Cover via Open Library
Matt's pick · not sponsored
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
- shipwreck
- mutiny
- British Navy
- 18th century
- survival
- sea adventure
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Why I'd hand it to you
In 1741 the British warship Wager wrecked off the coast of Patagonia. The survivors split apart, and two groups eventually made it home with very different stories about what happened, including accusations of mutiny. Grann works from journals and court records to sort out who was telling the truth. It is a survival story, but it is also about how people shape the story of their own lives. Heads-up: there is a lot of 18th-century naval detail and a big cast, and the misery of scurvy and starvation is vividly described. The last third, with the court-martial looming, pulls it together.
— Matt Jordan
Quick summary
- Book
- The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
- Who it's for
- Fans of sea adventures and survival stories who also enjoy sorting out conflicting accounts of what really happened.
- Key topics
- The 1741 wreck of HMS Wager
- Mutiny and survival
- The 18th-century British Navy
- Competing accounts and the court-martial
- Shelves
- History, General Nonfiction
Details
- Author
- David Grann
- ASIN
- 0385534264
- On these shelves
- History General Nonfiction
- Short link
mattsbooks.org/r/wage
