Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Les Naufragés du Wager by David Grann

38 reviews

knkoch's review against another edition

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. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Terminal illness, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, Xenophobia, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Minor: Cannibalism

Eating disorder: Much discussion of starvation, but not sure what TW may fit better.

samchase112's review against another edition

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!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Racism, Slavery, Vomit, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Genocide, Suicide, and Cannibalism

kalaser's review against another edition

adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

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

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. 

---

Content Warnings

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

meritm's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative medium-paced

5.0

very very cool and educative and never boring. Makes me miss sailing and being on the open ocean. Explains everything from the hierarchy on warships, the origins of popular British sayings as well as the imperial and colonialist mechanism used to oppress other civilizations. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

e_freckles's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative medium-paced

4.75

---

Content Warnings

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

adventurous challenging dark inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation

juniebug_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

4.25

TLDR; A wild ride from start to finish, even for those for whom historical nonfiction is not the usual cup of tea.

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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Racism, Blood, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

codymyre97's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racism

afterplague's review against another edition

adventurous challenging slow-paced

3.5

The Wager is a fascinating true(ish) tale of the HMS Wager's journey and subsequent wreck around the tip of South America. I find Grann's version of events to be believable, interesting, and backed by a huge amount of research and notation.
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.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Racism, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Slavery and Cannibalism

If you're worried about cannibalism mentions they are quite minor and never explicitly described