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The Tontine
Tontine is a form of gambling - part lottery, part insurance. It begins with the Day the Battle of Waterloo was fought and ends at the closing of the 19th Century. Its cast includes Actors, Kings, Sailors, Artists, etc. It is filled with romance.
815 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1955
7 people are currently reading
438 people want to read
About the author
Thomas B. Costain
128 books186 followersCostain was born in Brantford, Ontario to John Herbert Costain and Mary Schultz. He attended high school there at the Brantford Collegiate Institute. Before graduating from high school he had written four novels, one of which was a 70,000 word romance about Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange. These early novels were rejected by publishers.
His first writing success came in 1902 when the Brantford Courier accepted a mystery story from him, and he became a reporter there (for five dollars a week). He was an editor at the Guelph Daily Mercury between 1908 and 1910. He married Ida Randolph Spragge (1888–1975) in York, Ontario on January 12, 1910. The couple had two children, Molly (Mrs. Howard Haycraft) and Dora (Mrs. Henry Darlington Steinmetz). Also in 1910, Costain joined the Maclean Publishing Group where he edited three trade journals. Beginning in 1914, he was a staff writer for and, from 1917, editor of Toronto-based Maclean's magazine. His success there brought him to the attention of The Saturday Evening Post in New York City where he was fiction editor for fourteen years.
In 1920 he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He also worked for Doubleday Books as an editor 1939-1946. He was the head of 20th Century Fox’s bureau of literary development (story department) from 1934 to 1942.
In 1940, he wrote four short novels but was “enough of an editor not to send them out”. He next planned to write six books in a series he called “The Stepchildren of History”. He would write about six interesting but unknown historical figures. For his first, he wrote about the seventeenth-century pirate John Ward aka Jack Ward. In 1942, he realized his longtime dream when this first novel For My Great Folly was published, and it became a bestseller with over 132,000 copies sold. The New York Times reviewer stated at the end of the review "there will be no romantic-adventure lover left unsatisfied." In January 1946 he "retired" to spend the rest of his life writing, at a rate of about 3,000 words a day.
Raised as a Baptist, he was reported in the 1953 Current Biography to be an attendant of the Protestant Episcopal Church. He was described as a handsome, tall, broad-shouldered man with a pink and white complexion, clear blue eyes, and a slight Canadian accent. He was white-haired by the time he began to write novels. He loved animals and could not even kill a bug (but he also loved bridge, and he did not extend the same policy to his partners). He also loved movies and the theatre (he met his future wife when she was performing Ruth in the The Pirates of Penzance).
Costain's work is a mixture of commercial history (such as The White and The Gold, a history of New France to around 1720) and fiction that relies heavily on historic events (one review stated it was hard to tell where history leaves off and apocrypha begins). His most popular novel was The Black Rose (1945), centred in the time and actions of Bayan of the Baarin also known as Bayan of the Hundred Eyes. Costain noted in his foreword that he initially intended the book to be about Bayan and Edward I, but became caught up in the legend of Thomas a Becket's parents: an English knight married to an Eastern girl. The book was a selection of the Literary Guild with a first printing of 650,000 copies and sold over two million copies in its first year.
His research led him to believe that Richard III was a great monarch tarred by conspiracies, after his death, with the murder of the princes in the tower. Costain supported his theories with documentation, suggesting that the real murderer was Henry VII.
Costain died in 1965 at his New York City home of a heart attack at the age of 80. He is buried in the Farringdon Independent Church Cemetery in Brantford.
His first writing success came in 1902 when the Brantford Courier accepted a mystery story from him, and he became a reporter there (for five dollars a week). He was an editor at the Guelph Daily Mercury between 1908 and 1910. He married Ida Randolph Spragge (1888–1975) in York, Ontario on January 12, 1910. The couple had two children, Molly (Mrs. Howard Haycraft) and Dora (Mrs. Henry Darlington Steinmetz). Also in 1910, Costain joined the Maclean Publishing Group where he edited three trade journals. Beginning in 1914, he was a staff writer for and, from 1917, editor of Toronto-based Maclean's magazine. His success there brought him to the attention of The Saturday Evening Post in New York City where he was fiction editor for fourteen years.
