Watership Down
Ratings440
Average rating4.1
Perfect for those who, like me, enjoy stories that children would enjoy too. This book is a wonderful escape, whilst still somehow realistic and regardless of what is claimed in the foreword, has lots of depth and commentary. Unlike anything else I have read before. Loved it.
I'm a knowledge-hungry book-obsessed nerd, but also a really busy dad with combined-type ADHD, so it is a cause of celebration for me when I finish a book, although this time, I will admit to a certain melancholy as I don't think I wanted Watership Down to end. Most things do of course, while others only seem that way, but the cycle really begins again, like the seasons.
This novel was truly a grand adventure. The characters grow, we commiserate, we identify, we cheer; all within a setting that the author knows intimately well, painting a picture of life through the seasons, seen through souls whose eyes move through the grasses of the down, and whose perceptions are formed from a physical place where only a human's foot passes. If one were to read the plot alone, it wouldn't seem like the freshest storyline, but Richard Adams does it justice and then some. Although I took issue with what I saw as some charcter-based contrivances, they just didn't mute the novel's impact, especially in its epilogue, up to its very last line.
Home. It's what we work & fight for every day. So did Fiver, Bigwig, Blackberry, and of course Hazel-rah when they journeyed away from theirs in search of a better - and perhaps their true - home.
In my very humble opinion, Watership Down is much more than the sum of its parts, which is why it endures to this day.
When I started it, I didn't expect much and thought about it as just another book about rabbits. Sort of like Orwell's Animal Farm. But as I went on reading, I got pulled right into the wonderful world of these rabbits! Bigwig, Hazel, Fiver, Dandelion, Kehaar, General Woundwort! Every character was beautifully written. One of the best books I have read in a while.
Richard Adams has created a masterpiece here. And as I go to bed tonight, I fondly remember Shiroo, my beloved pet rabbit who is right up there in heaven, watching over and blessing us with love! Would surely recommend this one for everyone to read.
I read the original story many years ago in elementary school and remember loving Watership Down so it was interesting to visit the story again in its graphic novel format. A must read for fans of the original novel!
It's weird because this was pretty much exactly what I was expecting, but because of that, it felt like a let down. I have heard from some friends that this book is one of their favorite classics so when I had a reading prompt come up for a book with a rabbit on the cover, I went for it. I definitely fell in love with a few of the characters, but it was overall kind of boring to me.
The story over, the demands of their own hard, rough lives began to reassert themselves in their hearts, in their nerves, their blood and appetites. Would that the dead were not dead! But there is grass that must be eaten, pellets that must be chewed, hraka that must be passed, holes that must be dug, sleep that must be slept.
Watership Down
Watership Down
“I couldn't do it again, Hazel,” he said.“You haven't got to,” replied Hazel.
This was the book that I needed to read when I was a teenager. I used to love an adventurous stories! Now, it is still an amazing and action packed book. However, I feel I didn't apreceate it enough.
I recommend this one to the teenagers that want some deep story with a lot of action and adventure.
A beautiful tale about a small group rabbits who set out to find a new home. They overcome a lot of hardship and adversity along the way.
Be warned, this book is a tear jerker.
In all likelihood you'll end up chasing after it once you've finished, maybe because you're unwilling to let go.
When speaking of this novel, I've often heard others be of the opinion that “this is little more than a book about rabbits.” Indeed, with the ferocity of the title, I too was taken aback to discover that all of the cast were, indeed, rabbits. However, this is much more than that.
This novel has the equivocal depth of an Aesop's fable. The cast, despite their Lapine nature, are all complex in their emotions and decisions. There's both agreement and disagreement. The plot itself is quite simple, but the nature of the chapters and the pacing makes it feel complex and engaging. The writing style itself is somehow a balanced effort of description ( an entire page, just describing the setting around the warren! ) and things to move it along ( on that same page, meeting the cast that you will watch the story unfold around. ) There are legends, there are characters made into legends, and it just continues onward. Richard Adams was really “feeling it” as he wrote this, may he walk in peace.
This is a book that I recommend, and probably will to everybody. I wish I could read it for the first time all over again, but I suppose I'll just have to look forward to reading it for a second time, and seeing what things I missed. Perhaps one small critique I would have is, in the penultimate closing chapters, there would be more “specific” descriptions of what happened, and who was with whom, but to be honest, that's neither here nor there. It could be that, if it had been included, then I would be saying it felt too bogged down, so, I digress.
If you're searching for something to move you, look no further. This will take you by surprise.
