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Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
56 reviews
e_starlight's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism and Blood
saraverboom's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation
juniebug_books's review against another edition
4.25
Sailing into David Grann's The Wager was a departure from my usual reading preferences, but wow what a wild ride! This nonfiction masterpiece skillfully melds the gripping pace of a thriller with the scholarly depth expected in historical accounts. This is honestly the type of book I wouldn’t have read if it wasn’t for all the hype. The nonfiction I normally reach for tends to be memoirs or travelogues, so I was a little hesitant about going for a historical book. I was incredibly impressed—Wager reads like a thriller and more than once I caught myself audibly gasping and yelling at what was happening on the page.
Grann's writing prowess is commendable, as he maintains a dramatic narrative without sacrificing scholarly integrity. Having waded through my fair share of dry history books during college days, I was impressed by his ability to present facts, provide citations, and weave a compelling storyline simultaneously. While the story's trajectory may be somewhat predictable with the inevitable shipwreck of the Wager, the unfolding events read like a slow-motion disaster— you just can’t look away. The abundance of primary sources, especially the firsthand accounts of survivors, elevates the narrative, turning the men who chronicled their Wager experience into focal points. Grann's vivid descriptions instill a profound fear of the sea, dispelling any romanticized notions of maritime adventure (goodbye swinging around the rigging like Jack Sparrow, hello slowly wasting away to scurvy).
The Wager is a gorgeous historical thriller, and if you love (or have ever loved) true crime, adventure stories, or being on the ocean, I would recommend giving it a try. Its graphic portrayal of battles at sea, scurvy, starvation, and human resilience is not for the faint of heart, but weaves a story you won't be able to look away from. I was simultaneously horrified and entranced in the best possible way
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Racism, Blood, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
sonygaystation's review against another edition
2.75
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, Medical content, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, and War
softanimal's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Gore, Murder, Abandonment, and Colonisation
afterplague's review against another edition
3.5
My main issue with this book is simply how long it took to get started. There was so much interesting information, but there was also so much information that was not necessary at all. At times it felt like I was reading a retelling of a castaway adventure with amazing tension and descriptions that had me cringing, and others it felt like I was reading a history textbook and studying for an exam.
I was rooting for the men, and I was fascinated by watching their "society" crumble when faced with hardships. I'm amazed that any of them survived at all.
Graphic: Murder and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Racism, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Slavery and Cannibalism
koboldmartian's review against another edition
5.0
I do not really have any good experience reading non-fiction so forgive me if this review is not as eloquent, but this was the most gripping and fascinating non-fiction story I have ever read. David Grann's writing is so immersive and clear and painted such a vivid picture of the turmoil, and horrors that these men were put through.
The book is structured beautifully, it flowed well, I was angry at people, I sympathized with people, I was disgusted by what they did or what they had to do, I was all the proper emotions needed to read this book.
This book was so educating and the life that people had to live back then on the ocean is just absolutely terrible. The entire time, I felt pulled by both "parties" involved in this stories and I don't think you can really blame anyone of the decisions made in this situation; it really makes you think about what you would do put in these men's shoes.
I will be picking up Grann's other works to read and this book has opened the floodgates for non-fiction for me. I hope to read more especially if they are this engaging.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
jhbandcats's review against another edition
4.5
He describes the plight of the officers, trying to outfit their ships with no money and few worthy crewmen, as well as that of the unwitting men press ganged (ie, kidnapped by the Royal Navy) onto ships they were ill-equipped to crew. No matter that some were sick, criminal, juvenile, or elderly, all were rounded up in a time of war and forced to serve.
The ship split into factions rather than working as a whole so in a time of crisis, it was no surprise that any discontent would devolve into mutiny. Alcohol, disease, starvation, and fear exacerbated the stresses on everyone. Before the benefits of vitamins were known, scurvy could wipe out a crew both physically and mentally. On top of typhus and shipwrecks, sometimes less than 20% of a crew made it back home.
Grann explains how this volatility affected the voyage of the Wager, and how the chain of command fell apart once the shipwrecked men were on shore. His copious research reveals that there were too many different versions of truth to know which was the most factual. The Admiralty wanted the embarrassment to just fade away so the court martial didn’t address any of the real issues.
I didn’t feel as much a part of this book as with Killers of the Flower Moon. I was wracked with guilt as I read what the white people did to the Osage and I felt complicit. I didn’t have that closeness to The Wager. Considering how dire the circumstances, that’s likely a good thing.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
cait's review against another edition
3.5
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
abicaro17's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic