THE WAGER by David Grann
The book is set in the 1740’s with the British Navy off to conquer the sea as part of building the British empire.
The tale begins with accounts of Press gangs setting out to boost the crew. 500 individuals captured and forced into hard labour aboard ship where they lost hope of ever seeing their families again and had to endure filth, vermin, hunger, illness, infestation and death.
The author took 6 years to research this book and the story is very well written. The descriptions of the appalling weather and how it wrecked the ship on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia are spellbinding.
The characters were well portrayed from the Captain with a single mission, the more experienced gunner John Bulkeley and student officer young John Byron the grandson of Lord Byron the poet. They all kept daily logs which were used in the final chapters recording the trial of the ships crew as the British admiralty tried to ascertain who was to blame for the loss of their ship.
We all agreed that we were surprised that any of them survived after reading of the height and strength of the waves as they attempted to round Cape Horn.
If you like non-fiction historical adventure novels, give this one a go, you won’t be disappointed.
Karin Ruddle, Group Leader