Anyone read The Wager yet?

songbird · ‎03-21-2010

The author is David Grann. This book had a big review and iit's had rave reviews. It's a book about a mutiny and a shipwreck. I have it on hold at the library. The Wager is actually the name of a ship. In 1740, 5 ships including the Wager was en route to capture a Spanish treasure ship. The trip was ill fated and wound up being shipwrecked. What follows are a group of sailors that survive the initial wreck and wind up stranded on an island. The group of men soon fall into different factions. Fighting among themselves to try and survive. Everything you can think of happens to the men, including cannibalism. But that is only part of the story. Eventually some of them make it back to England and wind up on trial. I was shocked this actually happened. The island the men land on is off the coast of Chile. It was renamed after the ship. The story is told by several of the survivers, including a 16 year old boy.

cindyNC · ‎08-01-2019

@songbird Thanks for the recommendation!

IMW · ‎06-15-2014

It's on my list--but so are 185 other books. Can't hold books and really prefer audiobooks I wait for library copies.

mspatmac · ‎06-10-2015

Baseed on information here and rave reviews I just started it.

songbird · ‎03-21-2010

@mspatmac wrote:
Baseed on information here and rave reviews I just started it.

New York Times did a whole piece on this. That's how I found out about it. Here is a photo of one of the resident of Wager Island. Place is so desolate, polar bears wander around it.

Wager island hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy

insomniac2 · ‎02-20-2016

David Grann is an exceptional author. I bought The Wager, but I'm letting my brother read it first. He says it's excellent. I'm looking forward to reading it.

Alter Ego · ‎03-12-2010

@songbird Where did you get your photo? Polar bears don't live down south, so I'm trying to see where it's from.

I see the author wrote "Killers of the Flower Moon" (a movie I'm very much looking forward to). I probably wouldn't have looked at this book, so appreciate the separate post about it.

Still Raining · ‎03-30-2014

I have looked at the descriptions and reviews but am not sure about reading. Since only a very few survived, not without their own controversy, can't see how it would not be a selective account. On the fence.