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The Tontine (Volume 2)

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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.

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.

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.

A very literate friend once told me "The Tontine" (Thomas Costain)was the best book he had ever read. I am reading it through and can see why he said that - though I won't go that far. Tontines are an interesting financial vehicle, but TC weaves a social history of England post Waterloo around the story.

I had been wanting to read this book for several years. I have the two volume hardcover edition that my mother purchased when it was first published in 1955. I finally took the time to read it and enjoyed it very much. Thomas Costain is an excellent storyteller and a gifted writer. He weaves a story that spans many decades and involves many different, diverse characters.

The book begins on the heells of Wellington's victory over Napoleon at Waterloo as Samuel Carboy, a lesser partner in a business venture gambles and succeeds to earn his fortune. The book follows the path of Carboy's family and the family of his former partner, George Grace. Carboy's and Grace's lives separate, but their children seem to have an instinctive link to each other in spite of the paternal rivalry. Both fathers enroll their children in the Waterloo Tontine, a "last man standing" annuity that pays out annual interest on the principal to the surviving members. The last person alive wins the principal.

The book is well written with a cast of characters that are both likable and believable. The plot twists and turns and never ceases to surprise the reader. The death of the first major character came as a complete shock to me. After that, one by one people died and new generations were born. The tontine itself takes a back seat to much of the story until there is left but a few surviving members.

The end of the book is where Costain displays all his skills as a writer and storyteller. As one would expect, with so mch money on the line characters become greedy, seedy, and downright dislikable. Sons conceal deaths of parents, criminals make an attempt to cut in on the riches, fires burn houses and warehouses, and the reader gets to the point where it is difficult to put the book down.

The book is long, two volumes in all. Nearly 1000 pages are needed to tell the complete story. The ending is so dramatic that one wishes the winner did not have to ultimately die. But death is where Costain's skill as a writer is most evident. He treats death as a matter of fact reality of life. None can escape it and survivors must do their best to cope with it. Had he written of the funeral for the last main character to die, the reader would have gotten a bit more closure on how the life of the tontine winner fully impacted those who were close to that person.

The book may be difficult to find, but if you have it, read it and keep it. It is the kind of book people of future generations will come to treasure. Costain doesn't get the recognition he deserves as an author, but The Tontine remains one of his most profound works.