In 1920 he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He also worked for Doubleday Books as an editor 1939-1946. He was the head of 20th Century Fox’s bureau of literary development (story department) from 1934 to 1942.
In 1940, he wrote four short novels but was “enough of an editor not to send them out”. He next planned to write six books in a series he called “The Stepchildren of History”. He would write about six interesting but unknown historical figures. For his first, he wrote about the seventeenth-century pirate John Ward aka Jack Ward. In 1942, he realized his longtime dream when this first novel For My Great Folly was published, and it became a bestseller with over 132,000 copies sold. The New York Times reviewer stated at the end of the review "there will be no romantic-adventure lover left unsatisfied." In January 1946 he "retired" to spend the rest of his life writing, at a rate of about 3,000 words a day.
Raised as a Baptist, he was reported in the 1953 Current Biography to be an attendant of the Protestant Episcopal Church. He was described as a handsome, tall, broad-shouldered man with a pink and white complexion, clear blue eyes, and a slight Canadian accent. He was white-haired by the time he began to write novels. He loved animals and could not even kill a bug (but he also loved bridge, and he did not extend the same policy to his partners). He also loved movies and the theatre (he met his future wife when she was performing Ruth in the The Pirates of Penzance).
Costain's work is a mixture of commercial history (such as The White and The Gold, a history of New France to around 1720) and fiction that relies heavily on historic events (one review stated it was hard to tell where history leaves off and apocrypha begins). His most popular novel was The Black Rose (1945), centred in the time and actions of Bayan of the Baarin also known as Bayan of the Hundred Eyes. Costain noted in his foreword that he initially intended the book to be about Bayan and Edward I, but became caught up in the legend of Thomas a Becket's parents: an English knight married to an Eastern girl. The book was a selection of the Literary Guild with a first printing of 650,000 copies and sold over two million copies in its first year.
His research led him to believe that Richard III was a great monarch tarred by conspiracies, after his death, with the murder of the princes in the tower. Costain supported his theories with documentation, suggesting that the real murderer was Henry VII.
Costain died in 1965 at his New York City home of a heart attack at the age of 80. He is buried in the Farringdon Independent Church Cemetery in Brantford.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
April 2, 2021
My mom and my Aunt Loa really liked this story. My mom recommended it to me and I am reminded of what great taste my mom has in books! I really enjoyed these books. The books cover over a half a century of time during the 1800's starting with the day of the Battle of Waterloo. The action takes place in England. I thought that this book was absolutely fascinating. The book follows a man of business along with the ups and downs of business in England and I found it to be completely relevant to the economic times that we are facing now. The characters in this book are colorful and engaging. I found myself rooting for some and rooting against others. By the time I got through the first volume I couldn't put it down! I finished the second volume in less than 24 hours! I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys historical fiction.
July 28, 2009
I found this obscure book when I was in eighth grade. It is as good as anything Dickens ever wrote, and I love Dickens. A lottery is set up for people who want to enter their children. When the children become older, the money (which has been invested for decades) begins to pay out, paying more each year as there are fewer surviving members of the Tontine. Love, revenge and wonderful greed ensue!
October 4, 2007
I began reading this book when I was 8 or 9 years old - too young to keep up with all the details - and returned to it off and on for literally decades. Sometimes even making index cards of family trees and such. I finally finished it the summer of 1998 sitting in the car in front of my parents' house. In fact, my sweetie almost lost his head because he sat down and started talking to me as I was finishing the last pages. A testiment to how much I love him that he is still alive today.
Given the 25 yrs. give or take it took me to read it, my rating should be suspect.
Given the 25 yrs. give or take it took me to read it, my rating should be suspect.
March 11, 2021
Liked it (7 out of 10), but not enough to read the second volume. A smart look at England just after Napoleon's Waterloo defeat, as the Industrial Revolution dawned. In fact one part of the story involves Napoleon's brother Joseph, once King of Naples and King of Spain, when he lived in Bordentown, New Jersey.
