Lunch & Acknowledgments
A huge thanks is owed to our host, Paul, who went to considerable effort yesterday. Rather than emulate the poor fare served aboard HMS Wager, Paul prepared a meal that would have made Pizarro (the captain of the Spanish galleon targeted by the English fleet) quite proud.
To accomplish that, he enlisted the assistance of his fine friend Paul, an expert in hosting paella parties; he set out plates of delicious Spanish appetizers; and he avoided any food tainted by an association with the Royal Navy. Actually, that's not true. For verisimilitude, Paul included a plate of hard tack next to his 3 types of Spanish cheese, his marinated carrots, his blanched almonds, and his tureen of delicious Andalusian gazpacho.
For an outstanding luncheon of paella and more, for the gorgeous vineyard setting in Glen Ellen, and for the gracious hospitality shown to us and our significant others, Paul has our gratitude.
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| A smaller turnout, but no less convivial l to r: Paul, Jack, Andrew, Tom, Garth, George, Larry, Stan |
Our Review and Discussion of The Wager by David Grann
We spent several hours at Paul's but could only break away for 25 minutes to discuss our book. No matter. It was a fast consensus: Grann has produced yet another winner in his preferred category of non-fiction (i.e., stories of events poorly remembered and long since sanitized). It worked for him (and for us) with Killers of the Flower Moon, and now with The Wager.
Set in the 1740's during the fabricated War of Jenkins Ear, in which the English sought revenge for Spain's exclusionary trade practices in the Caribbean, The Wager tells the story of a small squadron dispatched from England to cross the Atlantic and round Cape Horn in order to capture a Spanish galleon in the South Pacific. Challenged by harsh weather, rudimentary navigation, and malnutrition and disease, the Wager is separated from the fleet, founders off the coast of Chile, and is shipwrecked on a deserted island. Convinced that the captain is unable to lead the 100 or so remaining crew back to England, 81 of the men mutiny and head back to London by way of Brazil. Fewer than 30 make it. Of the 20 who stay with the captain, two survive with him and they arrive in London the following year.
The journey, the hardship, the mutiny--all of these elements made our reading a pleasure. But many of us were disappointed that the inevitable court martial was devoted to expedience, not justice. Grann teases the reader with the moral and legal questions provoked by the crew's behavior, but then makes no apology for the Admiralty's evasive ruling.
Our Rating of The Wager
While our reactions were uniformly positive, we split into 3 camps: the 7's enjoyed a terrific story but complained about a narrative too constrained by the official record or simply felt it suffered in comparison to other excellent non-fiction tales of the sea, like Endurance. The 8's felt the story was impressive enough to overcome serious criticism. And the 9's--led by ringleader Stan--were simply out to game the ratings! The result was an impressive 8.0.
Next Up: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
With a slate focused on the perspectives of children, Larry proposed Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See, McCourt's Angela's Ashes, Zamora's Solito, and Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun. Ishiguro has been on proffer several times and, with Klara and the Sun, we finally get our chance. We'll see in September if his is the version of AI we need to fear.
