Mason's Retreat

by Christopher Tilghman

A wealthy family takes up residence at their crumbling estate on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay, where their love for one another begins to drift toward destruction when they stop communicating. Reprint.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical, American History

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Christopher Tilghman is the author of two short-story collections, In a Father’s Place, and The Way People Run, and three novels, The Right-Hand Shore, Mason’s Retreat and Roads of the Heart. Currently the director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Virginia, he and his wife, the writer Caroline Preston, live in Charlottesville, Virginia.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/christ...

Reviews

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this quiet novel, set on the Eastern Shore. It captures the sounds and scents of a time period that you can still sense when in the area. This is a very satisfying novel to curl up with on a languid summer day.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mason's Retreat is a 1000 acre inheritance for Edward Mason. It is located on Maryland's Eastern Shore. In 1936, wiith his buisness in England failing and his wife and sons at odds with him, he goes back to the US and to The Retreat where he hopes to make a new start. This is a thoughtfully written novel that explores the relationships on The Retreat, especially the Mason Famly.

A reviewer pointed out that truths are found in each paragraph. With that in mind, I began reading differently, searching and finding sentences so powerful that they clearly outlined the novel. Tilghman's writing was measured, but brought the Mason family and the workers on the Retreat fully to life.

There is an underlying look at racial relationships between the Mason's and their "help", some whose parents were slaves. There is also a glimpse at the life on the Eastern Shore in those days before WWII.

Tilghman has recently published a prequel to Mason's Retreat and I will read it, I'm sure.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself caring about these characters and being sucked in by the Chesapeake Bay setting. My sister-in-law loaned me this book on a vacation, so I did not have any expectations, nor had I read any reviews. I find myself thinking about it after finishing it, which is always a good sign.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a long time resident of the Western Shore, I found this story of life on the Eastern Shore fascinating. The nuances of family life was all I imagined it would be.

[Tracy King · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book club book. We have not discussed it yet (scheduled for August 29th). I wanted to give it 3.5 stars but since I can't give half stars I up'd it to 4. It was a fairly short book and a quick read for me (I'm a really slow reader.) This was the first non-Kindle book I've read in a very long time and I missed being able to look up words/places, etc., right from my Kindle.

The book had my interest to start because it takes place on Maryland's Easter Shore. Unfortunately, it didn't really capture the Chesapeake's lure that I know first hand.

The story was about the Mason Family and their struggles (see summary below). I found it a bit predictable, and although I thought the author did a good job with character development, I didn't particularly feel strongly, one way or another, for any of the characters.

I wouldn't say it was a bad book. I enjoyed reading it. I was just a bit disappointed when it ended that I didn't have any strong feelings afterward (that's usually how I base a "good" book from a "bad" book). I believe that Christopher Tilghman's "The Right-Hand Shore" is the prequel to "Mason's Retreat". I wonder if I had read that first if it would have changed my opinion of the book??

Here is a summary of the book:

A New York Times Book Review Notable Book
The year is 1936, and the world is on the brink of war. American expatriot Edward Mason, owner of a failing machine factory, is fighting more private battles. In the face of defeat, he abandons his adopted home in England in order to reclaim his inheritance on Maryland’s Eastern Shore---a ruinous, thousand-acre estate known ominously as Mason’s Retreat. Edward, his wife, Edith, and their two young sons struggle to adjust to life in this strange and storied place. But with war drawing closer, England’s hasty rearmament offers Edward a chance to revive the factory, and he returns alone to lead his company. Meanwhile, his wife and sons are left to make their own fortunes. When an unsigned letter informs Edward of where those fortunes have led, he hastens back, an ill-fated move that will have devastating consequences for everyone involved.

[Eleanore · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting novel about a family estate on the Eastern shore of the Chesapeake. Taking up a number of regional themes - the legacy of slavery in Maryland, the dynamics of agriculture and industrialization in the interwar period, the tensions between Baltimore and the rest of the state as well as between Britain and the US, Tilghman builds the foundation for a powerful historical epic. Armed also with an impressive slate of characters, it is all the more disappointing that Tilghman chooses to focus his lens on a rather shallow subset in an awkward effort to develop a plot with a main-stream dramatic appeal. Of some truly impressive, rich and original materials, this novel ended up feeling rather poorly executed.

[Marguerite Hargreaves · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story, but it falls short of Christopher Tilghman's sequel, written as a prequel. The characters are memorable, but events don't have the same reach and drama as the earlier period of history. The characters' lack of connection to a place is problematic initially, but Edith and Sebastien manage to put down roots quickly at the Retreat. Simon is tied to his father more than to place. Edward is in the thrall of his own restlessness. When World War II arrives, it fractures the family further. Tilghman is most eloquent when writing about the land, water and the people who make a living on both.

