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danimacuk's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury
audreylee's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Violence and Medical trauma
hufflepuffbiologybuff's review against another edition
3.25
I did get a little lost in the terminology concerning the ship. It is a new language to me: the parts of the ship, ship etiquette, and roles of the people on the ship. Grann does explain the etiquette and the roles of the people a bit, but I became lost sometimes.
Still an interesting story! This book may be more for someone who is into naval/military stories.
I am glad I gave this book a go though! I would be interested in watching a documentary about the Wager!
Graphic: Death and Medical trauma
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, and War
schausjk's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Genocide, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
zsabella's review against another edition
Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Racism, and Slavery
ekcd_'s review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
kalaser's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Medical trauma and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
tigertheory's review against another edition
3.5
On a side note; I recommend looking up Wager Island on Maps after reading for a bit of a laugh.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Excrement, Cannibalism, and Alcohol
Minor: Slavery, Vomit, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment
mikaylawood's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Cannibalism, and Murder
Moderate: Blood and Medical trauma
Minor: Racism, Slavery, Suicide, and Excrement
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