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Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
63 reviews
laestaci's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Cannibalism, War, and Gun violence
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
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Murder, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Racism, Death, Medical trauma, and Alcohol
readhaileyread's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Colonisation, Death, War, Cannibalism, Slavery, and Murder
softanimal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
5.0
This book gets five stars because in addition to being a fascinating and well-written historical narrative it also includes extremely important observations about the missing voices of black and indigenous witnesses and the impact of empire.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gore, Colonisation, Abandonment, Animal death, and Confinement
maryclaire92's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
fast-paced
4.25
A harrowing account of the misadventures of the HMS Wager and its unlucky crew. This book kept my attention and I tore through the back half of it. Grann compiles the subject matter into a gripping narrative that seems genuine and representative of the historical documents available on the subject.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Body horror, War, Physical abuse, Slavery, Colonisation, Murder, Cannibalism, Death, and Racism
madmaura's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Confinement, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cannibalism, Classism, Animal death, Grief, Blood, Child death, and Alcoholism
mmccombs's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
3.5
I leave this book unsure exactly how I feel about it (and wanting to watch Master and Commander, and also very thankful I don’t have to experience life on a ship in 1740). This was adventurous, well-written, and focused in a way that helped this story feel manageable. But I also finished this wondering if this was the story to tell or the way to tell it. The last like 3 chapters were the most interesting to me, asking questions about imperialism and what stories remain through time as a result of that imperialism. At its core, this was a story of white supremacy and imperialist incompetence, but we are still left to be wowed by the survivalist, seafaring-ness of it all. The little story Grann shares at the end of the book, almost as an afterthought, of the true “mutiny” of Indigenous, enslaved men taking over the Spanish ship immediately sparked my interest, more so than the story told this entire time. I’m always down for a story that expels the grand mythos surrounding “brave, cunning, European explorers” to show that most of them were bloodthirsty and inept, a degree away from murdering each other out of their own self interest. I’m just unsure if this book did that enough or if I came in with the wrong expectations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Murder, Racism, Gore, Colonisation, and Medical content
gringolet's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.75
A well researched, entertaining and fascinating book. David Grann good as usual
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Racism, Death, Alcohol, Violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia
sherlocktomes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
David Grann back with another excellent blend of informative, entertaining and somewhat reflective writing.
Highly researched, approachable and balanced, this account details the birth and death of The Wager, a ship in 1700’s Britain tasked with colonising and plundering native and non native peoples to increase the British empires hold over the worlds land and resources.
Grann helps paint a vision of the sheer unrelenting and unpredictable nature of the sea, at times you wonder how much more these sailors can endure, and yet the story carries on.
As with KOTFM, I felt I would have liked more commitment from the author towards documenting the extent of the genocidal and colonial actions of so many western countries at this time, particularly their treatment of native peoples who, on the whole, were far more intelligent, resourceful and organised than the people who reduced them to a stereotype of “savages”. I do feel more of a background of the British empire as it stood at that time, and their use of the Navy to do so would have been beneficial for giving more context for the average reader.
Overall, a thorough and very enjoyable read (albeit grim and miserable). 5/5
Highly researched, approachable and balanced, this account details the birth and death of The Wager, a ship in 1700’s Britain tasked with colonising and plundering native and non native peoples to increase the British empires hold over the worlds land and resources.
Grann helps paint a vision of the sheer unrelenting and unpredictable nature of the sea, at times you wonder how much more these sailors can endure, and yet the story carries on.
As with KOTFM, I felt I would have liked more commitment from the author towards documenting the extent of the genocidal and colonial actions of so many western countries at this time, particularly their treatment of native peoples who, on the whole, were far more intelligent, resourceful and organised than the people who reduced them to a stereotype of “savages”. I do feel more of a background of the British empire as it stood at that time, and their use of the Navy to do so would have been beneficial for giving more context for the average reader.
Overall, a thorough and very enjoyable read (albeit grim and miserable). 5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Colonisation, Murder, Child death, Death, Confinement, and Suicide
Moderate: War, Racism, and Slavery
dogswithnogs's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Colonisation, Death, and Xenophobia
Minor: Slavery, Torture, and Animal death