The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
Ratings277
Average rating4.1
This is a harrowing tale of a British Navy shipwreck off the coast of Patagonia in 1742, and the struggle of the survivors to save themselves. David Grann sets the scene thoroughly, describing how the voyage came to be planned, how the ships in the convoy got their crews, who the notable personalities were, so that by the time they set out on their voyage, you have a good picture of the situation and a sense of dread about what's going to happen to them.
Grann includes extensive notes on his research for each chapter. Logbooks and diaries from the voyage exist, as well as narratives written by survivors after they made it back to England. As Grann points out, all of these were carefully constructed to make the writer appear justified in his actions, though it's clear that almost everyone did terrible things after the shipwreck.
I recommend reading this wrapped up in blankets, with a hot beverage within reach, while a storm rages outside. Feel deeply thankful that you are not a castaway on a remote island off the Patagonian coast, and that you can read about this fascinating disaster and its aftermath in comfort.
Enjoyable but brutal naval tale told in an easily-readable narrative format. It's a quick read that jumps right in, but still feels solidly-researched and structured properly. I enjoyed this style of historical storytelling, which works on the basis of excellent first person sources and Grann's writing.
I find it so interesting that the account of these sailors' catastrophe was once a literary event in their time, and has hit that mark again this year (with Grann winning Barnes & Noble Author of the Year).
The Wager shows the brutality of the naval lifestyle, even before other events in the story take place. Would recommend to most, and if you're like, a 'Master & Commander's enjoyer, you gotta get in here ASAP.
A really interesting tale that I can't help compare to Endurance. Too much of the book was spent setting up, but I imagine this is due to it being Non-Fiction and having to deal with limited sources to cite for some of the later portions directly leading to the Mutiny. Still a great read despite that.
Wow! This was an action packed story from start to finish. The book did a good job telling us about what happened based on the sources without a lot of extra postulation. We as the reader can make decisions about who we believe and what really happened. But the book did not stop there. It also gave us an up close and personal look as to the faults of the English navy at the time. We see the failure of the war of Jenkins ear and the corruption behind it. Great book.
A Shipwreck Comedy(?) of Errors
Somewhat to my own surprise, I've come to learn that I'm a fan of the nonfiction sub-genre of shipwreck tales, and so when I heard about this one, I couldn't wait. On the whole, I'd say it delivered. It was well-researched and compelling. It didn't excuse the way sailors mistreated indigenous peoples or gloss over the role of minority sailors (a common pitfall of these books), it took an honest accounting of the many different voices involved, and at the end, it does a great job of evaluating the value of the mission (or lack thereof) within history.
The story of the Wager's bad fortune can largely be summed up as critical mismanagement at all levels: a pointless military expedition executed with questionable guidance and poorly supplied ships, with all levels of leadership being shuffled about on the fly. To nobody's surprise, things go awry.
At the level of the ship itself, and most naval endeavours at the time, I feel like most of the problems could have been solved if someone's mother sailed with them to remind them to eat their vegetables and quit squabbling over nonsense. Just imagine if you decided to man a ship with a combination of homeless people, ex-cons, and over-privileged teenagers, with a handful of men who've spent their whole lives at sea in charge. Predictably, they try to subsist on a diet of jerky and rum and then can't figure out why they're all incredibly ill. Substitute jerky and rum with nuggets and rye, and it's my first year of living on my own, so I can attest that it's not very sustainable
Many reviewers have used the word riveting about this book, and I would agree with that. It's quite a compelling tale. I listened to the audiobook, and I was tempted to subtract a star because the narrator was overly dramatic in some passages, presumably taken directly from the diaries of some of the castaways. Just a little too much at times, but that's not the author's fault. I enjoyed the connection with Lord Byron (the grandson of one of the midshipmen on The Wager, so we knew he was going to survive in order to have offspring)
Very readable and engaging story of not just the Wager but also the conditions aboard a ship in the early 19C
I really, really enjoyed this and certainly recommend it.
I'll be looking into David Grann more in the future for sure.
