The Tontine by Thomas B. Costain

When we were home in Napa at Christmas, I asked my 91-year old father for a recommendation for a new book for me. I was there longer than anticipated, and had finished everything I had brought along with me. My dad and I happen to love some of the same books (Story Like the Wind; A Far-Off Place, for example), so I was hoping he would have a good suggestion for me. He did! And not only did he recommend it, my sister Ann chimed in and said she had enjoyed it too. And, best of all, he had a copy of it I could keep awhile.

From the first page, I was taken in! Costain weaves a delightful history of life in England around the time of Napoleon's defeat. It's an ambitious undertaking as he follows the lives of several families and generations as England becomes industrialized. The main family, the Carboy's, are importers and factory owners. There's love, there's intrigue, there's peerage, and there's all manner of human frailties. Costain's tone is quite witty; he has a sometimes acid eye as he describes the foibles and interactions of the characters. Sometimes I would laugh out loud at his observations.

The story spans three or more generations and is divided into two volumes. I found the first volume much funnier than the first, but the story carried me right along in the second. It took me awhile to track down and order the second volume, so I had a few weeks in between. By the end of the story in the second volume, I couldn't remember some of the people that the story had circled back around to. So I started back at the beginning of the story in Volume 1, and realize that from the very beginning there is LOTS of subtle foreshadowing of things to come. It's very enjoyable to notice these on the second time through.

Costain's characters are fascinating and memorable. They also tend to be pretty much altruistic (Helen Groody) or stubbornly greedy (Sam Carboy). Although the good ones have their weak moments, the greedy ones seldom have any redeeming qualities; at least any that we can see. What they profess early in their lives (Isabelle Carboy, for example, wanting to marry a duke) stays consistent over the course of their lives. The English passion for their knighted and decorated heroes is fun to read about.

One thing I enjoyed was the comforting world that the author creates around the good characters. It feels reassuring to see good being rewarded with peace! Their lives are not always easy and they suffer serious setbacks, but their peace remains. That's a good thing.

The books I read were published in 1955 and the several pen and ink illustrations by Herbert Ryman in each volume are spare and charming. All in all, worthy of keeping and visiting again in a future lazy day!

July 2016
So...just coming out of a very difficult period...this pair of books (Volume 1 and 2) were a delightful retreat from reality as my brain adjusted to a new phase of life. We moved into a townhome and moved Irene in with us; she's 92 and this has dramatically changed our lives. When things were tough, I would gratefully retreat down to our cool walk-out basement and lose myself again in this wonderful story. I was so exhausted every day, that this was book was also a great reward at night before crashing. It took me over a month to read both this time around, and it was well worth it!

April 2022
I just finished it again! What a delightful story with great characters! We are now living in St. George, and it was a nice spring read when I needed something to help me sleep. I love this story and these characters. I might have to branch out and try a few more of this author's. It's amazing the detail he goes into as he describes the events of the three generations this epic novel spans. We see child labor exploited, we see heroes helping to get child-protection laws passed, we see Napoleon's family trying to gain the throne again, and we see the massive wealth built in England by Sam Carboy utterly lost in a depression.  So enjoyable! It's a keeper, for sure. And kind of bittersweet, now that Daddy is gone, that I can't revisit the story with him.