Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

30 reviews

monicadee88's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative tense medium-paced

4.0

Grann sure knows how to write compelling non-fiction! This is a thoroughly researched exploration of true events through the words of those who experienced them. What I think I liked most was Grann's constant reminder of the British mindset of compliance and cultural supremacy that influened their actions and warped their experiences. Overall an interesting read, although sometimes I got bogged down in the details of wooden ships.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

ekcd_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Child death, Death of parent, Excrement, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Slavery, Cursing, Death, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Trafficking, Violence, Medical content, Suicide attempt, War, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, Physical abuse, and Racism

jrae_miller's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Blood, Colonisation, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

ahoyitsjoy's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative tense medium-paced

3.0

This book was clearly meticulously researched and features many quotes from firsthand accounts. The events are delivered in a clear and unbiased manner. 

However... I just don't think this was my kind of book. I've seen a lot of people recommend this book to those who loved Endurance, as I did, but The Wager is significantly more grim in a way that didn't make me want to read more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Animal death, and Blood

Moderate: Torture, Body horror, Racism, Colonisation, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Slavery

rsouders's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

4.0

A nonfiction book that reads like a good story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Blood, War, and Violence

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Vomit, and Cannibalism

kalaser's review against another edition

adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma and Murder

Moderate: Blood, Colonisation, Gun violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Slavery, and Violence

amy14's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Vomit, Cannibalism, Death, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Gun violence, Animal death, Racism, Slavery, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

mikaylawood's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.5

This is my first time reading David Grann and it will not be my last! Beautiful writing about a moving, albeit devastating, historical event. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Cannibalism, Death, Violence, and Animal death

Moderate: Blood and Medical trauma

Minor: Racism, Slavery, Suicide, and Excrement

e_freckles's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Colonisation, Racism, Animal death, War, and Violence

Minor: Blood and Ableism

crocus_and_clematis's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

4.25

TLDR; A wild ride from start to finish, even for those for whom historical nonfiction is not the usual cup of tea.

Sailing into David Grann's The Wager was a departure from my usual reading preferences, but wow what a wild ride! This nonfiction masterpiece skillfully melds the gripping pace of a thriller with the scholarly depth expected in historical accounts. This is honestly the type of book I wouldn’t have read if it wasn’t for all the hype. The nonfiction I normally reach for tends to be memoirs or travelogues, so I was a little hesitant about going for a historical book. I was incredibly impressed—Wager reads like a thriller and more than once I caught myself audibly gasping and yelling at what was happening on the page.

Grann's writing prowess is commendable, as he maintains a dramatic narrative without sacrificing scholarly integrity. Having waded through my fair share of dry history books during college days, I was impressed by his ability to present facts, provide citations, and weave a compelling storyline simultaneously. While the story's trajectory may be somewhat predictable with the inevitable shipwreck of the Wager, the unfolding events read like a slow-motion disaster— you just can’t look away. The abundance of primary sources, especially the firsthand accounts of survivors, elevates the narrative, turning the men who chronicled their Wager experience into focal points. Grann's vivid descriptions instill a profound fear of the sea, dispelling any romanticized notions of maritime adventure (goodbye swinging around the rigging like Jack Sparrow, hello slowly wasting away to scurvy).

The Wager is a gorgeous historical thriller, and if you love (or have ever loved) true crime, adventure stories, or being on the ocean, I would recommend giving it a try. Its graphic portrayal of battles at sea, scurvy, starvation, and human resilience is not for the faint of heart, but weaves a story you won't be able to look away from. I was simultaneously horrified and entranced in the best possible way

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Murder, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Racism, Death, Medical trauma, and Alcohol