September 10, 2009
The first thing I learned was what a tontine was. I had never heard of such an arrangement before. The story was interesting and the characters well drawn. The threads of the story were deftly woven. There is romance, generosity, greed . . indeed the whole range of human emotions. It takes two books to tell the stories of all of the individuals involved in the tontine. This one instance when one finishes a book and wishes there was more that there is more to enjoy.
September 24, 2016
Read this for book club. Had never heard of it but it was a wonderful romp of a story taking place in England in the 19th century. I certainly don't know why it's out of print today.
September 19, 2018
A detailed adventure from the first character to the end. THIS SHOULD BE A MOVIE or at least a Masterpiece Theatre production.
April 22, 2019
This what historical fiction is supposed to be like and never is. Someone mentioned in review that this book is something that Charles Dickens would have written. For me it has special place because it was copyrighted the same year I was born.
August 17, 2025
“The Tontine” by: Thomas B. Costain is a historical novel that depicts–greed, power, and survival in the 19th century England. The story begins with the creation of the Tontine, an investment plan–where the last surviving members of the Tontine claims the entire fortune. Then on, the story follows a wide character list where the story revolves around–one of which is Samuel Carboy, a dreaming yet ruthless boy, then to the reformers, Jonathan Bade and Nell Groody, then Alfred Carboy–a boy that chases nothing other than wealth and fame.
What made this novel stand out is how Mr. Costain mixed the story with real life event, like the Battle of Waterloo and industrial reform, with personal dramas and family struggles. It also shows modern-day problems such as–social injustice, child labor, and corruption, yet it also shows love, courage, and how one can influence history and change the future. While the novel is sometimes hard to follow and complicated with so many characters, it ensures that detail is above everything and makes the readers think about each detail and event. The novel is indeed a good book and is family-friendly, depicts society, with commentary ideals.
What made this novel stand out is how Mr. Costain mixed the story with real life event, like the Battle of Waterloo and industrial reform, with personal dramas and family struggles. It also shows modern-day problems such as–social injustice, child labor, and corruption, yet it also shows love, courage, and how one can influence history and change the future. While the novel is sometimes hard to follow and complicated with so many characters, it ensures that detail is above everything and makes the readers think about each detail and event. The novel is indeed a good book and is family-friendly, depicts society, with commentary ideals.
March 29, 2020
I read this story almost 60 years ago. My folks had the 2-volume tale on their shelves, and as a precocious reader, I devoured it. I found it again as a used paperback years ago (920 pages!) and I just reread it this week. Spanning 60+ years, beginning on the day Waterloo was won, it is a multigenerational story of 3 families during the Industrial Revolution. Lots of detailed descriptions of life among the varied social classes, it has been likened to stories by Dickens. It’s a very good historical fiction.
BTW, a tontine is a life insurance scheme, stratified by age. Enrollees received payouts after an initial growth period, the amounts determined by the number of living recipients. Over time, as participants died, the payouts became more and more substantial. Towards the end, when the recipients became a mere handful, all sorts of betting occurred in the general populace on who would be the last survivor.
BTW, a tontine is a life insurance scheme, stratified by age. Enrollees received payouts after an initial growth period, the amounts determined by the number of living recipients. Over time, as participants died, the payouts became more and more substantial. Towards the end, when the recipients became a mere handful, all sorts of betting occurred in the general populace on who would be the last survivor.
June 25, 2024
A magnificent story of an entrepreneurial family around the 17th/18th century. Costain has very cleverly interwoven the threads of this great story around a Tontine, which was a national competition where each competitor paid a huge amount to enter. there were yearly payouts to those still surviving until the final one left alive would pick up the whole jackpot. Imagine the intrigue towards the end !!! (Not surprising these became illegal).
Such a very clever story I am surprised that it has never appeared as a BBC series (like Downton Abbey for example).
This I think would rank as Thomas Costain's best novel, (more fictional than factional).
Such a very clever story I am surprised that it has never appeared as a BBC series (like Downton Abbey for example).
