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  • The Wager

  • A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
  • Written by: David Grann
  • Narrated by: Dion Graham, David Grann
  • Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (8 ratings)

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The Wager

Written by: David Grann
Narrated by: Dion Graham,David Grann
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Publisher's Summary

#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.

“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.

©2023 David Grann (P)2023 Random House Audio

What the critics say

“The most gripping sea-yarn I’ve read in years….A tour de force of narrative nonfiction. Mr. Grann’s account show how storytelling, whether to judges or readers, can shape individual and national fortunes–as well as our collective memories.” (Wall Street Journal)

“Glorious, steely…a tightly written, relentless, blow-by-blow account that is hard to put down.” (The Washington Post)

“As much a rousing adventure as an exploration of the power of narratives to shape our perception of reality.” (The New York Times)

What listeners say about The Wager

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Fascinating if brief

Hard to believe a tale like this has faded from history. It’s a fascinating story about human nature and survival instincts in the face of extreme adversity. I would have liked to hear a little more detail about life on the island and analysis when stories diverged.
I found the narrator way to listen to although the tenancy to speed up and get a little breathless during the more dramatic passages grated.

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  • Jean Engle
  • 2023-04-19

Gasping for Air

Probably a fine book to read, but the narrator seems interested only in trying to demonstrate how terrible and exciting The Wager story is. He ends almost every sentence with a large intake of air and then races on to the next cliff-hanging description. I couldn’t take it after a few minutes, having not the need, as the ship’s
sailors did, to survive against the odds.

29 people found this helpful

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  • Wayne
  • 2023-04-20

Narration is terrible

Good luck finishing this book. David Grann is an amazing author and did an incredible amount of research for this book...but the narration simply kills it for me. I gave up after four chapters. A wasted credit.

14 people found this helpful

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  • Farm People
  • 2023-04-21

Feeling too Up? Listen to this depressing story and narrator

I can handle life’s tales of woe. Shackelton’s Endurance was one disaster after another, but an amazing story of survival for everyone. This is disaster after disaster and more and more disgusting death for these poor wretches. The narrator’s tone is listless and encourages one to turn it off, which I did after four hours.

12 people found this helpful

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  • Earl Cherniak
  • 2023-05-05

The reader is the worst I have ever heard

I have listened to hundreds of books, fiction and non fiction, many of them sea stories. I had to abandon this book after 2 hours the reader is so awful , unlistenable. Very disappointing after the recent media buildup to the book. Listen to the Patrick OBrian stories on audio to hear what a reader should sound like. Or many non fiction of the age of sail.

Earl Cherniak

6 people found this helpful

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  • KD
  • 2023-04-20

Wonderful Harrowing Story!!!

Wow. What an amazing “True” story! I’m usually not a big reader of history or maritime novels but this one caught my eye and I’m glad I spend the credit on it. Really transports you to another time when germs had yet to be discovered and amputations were done with dirty tools! The narrator did a wonderful job. Not sure why there are bad reviews towards him? Sample the audio and find out for yourself just how great he his.
Highly recommend!

5 people found this helpful

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  • TERRI JARVIS
  • 2023-04-25

A thoroughly enjoyable book

This was a departure from the books I usually read and now I am a pumped septuagenarian! I feel that the narrator kept the story alive and interesting. Of course it was interesting.because of the author’s diligent research and writing skill.

3 people found this helpful

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  • Brandon
  • 2023-04-24

Really interesting

Nice listen. I really like this narrator, too. I remember his voice from several other titles.

2 people found this helpful

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  • Brian Davis
  • 2023-04-24

A “Page Turner” For Sure

This book garners one of my few Five Star reviews! Wonderful historical background, tales of life aboard 18th century British vessels, shipwrecks and court marshals.

2 people found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2023-04-24

Great Story!!

Enjoyed the book. Reads a bit like a narrative. Great story of survival and the human desire to live.

2 people found this helpful

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  • Tdavidii
  • 2023-04-21

Thorough detailed research

I appreciate the story tellers efforts capturing the details from historical records. Enjoy the book thoroughly and appreciate the matter of fact delivery of information.

2 people found this helpful