[George K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Μετά από πολλά χρόνια στην Αγγλία, η οικογένεια Μέισον (πατέρας, μητέρα, δυο ανήλικοι γιοι) επιστρέφει με υπερωκεάνιο στις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες, για να εγκατασταθεί στο Καταφύγιο, ένα παρηκμασμένο υποστατικό της οικογένειας στον κόλπο του Τσέζαπικ. Ο πατήρ της οικογένειας, ο εργοστασιάρχης Έντουαρντ Μέισον, που είναι ένας άνδρας με υψηλές φιλοδοξίες και μεγάλες ψευδαισθήσεις, είναι αποφασισμένος να γίνει ευγενής γαιοκτήμονας και να πετύχει σε έναν τομέα που του είναι άγνωστος και στον οποίον απαιτείται κουράγιο και γνώσεις που ο ίδιος δεν διαθέτει. Πολλά θα πάνε στραβά, συγκρούσεις θα υπάρξουν, οικογενειακά μυστικά θα βγουν στην επιφάνεια, παιχνίδια της μοίρας θα δημιουργήσουν διάφορες καταστάσεις, με τον δεύτερο παγκόσμιο πόλεμο να πλησιάζει... Ωραίο ιστορικό μυθιστόρημα με στοιχεία οικογενειακού δράματος, ήσυχο, με αργούς ρυθμούς, με τον τρόπο του υπνωτιστικό και σίγουρα ατμοσφαιρικό, με ωραία σκηνικά, που περιγράφονται υπέροχα από τον συγγραφέα, σίγουρα δεν είναι για όλα τα γούστα, δεν προσφέρεται για μια γρήγορη ανάγνωση, θέλει τον χρόνο του και την προσοχή του. Δεν με ενθουσίασε κιόλας, αλλά μπορώ άνετα να πω ότι μου άρεσε, ότι με κράτησε μέχρι το τέλος. Τέλος πάντων, ήταν μια καλή αναγνωστική εμπειρία!

[Stevie Holcomb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terribly disjointed, characters I didn't feel much for, a story that wasn't much of a story. This book needs (needed?) desperate cleaning up -- the hatred for the father heightened, for one. I didn't really understand why the older boy hated the father and the younger loved him. Characters introduced and then disappeared -- the young lady in the boat's greenhouse, for example. The author would every now and then decide to write a chapter's portion in the POV of one of the minor characters, which only left me hungering for their stories, and not enough on the main characters. I thought the book was going to be about the contract between the family and the servants, but it wasn't, really, and a completely turn around in plot happened at the exact middle point of the book. It was as if the author just sat down with the intention of writing a novel, with no idea of what would happen, and added the storyline (completely unnecessary btw) of a prologue and epilogue from Simon's son's POV. Yet, I kept reading and finished this, but am completely underwhelmed by it.

[Fran Severn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeply textured book that moves you to the rhythms and customs of the Eastern Shore in the 30s (and some would say that it's as accurate a representation of now as of then...) A family moves into the ancestral estate when their other options in life have evaporated. Appreciate that this is a rather distant branch of the family, but that's all that is left. Their dreams and desires are shaped as much by the physical setting as by their internal search for fulfillment. It is not a book to rush through. Like the Shore itself, it demands that you move with the time and tides.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story about a family living in Maryland between the Great Depression and World War II. The story delves into the relationships and idiosyncrasies of family - father and son who cannot accept each other’s dreams, husband and wife who have lost the romantic love of youth but develop a greater appreciation for each other, brothers who depend on one another, a mother set on protecting her sons, and role models that help to shape young men. Fantastic exploration of these complex relationships.

[Vivian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kept thinking this book sounded familiar. By the time I got to page 50, I was like yep, read this one before. Didn’t like Edward then and even less so now. Even though I don’t remember the ending, I quit because I wasn’t interested enough to reread it.

[Dorise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this story of a family starting a new life on an old farm on the Eastern Shore of MD during times of great change in the world. The characters are richly developed and relatable, but also deeply flawed especially in their role as parents.

[Christopher Rigaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I am now living on the Eastern Shore, I enjoyed this depiction of life here in the 1930s. It was also interesting to have a novel that features two such flawed protagonists. But the story often dawdles along.

[Lucy Sergeant · Rating 4 out of 5]

pleasant enough to read novel about a rich white family in pre-world war 2 Maryland falling on hard(er) times at their family estate. bumped up to 4 because I got it for free at a hostel in nicauragua.

