Reviews tagging 'Pandemic/Epidemic'

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

12 reviews

thebookwormclub's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring tense medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Violence, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Slavery, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative slow-paced

2.75

Narrator Rating: 4.0 stars

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Chronic illness, Cursing, and Vomit

prettiestwhistles's review against another edition

adventurous informative medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Child death, Racism, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Colonisation

jess_polishedcomma's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Blood, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

buenas_l's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Murder, Colonisation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: 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

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

koboldmartian's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

5/5. 

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. 

---

Content Warnings

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

cait's review against another edition

adventurous informative mysterious sad slow-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

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

adventurous challenging dark informative inspiring mysterious slow-paced

4.0

This starts out incredibly slow but after chapter 5 grows into a story of mutiny, murder, and survival. You become involved in this insane story of how a British ship and its sailors fight off scurvy, the rough seas, and other crewman to eventually end up back in England depleted and desolate anywhere from a year to five years later. I'm traditionally cautious of non fiction historical books because I find them tedious and boring but, with The Wager, once the initial accounts of send off and troubles at sea are finished, you're immersed into a tumultuous account of the shipwreck. It was interesting and full bodied. 

---

Content Warnings

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