This I think would rank as Thomas Costain's best novel, (more fictional than factional).
April 5, 2020
This book is half epic family drama and half love letter to Charles Dickens. It's an enjoyable read, although the pacing flags a bit three quarters of the way through when we're introduced to the fourth generation of characters. Worth a read, especially if you're looking for obscure historical fiction.
January 19, 2021
Throughout hugh school and university, this remained my favourite book. Two large volumes, and every single word and scene mesmerizing as you follow the lives of all the participants in a tontine (lottery) in which the last person left alive wins everything.
October 26, 2021
I read this more than 40 years ago and was completely swept up in the story ands its characters. I was not long out of college and I also read The Count of Monte Cristo and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. As I recall, The Tontine was easier reading.
April 13, 2018
The characters were consistently on (or off) kilter, and the story felt sweeping, even if actually fairly narrow. I felt carried by the story, whole way through (or at least until very end.)
October 2, 2019
VERY enjoyable read. Lots of rich color. Feeling like I am walking the streets. seeing the sights for myself.
Finished volume one, starting volume two... I gotta know what happens!!!
Finished volume one, starting volume two... I gotta know what happens!!!
February 22, 2022
I've not read Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Wrong Box' but from the film this story would appear to owe it a debt.
A long, enjoyable yarn proficiently told. I would have loved this as a teenager.
A long, enjoyable yarn proficiently told. I would have loved this as a teenager.
September 18, 2022
Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but if you're a fan of Thackery, Elliot--and have 41 hours to devote to Audible (amazing narration)--I don't think you'll be disappointed!
January 3, 2024
I read this book in high school a long time ago before I got onto Masterpiece Theatre so much of the class separation was pretty familiar to me. It's a good epic family saga.
June 26, 2025
amazing! looking forward to reading the other two in the series!
July 5, 2024
An investment plan in which participants buy shares in a common fund and receive an annuity that increases every time a participant dies, with the entire fund going to the final survivor or to those who survive after a specified time. - The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language
This grand epic novel opens in 1815 with the Battle of Waterloo and runs through the Victorian Era and ends during the period of the Technological Revolution. There's a huge cast of characters who separate tales became intertwined with each other, especially due to their involvement in the titular tontine.
The primarily focus is on the families of Samuel Carboy and George Grace. At the start of the novel, Samuel and George are partners at the head of Carboy and Grace. Soon after they start the Waterloo Tontine, Samuel dissolves their partnership, effectively forcing George out. These leads to a division both financially and emotionally. While some relatives maintain relationships between the family divide, often secretly, the hard-feelings are hard to ignore.
This book has the pursuit of power, forbidden romance, coming-of-age stories, class-conflict, duels, political intrigue, South-American colonialism, and the impending drama as participants in the tontine anticipate the death of other members.
I loved this book, but must admit it was a LOT to track of. I frequently felt lost, but eventually got back into the stories as it progressed.
October 11, 2013
If you believe you will live to be very old, you invest when young in a tontine, and after 20, or 30, however many years, (the tontine period) the sum of money originally invested, plus whatever it earned during the tontine period, starts to pay dividends to the survivors, and continues to do so until the last survivor dies. They were made illegal because of the gambling laws, but I personally feel the government should set them up now so that the very oldest amongst us aren't forced into a penniless old age as their investments falter and collapse.
Anyway, this story is about the fictional Waterloo Tontine, set up after the Battle of Waterloo, which caught the public fancy and attracted millions in investment. The book follows the lives of 4 youngsters, 3 of whom become the last 3 survivors.That sweep of 70 years or so covers Napoleon the 2nd, the industrial revolution, the introduction of railways, suffragettes - the decades that changed Britain forever from a virtual farm economy to an industrial empire. It's a vast book, and a living historical tapestry of England and her empire from - ironically - a Canadian writer.
