The Wager
Author: David Grann
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 330
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★★
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 330
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★★
1742: A ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washes up on the coast of Brazil. Inside are thirty emaciated men, barely alive.
Survivors from the Wager, a British vessel wrecked while on a secret mission to raid a Spanish treasure-filled galleon, they have an extraordinary tale to tell.
Six months later, an even more decrepit boat comes ashore on the coast of Chile, containing just three castaways with their own, very different account of what happened. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil, they maintain, were not heroes – they were mutineers.
As accusations of treachery and murder fly, who is telling the truth?
Survivors from the Wager, a British vessel wrecked while on a secret mission to raid a Spanish treasure-filled galleon, they have an extraordinary tale to tell.
Six months later, an even more decrepit boat comes ashore on the coast of Chile, containing just three castaways with their own, very different account of what happened. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil, they maintain, were not heroes – they were mutineers.
As accusations of treachery and murder fly, who is telling the truth?
My thoughts:
The Wager is one of the finest nonfiction books I’ve ever read. Offering a glimpse into maritime history, the power of survival sagas, and the complex interplay of storytelling, this book is likely to resonate with readers across many genres.
The Wager by David Grann is an enthralling nonfiction work that unveils the gripping narrative of the ill-fated HMS Wager, a British man-of-war that met its tragic end in 1741. The ship set sail across the Atlantic and its covert mission was to intercept a Spanish treasure ship off the Chilean coast. But the Wager ultimately ran aground near the Patagonian coast, after getting separated from the rest of the squadron by bad weather.
The sailors endured hardships as they rounded Cape Horn, where the strongest currents in the world pounded the ship so hard that even the veterans onboard reeled. That was also where scurvy set in, and typhus. Some of the men made it to shore, where they built shelter and tried to rescue supplies from the ship. Despite their efforts, the renowned discipline of the Royal Navy broke down; factions formed, a separate encampment sprung up, food was pilfered, and orders were disobeyed.
The book delves into the harrowing experiences of the survivors, who endured months of isolation on a desolate island, grappling with hunger, illness, and the menacing presence of indigenous inhabitants.
Grann is a fantastic narrative nonfiction writer. The writing is pleasingly old-fashioned in its scope and execution. The author starts with a prologue that essentially outlines what is to come, and then lets things unfold chronologically over five separate sections that neatly divide the action. It is a captivating and perfectly balanced quick read; it never lingers too long or strays too far. David Grann brings the past to life and creates a fascinating and vivid sense of place, whether that is the deck of a warship, a distant, a seemingly uninhabited island, or an open boat in the vastness of the ocean.
The Wager is appropriately subtitled “A tale of shipwreck, mutiny and murder.” This is a riveting account of the men who didn't go down with the ship. A very daunting survival story of both land and sea that is so well-researched it reads just like fiction. Unputdownable.
Overall reaction:
The Wager is one of the finest nonfiction books I’ve ever read. Offering a glimpse into maritime history, the power of survival sagas, and the complex interplay of storytelling, this book is likely to resonate with readers across many genres.
The Wager by David Grann is an enthralling nonfiction work that unveils the gripping narrative of the ill-fated HMS Wager, a British man-of-war that met its tragic end in 1741. The ship set sail across the Atlantic and its covert mission was to intercept a Spanish treasure ship off the Chilean coast. But the Wager ultimately ran aground near the Patagonian coast, after getting separated from the rest of the squadron by bad weather.
The sailors endured hardships as they rounded Cape Horn, where the strongest currents in the world pounded the ship so hard that even the veterans onboard reeled. That was also where scurvy set in, and typhus. Some of the men made it to shore, where they built shelter and tried to rescue supplies from the ship. Despite their efforts, the renowned discipline of the Royal Navy broke down; factions formed, a separate encampment sprung up, food was pilfered, and orders were disobeyed.
The book delves into the harrowing experiences of the survivors, who endured months of isolation on a desolate island, grappling with hunger, illness, and the menacing presence of indigenous inhabitants.
Grann is a fantastic narrative nonfiction writer. The writing is pleasingly old-fashioned in its scope and execution. The author starts with a prologue that essentially outlines what is to come, and then lets things unfold chronologically over five separate sections that neatly divide the action. It is a captivating and perfectly balanced quick read; it never lingers too long or strays too far. David Grann brings the past to life and creates a fascinating and vivid sense of place, whether that is the deck of a warship, a distant, a seemingly uninhabited island, or an open boat in the vastness of the ocean.
The Wager is appropriately subtitled “A tale of shipwreck, mutiny and murder.” This is a riveting account of the men who didn't go down with the ship. A very daunting survival story of both land and sea that is so well-researched it reads just like fiction. Unputdownable.
Overall reaction:
