices, anticipating a national depression, this character is buying-- and makes a vast fortune in the process. It is rumored that he may have been somehow conected with Rothschild (a real life persoange) who knew the true results of the Battle of Waterloo through an ingenous system of semiphores which sent him the information over the English Channel hours before anyone else had knowledge of the battle. This same character parlays this great fortune into the largest industrial concern of his period, and involves himself in the management of a "tontine" (an old fashioned type of "pyramid" scheme). While at first blush the story appears to be a social study of 19th century England, it is much, much more. Each character's life is weaved throughout the story to come back to the central theme of the novel, which is a more universal comment about the meaning of money and how it can be used for good or ill. Each character in his or her own way (even Nell Groody) is working an investment angle in a world 100 years before the SEC. Some are down and out right frauds, others are more legitimate enterprises. Costain has woven a magnificent yarn about people, each of whom is related in a concatenated series of events, and paints character sketches the like of which I have not seen since my last read of Dickens. They all come to life, and as they pass from the story (particularly those with ethics and humanity) it is as if you have lost a genuine friend.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A superb read, Costain is a 20th century Dickens.,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Tontine (Volume 2) (Hardcover)
The story is set in England immediately after Wellington's victory over Napolean. A rather not so prominent businessman gets an idea that while rumors on the London stock exchange of Wellington's defeat are rampant, that these rumors could not possibly be true-- because Wellington is the English field general. While everyone is selling their securities at cut rate prices, anticipating a national depression, this character is buying-- and makes a vast fortune in the process. It is rumored that he may have been somehow conected with Rothschild (a real life persoange) who knew the true results of the Battle of Waterloo through an ingenous system of semiphores which sent him the information over the English Channel hours before anyone else had knowledge of the battle. This same character parlays this great fortune into the largest industrial concern of his period, and involves himself in the management of a "tontine" (an old fashioned type of "pyramid" scheme). While at first blush the story appears to be a social study of 19th century England, it is much, much more. Each character's life is weaved throughout the story to come back to the central theme of the novel, which is a more universal comment about the meaning of money and how it can be used for good or ill. Each character in his or her own way (even Nell Groody) is working an investment angle in a world 100 years before the SEC. Some are down and out right frauds, others are more legitimate enterprises. Costain has woven a magnificent yarn about people, each of whom is related in a concatenated series of events, and paints character sketches the like of which I have not seen since my last read of Dickens. They all come to life, and as they pass from the story (particularly those with ethics and humanity) it is as if you have lost a genuine friend.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fast moving and enjoyable,
By
This review is from: The Tontine (Volume 2) (Hardcover)
I found this book by accident -- two volumes in a box of books to be thrown out.It takes place beginning on the day the Duke of Wellington defeats Bonaparte at Waterloo, and follows the fortunes of two rival families through Regency and early Victorian England, along with their friends, lovers, enemies and many famous figures who have 'walk-on' parts. The title comes from a type of lottery popular in England at the time, in which four of the young characters are enrolled by their parents, and the tontine is instrumental in each of their lives, right to the last. It's worth the length, and provides an interesting view of the England of that time, its manners and mores.
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