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The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
Audible Audiobook
– Unabridged
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a thrilling story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court-martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on the Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire.
A Best Book of the Year: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, TIME, Smithsonian, NPR, Vulture, Kirkus Reviews
“Riveting...Reads like a thriller, tackling a multilayered history—and imperialism—with gusto.”—Time
"A tour de force of narrative nonfiction.”—The Wall Street Journal
On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty’s Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon known as “the prize of all the oceans,” it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The men, after being marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing nearly 3,000 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes.
But then...six months later, another, even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes—they were mutineers. The first group responded with countercharges of their own, of a tyrannical and murderous senior officer and his henchmen. It became clear that while stranded on the island the crew had fallen into anarchy, with warring factions fighting for dominion over the barren wilderness. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death—for whomever the court found guilty could hang.
The Wager is a grand tale of human behavior at the extremes told by one of our greatest nonfiction writers. Grann’s recreation of the hidden world on a British warship rivals the work of Patrick O’Brian, his portrayal of the castaways’ desperate straits stands up to the classics of survival writing such as The Endurance, and his account of the court-martial has the savvy of a Scott Turow thriller. As always with Grann’s work, the incredible twists of the narrative hold the listener spellbound.
- Listening Length8 hours and 28 minutes
- Audible release dateApril 18, 2023
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB0B9T7F9RR
- VersionUnabridged
- Program TypeAudiobook
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Product details
Listening Length | 8 hours and 28 minutes |
---|---|
Author | David Grann |
Narrator | David Grann, Dion Graham |
Whispersync for Voice | Ready |
Audible.com Release Date | April 18, 2023 |
Publisher | Random House Audio |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B0B9T7F9RR |
Best Sellers Rank | #184 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #1 in Great Britain History (Audible Books & Originals) #1 in Great Britain History (Books) #1 in Maritime History & Piracy (Books) |
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the plot exciting and remarkable, with a remarkable story of an exciting journey. They also describe the book as very interesting and feel like fiction, with well-researched details. Readers also describe every character as a real life individual with depth and intelligence. They say the writing quality is well written and easy to use.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book very interesting, better than any fictional pirate story, and amusing. They also say it's a great adventure story with a novelistic plot, riveting setting, and information.
"...is my favorite kind of nonfiction book: true history told as a fascinating story, and not too long!..." Read more
"...It is fascinating to read about how they discovered new food sources and what they chose to learn and ignore from natives whose cultures had thrived..." Read more
"...three in Chile with tales of mutiny.. this is a fascinating tell-all of the true story behind what really happened onboard the HMS Wager...." Read more
"...an array of fascinating characters, a great adventure story, a novelistic plot, a riveting setting and a sobering set of lessons learned...." Read more
Customers find the plot exciting, brilliant, and shape the voyage with metaphoric summaries. They also say it's a great sea story and tale of courage and survival. Readers also say the book is a masterful piece of British Naval history and well worth the read. They say the author succeeds in bringing the men to life and telling their stories.
"This is my favorite kind of nonfiction book: true history told as a fascinating story, and not too long!..." Read more
"...descriptive section title structures the book and shapes the voyage with metaphoric summaries: The Wooden World, Into the Storm, Castaways,..." Read more
"Wow this was such an incredible, thrilling story—a definite must read...." Read more
"...We have an array of fascinating characters, a great adventure story, a novelistic plot, a riveting setting and a sobering set of lessons..." Read more
Customers find the book very well written, a page-turner, and a work of narrative nonfiction. They also appreciate the creative, descriptive section titles that structure the book and shape the voyage with metaphors. Readers say the book provides an excellent look at life on a 18th Century sailing ship and is easy to use.
"...Well-written and well-researched, really a great book." Read more
"...Each creative, descriptive section title structures the book and shapes the voyage with metaphoric summaries: The Wooden World, Into the Storm,..." Read more
"...And how all order fell apart as the men became desperate. Well written. Informative and a good read." Read more
"This book was easy to read. It feels like fiction, but is a true story. Plus it has a surprise ending!" Read more
Customers find the book brilliantly researched, comprehensive, and entertaining. They also appreciate the thoughtful insights into politics, naval affairs, and empire building.
"...Well-written and well-researched, really a great book." Read more
"...It is incredible how learned they were...." Read more
"...Well written. Informative and a good read." Read more
"...What constitutes a "BigDog" book? It has to be the right combination of Information, Amusement and Never Being Able to Put it Down...." Read more
Customers find the story and characters in the book real, with depth and intelligence. They also say the people involved were well described by the author, who is a great storyteller. Readers also mention that it's interesting to hear each person's different version of the events.
"...Not in this case. We have an array of fascinating characters, a great adventure story, a novelistic plot, a riveting setting and a sobering set of..." Read more
"...This is a wonderfully-written book and Grann is a masterful story teller." Read more
"...It moves quickly and the author paints the characters so you feel like you know them...." Read more
"Started off slow but overall a great read. Slow descriptions of characters at the beginning that didn't do much for the story in my opinion...." Read more
Customers find the pacing of the book fast and enjoyable. They also say the book flows well.
