– The Wager: a tale of shipwreck, mutiny and murder

Compelling, informative and very well written. Enjoyed this one a lot

I read this on the recommendation of Richard Osman and Ben Miller on between the covers. As I always like a sea story and they both thought it wonderful and beautifully written, I went straight to it. I firstly would say that it is a brilliant read but having read "Two Years before the Mast", I think it significantly underplays the difficulties in sailing a square rigger. Historically, I don't doubt its accuracy for Mr Grann has certainly done the most meticulous research. However, I hate modern authors looking at history with the eyes of today. Of course was unimaginably harsh, brutal and Vis a Vis other races, inexcusable. That was then when people didn't have an overview of the world and countries wanted to gain power. For an American, from such a murderous country, to take such moral high ground over the British empire, constantly taking opportunities to snipe at both Britain and its then expansionist policies, leaves a sour taste in the mouth. I can heartily recommend this book to people who want to recoil from the brutishness of sailor's life and yet marvel at the bravery, resilience and ingenuity of people from all ranks, this is a good read. Incidentally, Richard Dana, an American, who went to see in a square rigger in the 19th century, describes a life in Two Years before the Mast, not so very different to that on the Wager...

I was completely gripped by this - what an astonishing story and piece of history! I’ve recommended it to everyone. Brilliant writing that makes it a real page turner. Probably the best non-fiction Ive ever read.

This book was a recommendation by Richard Osman so I bought it for a neighbour, he told his friend that it was the best book he'd ever read. It was a true story of the conflicting testimony of two groups of survivors from a wreck. The book also has illustrations and photographs.

I predominantly read history books and some of the best I have read are about naval explorers in the age of sail. Richard Hough's biography of Captain Cook is one of the best books I have ever read, and Nigel Barnes' Dangerous Waters (a biography of William Bligh) is well up there too. After seeing the comedian Ben Miller on a BBC book review programme, Between the Covers, rave about how good The Wager is, I gave it a go. It's a short book, about 250 pages of main content and does read like an adventure at times rather than a factusl narrative, which is a good thing. It tells the story about a converted East Indiaman which dashes into rocks on a south American island (named Wager Island by the men). We then see them descend into cannibalism, mutiny, murder, etc. until a daring escape back to British held territory is attempted. I'd recommend this as it is a great read - I have only dropped it a star as it doesn't quite live up to the two books I mentioned above which I urge you to read!

A hugely depressing book but full of interesting information. I have had to skip much of the book as it is such a harrowing story.

What a throughly engaging, page turning tale. This story will keep you hooked all the way through. You may start wondering what could possibly happen next and then realise that it s all true. I think congratulations are due to the author for constructing it in the way he has.

I picked this book up because the picture captured my attention. I was sure I had seen it somewhere before. Turning to the first page I began to read. By the end of the first paragraph, my decision was made – the book was coming home with me. Looking at it again, yes, I had seen the image before, or something very like it in the Tate Gallery. The original is Ships in Distress in a Storm and dates from around 1720. The artist was Peter Monamy. Having started reading, I found I couldn’t put this book down. Yes it is a true story, but the narrative flows like a novel. The story is as compelling as any plot for a tome in the historical crime genre. Indeed, some of the twists and turns in this story, you just couldn‘t make up. His Majesty’s Ship the Wager was a Britsh man-of-war that had set sail from Portsmouth as part of a squadron of vessels to capture a Spanish galleon known to be laden with gold and treasure in September 1740. The mission was secret, but some of the hundreds of men on board had kept journals and had written letters home. It is these documents, along with the captain’s official log, other required naval papers and some detailed historical research, that have provided the basis for the evidence for the book. The story is told through the experiences of some of the crew, and in so doing, Grann has brought to life those who were actually at the events that occurred. Rather than being a desiccated set of evidential documents, the story is one of rivalry, petty jealousies, avarice and human behaviour in extreme conditions. All put together to create a coherent record of the ship’s journey, the life on board, the disasters encountered and the eventual return to England, which culminated in trials in the Courts Martial. I really enjoyed this book. It felt as though I was witnessing living history as I turned each of the pages.

Very entertaining

Impressionante as dificuldades dos primeiros grandes navegadores.

A very enjoyable read !

可もなし不可も無し。

Me ha gustado lo bien documentado del caso y como este, sin necesidad de adornos novelados, resulta apasionante. Me ha gustado también el modo en que las extraordinarias trayectorias de todos los involucrados van entreteniéndose para crear esta increíble aventura