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pferdina's review against another edition
3.5
Minor: Slavery, Cannibalism, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Violence, Medical content, Blood, and Murder
kshertz's review against another edition
3.75
Moderate: Abandonment, Body horror, Gun violence, Animal death, Gore, Murder, Torture, Blood, Violence, Cannibalism, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
isaacbereading's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Death, Cannibalism, and Abandonment
mondovertigo's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Cannibalism, Animal death, Death, and Colonisation
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, Slavery, Racism, War, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Medical trauma
Minor: Blood, Vomit, and Excrement
bibliomania_express's review against another edition
5.0
The story of the Wager is heartbreaking and amazing, with falliable human ingenuity and the unrelenting power of hope coming up against the forces of nature, disease, delerium, and himan depravity.
I really enjoyed Grann's writing. He made the story feel engaging as a living narrative rather than a historical account. I also appreciated how he took the time to call out the intrisic racism and imperialist motives of the venture. He made space for the indigenous peoples of South America, the African slave trade, and even class divides amongst the British.
I was mainly surprised by how the court martial ended, and I appreciated Grann's discussion of why it went the way it did.
Overall, a fantastic book.
Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Animal death, War, Medical content, Violence, Chronic illness, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Blood, and Alcohol
Moderate: Murder, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Slavery, Child death, and Cannibalism
marioosa517's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Racism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Blood, Gun violence, Death, Murder, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, War, Excrement, Cannibalism, Confinement, Vomit, and Child death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
creativerunnings's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Violence, Abandonment, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, War, Child death, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Cannibalism
linneak's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Death, Murder, Classism, Medical trauma, War, Xenophobia, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Child death, Blood, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Confinement, Torture, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Trafficking, Grief, Slavery, and Colonisation
dexkit10's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Gore, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Excrement, Death, Murder, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Blood, Racism, and Animal death
chalkletters's review against another edition
2.75
As it turned out, David Grann’s writing style is particularly easy to read: he tells the story of The Wager almost as it were a novel, in linear order and from multiple viewpoints, keeping the focus on the narrative and not on the process of research. Characters who could easily have merged into one mass of navy sailors had distinct personalities and characteristics: particularly John Byron, grandfather to the poet George Gordon Byron, whose works provided illuminating quotations at relevant points.
David Grann’s introduction set up an interesting opposition between two different contemporary versions of what happened on Wager Island, but this set up an expectation which wasn’t entirely met by the text. While questions were raised about who, and which actions, were morally correct, there seemed to be little dispute over the actual facts of what happened. The ending, too, was surprisingly simple and easy given that there had been hints of a great argument.
The bulk of The Wager is focused on the journey, the shipwreck and the aftermath. There’s no shortage of action and harrowing details of life at sea in the 1740s. This isn’t the kind of book you read to put yourself in the shoes of the main character and fulfil the wish for an exciting life. Instead, it’s best taken from a safe distance as a display of the human survival spirit.
While I was impressed with David Grann’s writing, I didn’t particularly enjoy the story as much as I might have hoped.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Gun violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Child death, Violence, War, and Suicide