In 1742, a scrappy, leaking, cobbled together vessel lands on the Brazilian coast. The men on board soon become minor celebrities, thanks to the strange tale they have to tell, on being survivors of the shipwreck of the British ship, the Wager, two years earlier. Somehow, these men weren't the only members of the doomed voyage to (eventually) make it back to England, but as it turns out, there are many conflicting narratives on what exactly happened.

I'll be honest, I can sometimes find "survival stories" like this a bit tiresome to read. There's honestly only so many times you can read vivid descriptions of starvation, murder and mutilation, or how isolation and hunger send men insane, or the horrors of scurvy, or how some men simply have a superiority complex, thinking they know better than anyone else, even in a life or death situation, before you just feeling like yelling "Enough!".

But I did want to read this for many reasons. I wanted an insight into 1700s nautical society, and I was intrigued by the idea that conflicting accounts caused a legal nightmare on their return to England. Sadly, the vast majority of this book was the gruesome, survival tale stuff. I do appreciate how clear Grann was on his sourcing of first hand accounts, and how he even attempted to include people who are usually silenced, those who could not leave written accounts, such as the Kawésqar people. The narrative is clearly incredibly well researched and put together, but it's simply not something I loved reading about it.

After such a detailed retelling of the mens' shipwreck and their stranger-than-fiction returns to their homeland, I was then left surprised at just how rushed the end of the book felt. Simply, the parts I was most excited to learn about, the mens' return to England, the legal aftermath, and views of the burgeoning press, and the views of the wider society, views both on the men themselves and what they went through, felt very glossed over in comparison to the earlier parts of the book. That's a shame, in my opinion, because there was definitely a lot there for those of us that felt a bit deflated after reading about the hundredth gruesome death while castaway on an island. I'm sure there should have been more accounts of this period, not less, so it almost feels like perhaps these areas weren't as interesting to the author, and so he spent a lot less time on them. A shame and a bit of a let down.

I did learn many fascinating facts from this book, however. My favourite being just how many expressions and idioms that we still use today have their origin in this "age of sail":

(Chapter 2: A Gentleman Volunteer)

A solid book with a lot of interesting history, but it kind of fizzled towards to end, and didn't quite live up to its promise. 

This is a review which I know is very much reflective of my personal reaction to this book, and no real reflection of the quality of writing and storytelling. 

I found it to be a book of three stages, the 1st, an introduction which I had to wade slowly through. 

The main bulk of the story, which did grip me; it was compelling, exciting, shocking, stomach churning, and fascinating all at once. 

And finally, the final stages of the story, the judge and jury. It was interesting to read the outcome of this true story, but honestly, I again found myself trudging through those final pages. It ended with a bit of a pfft. 

This is a very well written non-fiction book, with a narrative style that very much kept me engaged and invested for the most part, so no shade there. I learnt some nifty little bits and pieces about ships, sailing, battle, and more in the 1700s a time period I don’t read much about, so I loved that. 

The writing style is easy and accessible, and if this is your topic and this is your vibe, then you will absolutely love it!
If you’re like me, and a bit of a light fiction heathen, then don’t rule it out, but be prepared to stick at this. 

Nonfiction that reads like fiction. I didn't want to stop reading. 

This is the book that kept on giving. 

✅ well researched (that BIOGRAPHY?! my god!)
✅ adventure
✅ tales from multiple perspectives, including journals

It’s a bit lengthy, and sometimes felt discouraging, but I think it’s mostly due to what these men endured. What a story. 


(That would be the perfect gift from someone who loves an adventure but not fantasy.)