When I saw this book, I was eager to read it. Shipwreck, treachery, and survival? It doesn't get a lot more exciting than that! I signed myself up for both the digital and audio galleys, and settled in to immerse myself in history.

My thanks go to NetGalley, RB Media, and W.W. Norton and Company for the galleys. This book is available for purchase now.

The book is well paced and well researched, with plenty of quotes from primary sources. The events described take place during the War of 1812, and involves British and American ships and crew members, none of them particularly lovable, but definitely resilient and ingenious at surviving in extremely dangerous conditions. The men on the American ship have been at sea since before war was declared, and are astonished to find themselves prisoners of war when they are rescued by the British at one point. There are a great many twists and turns, and this is one of those stories that would be considered completely unrealistic if written as fiction. What an experience these sailors endured!

Nevertheless, I am not the best audience for this story after all. I came into it thinking of history and survival, but when I applied for the galleys, I didn't appreciate the word "sealer" in the ship's description. Sealer, as in clubbing the seals to death. Hundreds! So easy! Filling the hold of the ship and...I will spare you the rest, since I was unable to spare myself. I sternly reminded myself that this was a different time period with different societal expectations. No animal had been declared endangered, and there had been no technologies that would render the need to wear animal skins for warmth obsolete. People need to stay warm and dry; seal skins will do that for them. I vowed to let it slide past and focus on the rest of the book; but it never slid past, because it was mentioned again, and again, and again, not with a tremendous amount of detail, yet far more than I needed or wanted to hear.

Yes, a baby is born on the ship, but that babe gets about three sentences. Yes, there's a dog on board, and he saves the crew members many times over, but his heroics don't show up until the last portion of the tale, and although other reviewers have said that the book is worth reading for this alone, I must respectfully disagree.

The narrator for the audio version does a fine job, maintaining an interesting approach without distracting from the text.

Clearly there are a number of people that appreciate and enjoy this book, and I agree that it's important to document historical events, but I finished reading this thing weeks ago, and I still get a sour gut remembering. If you still want to read it, then do so, but it's important to go in with your eyes wide open.

2.5
I love northern exploration by boat but when the journey is literally just seal hunting, killing birds with stones, and Americans complaning that the British weren't nice enough when they took them prisoner, my interest begins to waver. It is a bit astounding that the Americans were so offended by very basic war strategy in wartime. This isn't really the fault of the author, but I do think that the integration of his obvious siding with the Americans did make them a bit more irksome. Not the best, but the narrator is out here trying so hard so there is that.

Audiobook from NetGalley :)

An exhilarating and and well researched account of men abandoned in the Falklands and their struggle to survive and return home. Dolan does an excellent job of maintaining the fast paced narrative one would expect in a survival/adventure tale while still providing necessary historic and geographic details.

I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator, Ganser, does a wonderful job. Thank you to #netgalley and #rbmedia for a free copy of the audio book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC! The narration really brought this story to light. I can’t say enough great things about how enjoyable this book was on audio. Really fun and educational. Hats off the to the author for collecting so much information about these events and making it a cohesive story.

In the book left for dead by Eric J Dollins Nararated by LJ Ganzer we hear about men who wrist their lives to save others and men who wrist the lies of others to save their self. This isn’t your straightforward castaway tale but a tale of two shipwrecks in men who were abandoned not once but twice those who instead of saving the castaways wanted to know what they could get from said castaways including their ship what they were hauling ET see this all happened during the war of 1812 an even when finding civilization some found they weren’t so civil at all I would love to tell you a great summary for the awesome story but it is two multi layered with two different ships from two different countries and then there’s the guys who were left again this is a great book I listen to the audiobook but now wish I would’ve gotten the Kindle instead as I’ve sent to learn they have maps of the two islands but I digress the narrator did a brilliant job and had a great tone for the subject at hand my favorite part was that the author added what happened to them after the shipwreck which not everyone does and I totally appreciate that there’s even a woman who was a prostitute on the ship but died a very wealthy person which only makes me wonder how did that happen? Long ago a professor told me a great book will lead you to other great books and that is exactly what this book has done I am so interested to know more about the sea voyages of the 17 and 1800s and I do believe that will be my next subject I dive deep into. Thanks for this great book I absolutely loved I want to thank the publisher for my free audio arc copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

What a crazy book. Great googly moogly!!!

The year is 1812, and due to Britain's continued interference [with the trade system, with the "stealing" of American men and forcing them into involuntary service in the Royal Navy, and more], another war is about to break out. Enter Charles Barnard, a businessman, who decides this is the perfect time to head to the Falkland Islands [on the ship Nanina] for seal hunting [which is abhorrent to us now, but a necessity in 1812 - both for oil and for a burgeoning trade with China]. All is going swimmingly, until they [the Nanina] encounter a British ship out of Australia that wrecks near them [they crash due to an extremely inebriated Captain], and everything goes to hell-in-a-handbasket VERY quickly.