"...This is a tale of supermen made by extreme circumstances. It moves quickly and the author paints the characters so you feel like you know them...." Read more
"...Quick, page turner of a book." Read more
"The book starts a bit slow. There is a lot to understand and know before the voyage can even begin...." Read more
"Would order from seller again. Well packaged, quick delivery." Read more
Customers find the character traits in the book amazing, courageous, and respectful. They also say the book is a fascinating story of human survival, with historical narratives and studies in leadership. Readers also mention that the officers in the story feel human.
"...It about human heroics, adventure, leadership, perseverance, survival and hope. It also about the shadowy dark-side of humanity." Read more
"...both books as both fantastic historical narratives and studies in leadership." Read more
"It’s just too ponderous. It’s certainly shows people of intrepid spirit and the strengths and frailties of humanity, but goes on and on." Read more
"...The book is a captivation exploration of the human psyche certainly, but I don't want to sound pretentious for it can be read as a thrilling true-..." Read more
Reviews with images
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Well-written and well-researched, really a great book.
The characters who are historical figures demonstrate the gamut of human emotions and an evolution of social mores. Without describing each character, I’ll point out that we meet a dominating captain with poor leadership traits. And, of course, we meet argumentative underlings who have smug independence. Then, we see ferocious workers and others with inherent leadership skills and charisma. All of the men are familiar with British naval order and ranking conventions. Yet, more hierarchies develop as the men struggle to survive and create social order. As the subtitle suggests, the fight for survival leads to becoming mutinous and murderous. Grann describes the basic human drives and terrors with admirable writing skills.
Writing, in the eighteenth century, was an honorable thing to do. The men onboard the Wager kept written logs—some were required, and others were kept to document some of the mutinous decisions. David Grann had copious notes and records to use when piecing this story together. Rousseau and Voltaire cited the Wager’s expedition reports, as did Charles Darwin and Herman Melville. The seafaring journalists quote the Bible, poets, and famous writers. It is incredible how learned they were. Grann uses his well-honed investigative and research skills to weave a beautiful story of what reportedly happened and the eloquent analysis by those who experienced it. Grann’s ability to combine first-person accounts of the expedition with his summation of the events provides fabulous text about the seafarers and their exploits. Each creative, descriptive section title structures the book and shapes the voyage with metaphoric summaries: The Wooden World, Into the Storm, Castaways, Deliverance, and Judgment are the main sections, and Gran used these to develop the book so that it reads like a novel and keeps the reader riveted. I highly recommend this narrative to everyone, even those who prefer fiction to nonfiction.
David Grann pulled out all the stops in this harrowing tale of the British ship Wager that embarked from England on a secret mission against Spain; to capture a Spanish galleon for it’s treasure aboard. It begins in Britain—with no sailors available to help man the ship they resorted to unfathomable acts.. (unbelievably) of paying gangs to snatch up unsuspecting men and forcing sick + (aging) invalid soldiers aboard as sailors on the ship.
David Grann writes of the shipwrecked sailors that survived.. only to fight for survival and dominance on what is now called “Wager Island” (some resorting to abominable acts.) Two years later (1742) a patched-up boat of thirty men landed ashore in Brazil with tales of heroism—six months later another three in Chile with tales of mutiny.. this is a fascinating tell-all of the true story behind what really happened onboard the HMS Wager.
I found this all hard to believe.. it’s like a cross between Robinson Crusoe and Lord of the Flies.. but according to David Grann’s years researching this.. it did happen. Highly recommend. 5 stars — Pub. 4/18/23
Basically we are in the War of Jenkins’ Ear; a set of British ships under the great seaman George Anson is dispatched to intercept and capture a Spanish galleon loaded with treasure. The voyage involves the negotiation of the treacherous winds and waters around Cape Horn. One ship—The Wager—is crushed against the rocks and the men must attempt to survive hunger, disease, and, as we say, insuperable odds, to somehow return to England and stand trial for their actions in Patagonia.
I purchased the book as a backup for other books in my reviewing queue that were about to ship. After being disappointed by KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, but seeing the hype for THE WAGER, I decided to read it until more interesting books arrived. However, once I started to read it I simply could not stop. Only one small quibble: the book ends with what the author (SPOILER alert) considers a reflection on the evils of empire. In other words, a dash of seasoning from the Woke shaker. Ultimately, the story is relevant for our own times and our own preoccupation with colonizers/colonized/oppressors/oppressed, etc. It is worthwhile to point out that every thinking writer in the 18th century (especially the putatively most ‘conservative’ ones, Johnson and Burke) were opposed to the aspirations of empire, particularly as they involved self-interested motives. The book is being described as Master and Commander meets Lord of the Flies. Fair enough, but the brief, third act brings everything down to the seedy world of politics. The book does not end on some high, moral, virtue-signaling ground, but in the world that is simply all too familiar. Bishop Sheen said he gave up on politics after Pontius Pilate. Amen. That does not undercut the impact of the story. It simply reinforces the usefulness of James Ellroy’s category of ‘tragic realism’ and, in this case, the manner in which politics can dilute actions of heavily-compromised courage and determination and render them (publicly) mundane.
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