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Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

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

68 reviews

knkoch's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative medium-paced

3.75

I found this worthwhile and informative, if bleak in its reminders of the way naval stories like this are shaped by the huge and destructive forces of imperialism and ruthless extraction of resources. All the human folly that went into conscripting hundreds of deathly ill men to run ships that take thousands of century-old trees to build just to attempt needlessly difficult cape passages, only to shipwreck in an extremely challenging climate and
waste the lives of hundreds of people from disease and starvation!


I really liked that David Grann gave great context into the Indigenous tribes the men from this ship interacted with and the impact that naval expeditions had on them and all others in South and North America in the eighteenth century especially. It felt like he was resetting the image of journeys like these, moving away from glory and adventure into the grinding hardship, weaknesses of leadership, imperial greed, racist assumptions of superiority/inferiority, and endless jockeying between major European empires like Spain and England. Grann developed the historical characters well, and clearly established how naval honor codes, class, and rank influenced the events at sea and land. Shocked to learn that
the value of the seized Spanish galleon, then the greatest single event war bounty seized, was dwarfed by the full millions-of-pounds cost of the entire expedition to seize it.
And yet, we can't forget that history can be so easily spun into self-congratulatory stories that flatter rather than invite critical examination. 
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samchase112's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book truly swept me away!!! I was enthralled by the writing, the narrative, and the narrator. I lost time listening to this story, and took walks to get further. David Grann made me feel like I was traversing the hazardous seas, searching the desolate island, and scribbling on the page with these men — truly impressive. I’ll be recommending this book (and especially the audiobook!) for a while to come!
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kalaser's review against another edition

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adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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amy14's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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tigertheory's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

3.5

Quite an interesting read not only about a tale of (mis)adventure but also about the importance seafaring had in shaping the world. 

On a side note; I recommend looking up Wager Island on Maps after reading for a bit of a laugh. 
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mikaylawood's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.5

This is my first time reading David Grann and it will not be my last! Beautiful writing about a moving, albeit devastating, historical event. 
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simmonsj's review against another edition

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adventurous informative medium-paced

5.0

This review is for the audio book read by Dion Graham 

This is a very well researched book concerning the HMS Wager and its shipwreck in 1741, including the events of the crew while stranded on an island in Patagonia. I was surprised how many sources of information there were for this event. Grann does a fantastic job pulling together the account from many sources, making a narrative fiction-like story of true events. Everything wraps up decently with the exception of a few pieces (which I expect with real events, especially from the 1740s). 

The narrator did a great job as well, expressive and a good cadence throughout. 

Overall a really good non-fiction read of a really interesting and at times larger-than-life story of shipwreck, mutiny, and murder - just like the title promises.
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saraverboom's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

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laestaci's review against another edition

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adventurous informative fast-paced

4.0

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srm's review

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adventurous dark informative medium-paced

3.0

Perhaps my expectations were too high. Maybe I've read too many other books about shipwrecks and men stranded at the ends of the earth and naval mutinies, but the simple fact is, I've read better. 
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