Reviews tagging 'Violence'

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

101 reviews

akswhy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative medium-paced

3.5

Grann weaves an extremely thorough compilation of deliberately differing historical accounts and manages to make it suspenseful and compelling. I had more hope for historical contextualization within the story, and more of a discussion of the Wager incident’s implications for imperialism today, but Grann stopped short of those opportunities. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

bibliophilistine's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, Murder, Colonisation, and War

danimacuk's review against another edition

dark informative sad tense slow-paced

3.75

---

Content Warnings

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

adventurous dark informative tense slow-paced

3.75

Guaranteed to make the reader rethink their desire to board a ship. Press gangs, disease, and a difficult launch were merely the beginning. It is difficult to believe anyone survived. The strengths and weaknesses of the men were well described. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Medical trauma

bergha1998's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

3.75

It was a very interesting and compelling story. It definitely helped that he focused on some of the main characters who had told their stories in books. I enjoyed it a lot. 

“You miss his form, and the sound of his voice, for habit had made them almost necessary to you, and each of your senses feels the loss.”

“Empires preserve their power with the stories that they tell, but just as critical are the stories they don’t—the dark silences they impose, the pages they tear out.”

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

hufflepuffbiologybuff's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

3.25

A great read for those who are interested in sea travel during the 1740s. 
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!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Medical trauma

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, and War

siriface's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder

deelightfull's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Cannibalism

tobias_ewing's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

3.5

A gritty and realistic view of life at sea, the book just can't seem to break out of the constant slog of despair. Interesting, but ultimately difficult to consume and not one I'd jump to revisit anytime soon.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Murder

schausjk's review against another edition

adventurous informative tense medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

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