[Mary Nicoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful and haunting book, wonderful in so many ways. A gem!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good writing, a tale of one family's struggle during pre-war Maryland.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed in the ending but not surprised. I liked the characters stories and the setting

[Suzanne GT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't like this as well as Right Hand Shore but still an engaging read.

[Diane Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed being swept away to a different time and place. Perfect book choice for a week’s vacation.

[Mohd Ashraf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all characters in this book. Well developed and unique personalities

[Sharon Honeycutt · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mother and her sisters grew up on the estate where this is set during the 1930s. My grandfather was the groundskeeper. This book allowed me to get a better picture of the place they called “home” despite having moved from there many decades before.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It reminds me of bread and butter. Boring but good on occasion

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Struggled to make it to 50 pages. was not for me.

[Amy Button · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 4.5. I didn't love it, but not because it wasn't beautifully written. I have a feeling that as I continue to sit with it, the rating may go up to a 5.

[Kristine Brancolini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard Christopher Tilghman speak at this year's L.A. Book Festival. He was on a panel about families with Janet Fitch and Julie Otsuka. The prequel to Mason's Retreat had just been published and it sounded wonderful, but I wanted to read the first book first. I just finished it and now I can't wait to read The Right-Hand Shore.

Mason's Retreat tells the story of the Mason family, from 1936 to 1939. Edward and Edith had moved to England soon after their marriage in the 1920s. They have two sons, Sabastien 13 and Simon 6, who have never lived in the United States. The family has suffered financial reversals due to The Depression. Edward decides they should move to the Eastern Shore of Maryland where he has a large family farm called Mason's Retreat. Edward Mason is a complex and potentially-tragic protagonist. He has failed at just about everything he has undertaken. Mason's Retreat offers him a second chance. On the surface he is doing fine, but his wife Edith sees the signs that he's getting ready to "take bold steps," "to make forthright decisions," which always lead to disaster for Edward and his family. Edith and the boys love it there, but Edward has some notable failures as a farmer. The foreman and hired man really don't need his "help." Soon the farm is running well enough to support the family in Maryland and himself in England, so Edward leaves his family for what turns out to be two years. As England prepares for war, Edward's factory regains its solvency and he wants the family to join him in England.

Tilghman is simply a wonderful writer and the longer I read this book the more I loved it -- the characters, the setting, and the author's writing style. He employs several characters as narrators, often beginning an incident as told by one character, then switching to another, and finally another. They are not telling the same story over again, but picking it up from another perspective and moving it forward. This technique imparts a fullness to the narrative, giving it sweep and motion. The primary narrators are Edith, Sebastien, the black hired man Robert, and -- to a lesser extent -- Edward and his grandson Harry Mason, who begins and ends the novel. For me, the book really took off about halfway through, when Tilghman begins writing about sailing. I have not sailed in decades but Tilghman brought back the experience for me as if it were yesterday.

"The noise of the sails and the shouting and the wind rose until, with a delicate hand on the wheel, Hazelton caught the wind and suddenly there was not a sound but the warm creak of stretching Manila and a gravelly scraping of bubbles on the hull below" (p. 155).

Tllghman also portrays homelife beautifully, both at Mason's Retreat and in Tuckertown, the nearby settlement where the black families live. Although Mason's Retreat is dilapidated and without electricity when the Masons return, the black servants Loretta and Valerie also arrive the next morning to begin reviving the place. Life for the women and children centers around the kitchen:

"The room was now full of voices, from the pure ring of Simon's soprano to the husky and milky roll of Loretta's exultations, the food and the lessons mingling, the day passing, the sounds of study and the smells of cooking all speaking of some kind of promise" (p. 112).

Robert is a sad and lonely character, who remembers Tuckertown in better times; I love the rhythm and the evocative nature of this passage:

"Everyone had work, everyone had food. The air in Tuckertown was always filled with the scents of baking and roasing; the buttermilk up from the springhouse was so cold it hurt your eyes to drink it. There was time to visit in the summer, plenty of wood to burn in the winter. Robert's memories came to him like the red taste of whisky, alive and smooth. Tuckerman was Jerusalem, and all of them, the Gales, the Morrises, the Goulds, were the chosen" (p. 178).

My copy of the this book is filled with little post-it flags marking favorite passages. I found myself reading slowly, to savor the language and prolong the pleasure of reading Mason's Retreat. From the beginning, I sensed a tragic ending and when it came it was heartbreaking and believable. Now, on to The Right-Hand Shore.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very appealing story of a family that has problems. Communication being one of them, but in some ways the real problem is their values.