What ensues is the stuff that great stories are made of, and the pages are filled with fighting, treachery, mutiny, crazed killer hogs [that was some way-out reading], [meticulously planned] murder, starvation, abandonment, lawsuits [after they all finally went back to their respective homes] and the aftermath of those, rescues, and survival [with some serious ingenuity to make that happen]. Oh, and a pregnant woman who gives birth during this who!e mess.
PLUS!!!, the very best of all, there is a dog. A fabulous dog. The bestest dog. He is the true hero here.

This book really bad something for everyone, and even if the idea of seal hunting makes you cringe, imagine doing that in a 17ft WOODEN boat, after sailing thousands of miles of open sea, with men who's egos are larger than the ship they sailed [plus the very breed that overtakes some], and I think even the most ardent "landlubber" will be sucked in and will hang on every word from page one.

I highly recommend this one - VERY well done!

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook ARC and that was just fantastic! I have added the narrator to my favorites list as he really knows how to bring the story alive, and did a really excellent job with all the technical jargon as well. I highly recommend enjoying this book via the excellent narration.

Thank you to NetGalley, Eric Jay Dolin, L.J. Ganser - Narrator, W.W. Norton & Company/Liveright, and RB Media for providing both the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

The true story of five castaways abandoned on the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812, highlighting treachery, shipwreck, and survival. Follow the complex encounter between an American sealing vessel, a shipwrecked British brig, and a British warship, which left three British sailors and two Americans stranded for eighteen months. The tale involves greed, bullying, leadership, ingenuity, severe privation, a perilous journey, an improbable rescue, and legal battles, showcasing noble and atrocious actions under wartime duress.

I’m not sure why I’m fascinated by maritime disasters but I always enjoy learning about them. This is a shipwreck I’d never heard of before, so I was interested to learn more about it. This book did not disappoint. It is just as dramatic as the book blurb says.

As in many disasters, this highlights some of the worst qualities in humanity: greed, pride, and stubbornness. But it also shows some of the best qualities: resilience, forgiveness, and mercy. Hearing how the five men survived kept me glued to the narrative. The author draws on logbooks and reports from the time. I also appreciate that while the author notes that sealing is not done now, it was an acceptable practice at the time, and leaves it at that.

I listened to the audio version of the book and enjoyed every minute. The narrator had a calm voice that was a delight to listen to.

I would recommend this to readers interested in maritime history and true stories.

I'm not sure what I think about this book- I enjoyed the story and it was well written, hence, 4 stars. I'll leave it to others to regurgitate the blurb. For me, the book was less about the 5 castaways than it was about the overall history of the Falkland Islands, the passengers and crew of at least 3 ships involved in the ordeal, and all that happened on these ships during and after the castaways' castawaydom. There's just a lot going on. It's a fine story but far less captivating than the blurb would have you believe. For instance, yes, a baby was born but that has nothing to do with the 5 men who were left behind. It seems like false advertising. Or bait and switch. I can't see taking away a full star for that, though. I would have enjoyed the story much more had I not been expecting a more concise story of human perseverance over others and elements.
Content Considerations: clubbing of seals and other animals, mention of prostitutes and partaking of their services
Thank you to #netgalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

After getting past the dry beginning the story was amazing. I loved the rich history and interpersonal relationships. I've listened to similar books, this has a much stronger story telling style. This writing makes what could be a dry subject matter into a great narrative. It's hard to find history books to recommend, this one has jumped to the top of my list.

When I read the blurb for this book, I thought I was in for a good story, and some history. But boy, was I wrong. It was a FANTASTIC story, with a lot of history.
Shipwrecked, several British subjects are wondering if they are destined to spend their last days on the small island in the Falklands. Salvation comes from a small group of American sealers, who, despite the War of 1812 raging, take pity on the castaways. They strike an agreement with the British, who are very ready to leave the island behind for good. But the story will not end here. There is going to be a mutiny, treachery, a stolen ship, and a group left behind, and later feared dead by their loved ones.

Get settled in and prepare to lose yourself in a story that will not seem real. That anyone could survive the harsh winters, and persevere to return home is amazing enough. But then there is the stolen ship to deal with (and here you are going to want to rough up the moron that decided it was a good idea). Then, the treacherous British castaways (who should have just been left where they were, for all the trouble they caused), and the determination and grit of the American crew to not only get home, but recover their property.
I absolutely LOVED this book. I was hooked from the start. I listened to an audiobook version, and the narrator was absolutely perfect for this read. While I love history, this was one story from the War of 1812 that has not been widely covered, nor have we really considered the heroism that these men displayed, despite the war that was raging.

Get ready for a piece of history that is going to leave you picking your jaw up off the floor more than once! Adventure awaits!
4.5 stars

This was a decent book about events that I didn't know much about. It wasn't my favorite, but I think others will definitely enjoy this!