Anyway, this story is about the fictional Waterloo Tontine, set up after the Battle of Waterloo, which caught the public fancy and attracted millions in investment. The book follows the lives of 4 youngsters, 3 of whom become the last 3 survivors.That sweep of 70 years or so covers Napoleon the 2nd, the industrial revolution, the introduction of railways, suffragettes - the decades that changed Britain forever from a virtual farm economy to an industrial empire. It's a vast book, and a living historical tapestry of England and her empire from - ironically - a Canadian writer.
April 28, 2015
I read this book over 40 years ago when I was a teen..... and loved it. But I really did not remember the book correctly. My memory was of a ribald and comic romp (which it really isn't). The Tontine is a now obsolete life insurance scheme that the characters in the book are subscribed to by their parents. Each year, the surviving subscribers share the dividends. Each year the dividends obviously increase. When only a dozen are left, the hefty dividends become the motive for some greedy misdeeds. Most of the action surrounding the Tontine intrigues occurs near the end. The first 800 pages are really a series of family sagas...mostly concerning the Carboys and Graces who start the book as business partners. Almost the entire book occurs in England with very brief visits to Bermuda, Brazil, America and France. Costain's writing is reminiscent of Dickens. Although I enjoyed the book and rated it 4 stars.... I kept wondering why my teenage self loved it so much and recommended it so often to others.
December 28, 2013
I read this book (930 pages in two volumes) years ago and I remember that I really liked it. I just reread it, and liked it as much as I remembered. A tontine was a kind of annuity/life insurance, where people could invest for themselves or a child, would receive money each year from the growth of the investment, and then would receive much more substantial amounts as the other members of the tontine died and there was more money to go around. The story follows the lives of the characters who were children when the tontine began and who are the last three living members. At that point, all of England is following them closely, betting on their survival, and some sinister plots are being hatched.
June 4, 2009
I read this book when I was about 12 and devoured every page. Certain parts of the story drag a bit, but that's totally understandable since it spans the entire lifetime of several characters. The story centers on people who entered a pool that starts to pay back money after a set number of years (50 seems right, but that might not be the actual number). Whoever is the last to live gets a significant amount of money, which leads to the expected but still surprising consequences of greed. It's really well-written, so dive on in if you can find a copy.
May 3, 2014
4 1/2 stars.
I first read this book 30+ years ago and enjoyed it all over again. A tontine is a type of lottery. People buy into it, often in the name of their child. The first years no-one collects but after 20 years the survivors start to reap the dividends. Each year the amount grows as people die. The last person standing gets a large amount of money. This story follows the lives of a number of main characters, all involved with a very large tontine. Excellent book; I highly recommend it to anyone who likes large epic tales.
I first read this book 30+ years ago and enjoyed it all over again. A tontine is a type of lottery. People buy into it, often in the name of their child. The first years no-one collects but after 20 years the survivors start to reap the dividends. Each year the amount grows as people die. The last person standing gets a large amount of money. This story follows the lives of a number of main characters, all involved with a very large tontine. Excellent book; I highly recommend it to anyone who likes large epic tales.
February 13, 2009
I actually only read Volume 1 of this, will probably read Volume 2 at some point. I also believe I read it all many years ago. The book follows the fortunes of several people who are involved in a tontine -- a sort of "last man standing" insurance scheme -- in 19th century England. The reason I might not finish is that it appears the "winner" will be one of the most obnoxious characters in the book.
January 31, 2009
Ok, it was high school in a small town...but Costain's novels took me out of East Tennessee, out of myself. This was my favorite, but I read each voraciously. Somehow Paul Newman ended up playing a slave in an awful, awful film of Below the Salt. Or perhaps another Costain novel. I think adolescents love fiction of another time and place, whether the past or the future.
March 30, 2014
I read The Tontine<\i> several years ago on the recommendation of a family member. This historical fiction story tells about the intertwining lives of the members of this tontine. As the story progresses, things become more treacherous and the true colors of people come out. This is a long two-volume story, but it was worth the time it took to read it.
June 18, 2013
I read this enchanting and deadly novel decades ago and loved, loved, loved it. It is about a lottery in which the last one living takes the entire pot, which leads to all sorts of betrayals and twists. I am now selling it for $50 if you are interested.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews