Ratings213
Average rating4.1
An astounding book which was made more engaging and exciting by the outstanding audiobook narrator. This non-fictional historical tale is written like the best adventure novel imaginable. The author begins by noting that not one, but two different groups of castaways made it back to England after being shipwrecked in South America. This point sets the stage for how the facts are now able to be told-from the journals of the surving seamen. A great adventure and the telling is vivid and exciting. Hard to belief that the main figures were able to survive ridiculous levels of hardship and therefore able to return safely home so their tales could be told. Highly recommended!
The best book I've read this year, and probably the best story ever. Period.
Very readable and engaging story of not just the Wager but also the conditions aboard a ship in the early 19C
Wow! This was an action packed story from start to finish. The book did a good job telling us about what happened based on the sources without a lot of extra postulation. We as the reader can make decisions about who we believe and what really happened. But the book did not stop there. It also gave us an up close and personal look as to the faults of the English navy at the time. We see the failure of the war of Jenkins ear and the corruption behind it. Great book.
A Shipwreck Comedy(?) of Errors
Somewhat to my own surprise, I've come to learn that I'm a fan of the nonfiction sub-genre of shipwreck tales, and so when I heard about this one, I couldn't wait. On the whole, I'd say it delivered. It was well-researched and compelling. It didn't excuse the way sailors mistreated indigenous peoples or gloss over the role of minority sailors (a common pitfall of these books), it took an honest accounting of the many different voices involved, and at the end, it does a great job of evaluating the value of the mission (or lack thereof) within history.
The story of the Wager's bad fortune can largely be summed up as critical mismanagement at all levels: a pointless military expedition executed with questionable guidance and poorly supplied ships, with all levels of leadership being shuffled about on the fly. To nobody's surprise, things go awry.
At the level of the ship itself, and most naval endeavours at the time, I feel like most of the problems could have been solved if someone's mother sailed with them to remind them to eat their vegetables and quit squabbling over nonsense. Just imagine if you decided to man a ship with a combination of homeless people, ex-cons, and over-privileged teenagers, with a handful of men who've spent their whole lives at sea in charge. Predictably, they try to subsist on a diet of jerky and rum and then can't figure out why they're all incredibly ill. Substitute jerky and rum with nuggets and rye, and it's my first year of living on my own, so I can attest that it's not very sustainable
Many reviewers have used the word riveting about this book, and I would agree with that. It's quite a compelling tale. I listened to the audiobook, and I was tempted to subtract a star because the narrator was overly dramatic in some passages, presumably taken directly from the diaries of some of the castaways. Just a little too much at times, but that's not the author's fault. I enjoyed the connection with Lord Byron (the grandson of one of the midshipmen on The Wager, so we knew he was going to survive in order to have offspring)
This is a harrowing tale of a British Navy shipwreck off the coast of Patagonia in 1742, and the struggle of the survivors to save themselves. David Grann sets the scene thoroughly, describing how the voyage came to be planned, how the ships in the convoy got their crews, who the notable personalities were, so that by the time they set out on their voyage, you have a good picture of the situation and a sense of dread about what's going to happen to them.
Grann includes extensive notes on his research for each chapter. Logbooks and diaries from the voyage exist, as well as narratives written by survivors after they made it back to England. As Grann points out, all of these were carefully constructed to make the writer appear justified in his actions, though it's clear that almost everyone did terrible things after the shipwreck.
I recommend reading this wrapped up in blankets, with a hot beverage within reach, while a storm rages outside. Feel deeply thankful that you are not a castaway on a remote island off the Patagonian coast, and that you can read about this fascinating disaster and its aftermath in comfort.
Grann expertly meshes the first hand accounts with an overarching tale of “the human condition” to really give you a sense of who these people were, how they felt, why they acted in certain ways, and in no way casts blame or bias. It’s a fantastic tale, and you can understand why this story still enthralls people.
Enjoyable but brutal naval tale told in an easily-readable narrative format. It's a quick read that jumps right in, but still feels solidly-researched and structured properly. I enjoyed this style of historical storytelling, which works on the basis of excellent first person sources and Grann's writing.
I find it so interesting that the account of these sailors' catastrophe was once a literary event in their time, and has hit that mark again this year (with Grann winning Barnes & Noble Author of the Year).
The Wager shows the brutality of the naval lifestyle, even before other events in the story take place. Would recommend to most, and if you're like, a 'Master & Commander's enjoyer, you gotta get in here ASAP.
One of the best nonfiction books I've ever read. At once informative, intense, accurate, gripping, and readable. Almost nothing here can be criticized.
I enjoyed this audiobook. I could not get past the fact that the narrator also does The First 48 lol.
I honestly can't believe most of this happened. Pretty wild. That said, it was really tough for me to get into this, and my attention drifted away constantly to The Pirates of the Caribbean... Overall I liked the story, but the writing didn't blow me away.
This was my first time listening to an audio book and my opinions of this book are more shaped by that than by the book itself. I just struggled to engage with it in the audiobook format and while it was an interesting story I just didn’t quite get as into it as I would have if I’d been reading it for real. I’m not saying I’ll never try audio again, but I won’t be going straight for another one either.
A really interesting tale that I can't help compare to Endurance. Too much of the book was spent setting up, but I imagine this is due to it being Non-Fiction and having to deal with limited sources to cite for some of the later portions directly leading to the Mutiny. Still a great read despite that.
My hubby & I listened to this over several long car trips, and it is a good one for that – much detail, draw dropping twists & turns, and good history. It is exhaustive, though. I say “though” because it felt like too much by the end. I was eager to complete it not because I was still enjoying it, but because I am a completist. I recommend it to others nonetheless.
The Wager by David Grann is a captivating work of narrative non-fiction that delves into the audacious tale of an eccentric British explorer's journey into the Amazon rainforest in the 1930s. Grann's meticulous research and vivid storytelling breathe life into this nearly forgotten historical episode.
The book centers around Percy Fawcett, a renowned explorer obsessed with finding an ancient lost city he believed lay hidden deep within the Amazon jungle. Ridiculed by many for his unorthodox theories, Fawcett was undeterred, leading an ill-fated 1925 expedition from which he and his party never returned. Their mysterious disappearance sparked decades of speculation and rescue attempts.
Grann deftly weaves Fawcett's own detailed writings with modern investigative efforts to unravel the truth behind his vanishing. The pacing is masterful, building suspense as Fawcett's journey becomes increasingly perilous while navigating unmapped territory, hostile indigenous tribes, starvation, and disease. Grann's immersive prose transports the reader into the heart of this unforgiving wilderness.
Through his balanced examination of Fawcett as a man driven by obsession and self-mythologizing, Grann crafts a nuanced portrait without resorting to caricature. The legendary explorer emerges as an endearingly complex figure – brilliant yet stubborn, visionary yet delusional.
The only minor quibble is that the conclusion, while dramatic, leaves some unanswered questions about Fawcett's ultimate fate. But this is truth's inevitability when probing one of exploration's greatest mysteries.
A masterwork of literary non-fiction, The Wager is a gripping and expertly researched account of humanity's thirst for glory and the unknown. An utterly absorbing read.
I know that Lewis Isbell will take the piss out of me for enjoying this because it was published in the 21st century, but this is genuinely one of the best non fic books I've read. Could easily have been dry and not much fun because of its subject but it almost reads like a fiction. Absolute belter, what a book to take me to the 52 book year
I don't normally read nonfiction. Most of the titles in the genre I was either forced to read or dnfed bc they were very boring. But this book is different because it is written like a thriller and keeps a fast pace—everything coming in punches, one after another.
The only thing I didn't like was how real everything got and it made me a little queasy.
Thx for reading <3
3.5 stars
I don't know. For a book with shipwrecks, castaways, scurvy, mutiny and cannibalism, I still had to force myself through this. It might have been me. I was expecting more of a page-turning thriller.
Instead, I got more of a plethora of men's egos. I DID love learning where several expressions we still use today came from, i.e. “toe the line”. It was also fun that two of the characters had famous relatives (maybe Kidd, and definitely Byron).
An incredible account from the author of Killers of a Flower Moon. I'm in awe of the work required to collate and then articulate this story almost as much as the events themselves.
The Wager is a harrowing tale of perseverance, discipline, brutality, hubris, and survival that illustrates and brings to life humanity at its extremes.