Great adventure story, engaging from the beginning, with just enough time spent on world-building.
Executive Summary: After a bit of a slow start for me, I found this to be a really enjoyable adventure story.
Audiobook: Ralph Cosham does a really good job with the narration. He adds a few voices and has a good reading voice that makes this a book that works really well in audio.
Full Review
This book has been on my to read list for awhile. In fact I've owned not one but two copies for years. I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to it. I was motivated to finally read it by the release of the new Netflix mini-series.
Initially I was concerned that a story about rabbits was not going to keep my interest, but it ended up working really well. I did find the start a bit slow, but once I got into it I found myself really attached to all the rabbits. I particularly like Hazel, Fiver and Bigwig. But most of the rabbits were pretty memorable.
This book could easily be a coming of age story, or just an adventure story and not fantasy if was about people and not rabbits. However I don't think it would have felt nearly as epic, or the adventure nearly as compelling had that been the case.
This book is written for a younger audience, but done in such a way as to be a compelling read for older people as well. The rabbits are just so well written that you get swept along in the story and don't
I think my favorite aspect of the book was the stories within the stories. Anytime the rabbits would stop and tell stories about the cleverness and cunning of El-ahrairah. All but one of these stories were incredibly enjoyable. The final story was harder to listen to.
I'm glad I finally got around to reading this book and shouldn't have waited so long. It's truly an excellent epic adventure tale.
This book almost made me hate cats. Almost.
Don't expect cute and happy and hopping little bun-buns. There's violence, implied rape, death- a lot of things you normally wouldn't find in a children's' book. But Richard Adams has dealt with these issues in the most imaginative way, so there's really no reason to stay away from it. I have never felt so much for a rabbit in my entire life.
Great use of the made-up Lapine language, and I enjoyed the rabbits' folktales as well. A real great read and would 100% recommend.
Dnf
I've heard such great reviews of this book, but I'd rather watch paint dry than suffer to another minute of it. Maybe I'll check out the movie. The premise just wasn't for me.
Have to give a nod for the visualization. That was well done.
As a child, my parents had me watch the movie version of this before I ever knew it originated from a book. If you've ever seen the movie, you would know it's a graphic, terrifying visual representation for a young child to see–as good as it was. Having been scarred for life by images of bunnies getting gassed underground, I would never have picked up this book had it not been for all the great reviews.
Reluctant at first, I started reading it and within a few chapters, I was in love! The story was a beautifully told, with simple yet entrancing descriptions and characters. I could read this over and over again and never grow tired of it. I will definitely read this to my own children someday, but probably wait to show them the movie until they're a bit older...
An enjoyable adventure story that certainly surpassed my expectations - I did not expect a book about rabbits journeying through the country to have quite so much depth. It's insightful, and brutal, and dark at times - for example:
“Well, if you want a doe, you have one—any doe in the Mark, that is. We're not officers for nothing, are we? The does are under orders and none of the bucks can stop you.”
And I thought this was a kids' book!
It gets 3 stars because it took forever to get into and I didn't feel warmth for the characters. I was hoping to feel some sort of magical connection to this book since it regularly features on lists of favourites, but I simply found it to be pleasant reading, and I'm not sad it's over.
Somehow, I can't wait to read this to my kids. I really enjoyed this little read. It was short but had depth. It was packed with adult themes but wrapped in a child's packaging. Laced with truth, rapt with adventure, and entertaining to the last word. Well worth my time and, I dare say, if delivered/taken with a bit of an open mind, would be worth yours.
Hadn't read this one since I was a kid, and I was surprised at how well it held up. It's really quite an action/adventure story, and the pacing is mostly first rate. The anthropomorphizing is fascinating, in part because Adams is able to keep the animalistic nature of the rabbits even though they are going around talking, theorizing and the like. It's definitely a product of its time regarding gender, but it still takes on an amazing number of (human) social problems for a book that is ostensibly about a bunch of rabbits. In particular, the fascist police state warren seems particularly poignant at the moment, as our police state continues to grow.
”???Well, I???d rather say no more about the end of that meeting. Strawberry tried all he could to help me. He spoke very well about the decency and comradeship natural to animals. ???Animals don???t behave like men,??? he said. ???If they have to fight, they fight; and if they have to kill, they kill. But they don???t sit down and set their wits to work to devise ways of spoiling other creatures??? lives and hurting them. They have dignity and animality.???
What is not to love about this book? Can't believe I never read it when I was younger. Not (just) a children's book