Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

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

63 reviews

pferdina's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

3.5

In 1740, the English sent a fleet to the southern tip of South America to hunt for Spanish ships. Several ships were lost in the dangerous seas, and the Wager was wrecked. This book tells the story of what happened to the crew, Ho had already suffered hardships like severe scurvy and then spent months on a desolate cold island without much food or hope. Only a few of the 250 original crew made it home, after several years, and all of them had tales to tell. Mutiny, murder, abandonment, starvation, abuse, and privation all appear.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Slavery, Cannibalism, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Violence, Medical content, Blood, and Murder

angela_iseli's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Murder, Abandonment, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, War, and Cannibalism

fkshg8465's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

4.0

Hard to imagine how much time and reattach must’ve gone into writing this book. An impressive feat on that basis alone. A marvelous recreation of what happened and lots of history to learn. Curious that the island is still called Wager Island instead of whatever the indigenous call it, but that’s part of the story too. Was fascinated by Lord John Byron’s role. Had only ever known him as a poet. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Murder, Animal death, Colonisation, and Gore

emelynreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

5.0

Empires preserve their power with the stories that they tell, but just as critical are the stories they don't- the dark silences they impose, the pages they tear out.

Scandalous, harrowing, epic. I was hooked from the start. This is a book I know I'll come back and read again and again. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Cannibalism

Minor: Colonisation and Suicide

zosiablue's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

4.25

I will never joke about taking to the sea ever again

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Colonisation, Death, and War

Moderate: Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Minor: Racism

theabee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Slavery, War, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Animal death, Colonisation, and Murder

c_serpent's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

4.0

This book was good. It didn't have the structural strength of Killers of the Flower Moon, but it was still extremely well written and interesting. Grann does a great job of tying the historical events he's writing about into the bigger picture, and I would love to pick something of his up again.

This book contains disturbing cruelty against people and animals.

Unrelated, I think it's ridiculous that I picked up Killers of the Flower Moon and then learned that it was being made into a movie with Leo DiCaprio, and then I picked up this book only to learn it, also, is being made into a movie with Leo DiCaprio. What's up with that?

Four stars have been awarded for Byron, who was really trying his best. One star has been removed and eaten by the other stars.

Total Score: 4/5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Colonisation, and Medical trauma

maison's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Classism, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Violence, Racism, Alcohol, and War

Moderate: Slavery, Racial slurs, and Animal death

Minor: Cannibalism and Child death

mondovertigo's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

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

marioosa517's review against another edition

adventurous informative tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

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