Edward Mason is a man who seeks success and money in that order. He is not content to make a comfortable living. He wants to take risks, be rewarded for them, and recieve fame and fortune as a result. Given those parameters, he is remarkably likable, and is a good example of just how complicated people are. He is a very flawed but entirely three dimensional character. Part of why we like him is his wife Edith--she supports him unconditionally and when he fails, as he just has when the novel opens, she does not berate him, or mourn her fate. She faces his next challenge at his side. In many ways he has not been a good husband to her--he has failed to support her and he has cheated on her. Yet she soldiers on with him. They have two sons--Sebastian the elder, who does not like or understand his father, and Simon the younger, who adores his father above all else.


When the novel opens it is 1936 and the Masons are sailing across the ocean from Manchester, England to the eastern shore of Baltimore. Edward has inherited a dairy farm from an aunt, and Edith's father has given him an ultimatum--make a success of it in a year's time, or his marriage to Edith is over. It says everything about Edward that he is traveling first class, at his father-in-law's expense and he is acting like it is of his own doing. The farm's estate house is called 'Mason's Retreat'--which could have one of two meanings: either it is a palacial home of luxury and leisure, or it is the place that one retreats to out of shame and defeat.


Edward seems to have chosen the later--he immediately makes a mess of the farm, but it is a place that is fertile in it's own right and they live better than they have in years. Sebastian loves the farm and the land and he finds his place in life there, as does Edith. Not so Edward--when he has a chance to revivie his factory in England he grabs the chance, and is for once, very successful. As is the case in many a family tragedy, that is unfortunately the beginning of the end. A wonderful story is well told here.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a memorable book for me, recommended by a friend who lives on the Eastern Shore where the story takes place. It whetted my appetite to read more about the area and its history. Apparently the author, who shares the name of Tilghman seen recorded in Maryland history, spent summers on a farm owned by his family since the seventeenth century, which would explain his ability to describe the Mason family and their two sons sailing from England in 1936 when the machine tool business failed to try to make a go of farming on their thousand-acre estate called the Retreat on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Their idea of plantation life is not what greets them. Aunt Miss Mary has died and left the place in disrepair. They struggle to make the house liveable and Edward, the father, has the challenge of learning about dairy farming. There's a Mr. McCready, who's been running the farm and has an accent that's hard to understand, and Loretta and Valerie, black ladies who resume their places working at the Retreat. The older son, Sebastien, finds he enjoys working with Robert, the black hired man, more than he does spending time with his father. The younger son favors his father and misses him when he announces he must return to England to tend his business. There was flow from one character to another as each one dealt with their own situation. As the story arrives at the point where decisions must be made concerning where the family will live, taking into account German activity, there's a turn of events I hadn't expected, which made it an enjoyable read.

[Mike Harper · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cold outside, too cold to walk to the library. So I found this book on the shelf and started to read it with little hope that it would be to my liking. Surprisingly, it grew on me!
This is the story of a disfunctional family's time at the ancestral home farm in Maryland. The father is obsessed with his business failures and triumphs. The mother feels sorry for herself and her kids, so she takes a lover. The older son sneaks around, listens in on private conversations, and despises his father. The younger son, Simon, is a good kid but he's only seven as the story begins. I didn't like any of these characters very much.
The plot was more satisfying. The Retreat was a disused mansion in a Maryland backwater, so the ominous world events on the late 1930s serve as a distant backdrop to events taking place there. At the same time, though, events in the outside world lend an inevitability to the family's story. That story parallels the great story of the era, the coming of the World War, with events in Maryland leading to tragedy as surely as Hitler's aggression led to the greater tragedy of the War.
The best part of Mason's Retreat is the writing. Nothing fancy, nothing particularly unique, just good old fashioned writing.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written period piece (1930-1940's); a story of an unsettled family, trying to individually bring meaning to their lives, and make sense of their relationship to their family. The book centers on the core family group, Edward, Edith, Sebastien, and Simon Mason, but it also projects forward in time, to Simon's son, and back in time, to Edward's aunt, Mary. Other relationship issues are presented through the story: Edith's friendship with a neighbor woman (Bitsy), the black employees of the family, and the white farmer/caretaker of the family estate, "The Retreat". The author, Christopher Tilghman, has a beautiful literary style; some of the descriptions of the Maryland (Chesapeake Bay Area) farm are absolutely poetic, in the imagery presented by his words. Mr. Tilghman also does a superb job of presenting what I feel is crucial to the storyline: a womans' place in society, in this time frame. Edith's suppressed emotions, and her acquiescence to her husbands' dalliances, eventually led to her conflicted relationship with a local man, while Edward is overseas on business. The conflict is not resolved, but is swept aside, by Edwards' return. The result is most damaging, and quite disastrous, for Edith and her sons.