Horror Book Reviews
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Title: Watership Down |
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Review of Watership Down
- One of the most beloved novels of our time, Richard Adams's Watership Down takes us to a world we have never truly seen: to the remarkable life that teems in the fields, forests and riverbanks far beyond our cities and towns. It is a powerful saga of courage, leadership and survival; an epic tale of a hardy band of adventurers forced to flee the destruction of their fragile community...and their trials and triumphs in the face of extraordinary adversity as they pursue a glorious dream called "home."
Watership Down is a remarkable tale of exile and survival, of heroism and leadership...the epic novel of a group of adventurers who desert their doomed city, and venture forth against all odds on a quest for a new home, a sturdier future,
Product Description
- Watership Down has been a staple of high-school English classes for years. Despite the fact that it's often a hard sell at first (what teenager wouldn't cringe at the thought of 400-plus pages of talking rabbits?), Richard Adams's bunny-centric epic rarely fails to win the love and respect of anyone who reads it, regardless of age. Like most great novels, Watership Down is a rich story that can be read (and reread) on many different levels. The book is often praised as an allegory, with its analogs between human and rabbit culture (a fact sometimes used to goad skeptical teens, who resent the challenge that they won't "get" it, into reading it), but it's equally praiseworthy as just a corking good adventure.
The story follows a warren of Berkshire rabbits fleeing the destruction of their home by a land developer. As they search for a safe haven, skirting danger at every turn, we become acquainted with the band and its compelling culture and mythos. Adams has crafted a touching, involving world in the dirt and scrub of the English countryside, complete with its own folk history and language (the book comes with a "lapine" glossary, a guide to rabbitese). As much about freedom, ethics, and human nature as it is about a bunch of bunnies looking for a warm hidey-hole and some mates, Watership Down will continue to make the transition from classroom desk to bedside table for many generations to come. --Paul Hughes
Amazon.com
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Comments for Watership Down
- Posted on 2008-09-06
Possibly the best book I have ever read
I was instantly entranced with the way it's spoken from a rabbit point of view. It is sad, interesting, brutal, and yet beautiful. It should be mandatory reading for everyone!
Score: 5
- Posted on 2008-09-04
Not for the unintelligent or stupid, Masterpiece for all who appreciate it.
I won't repeat the 700+ reviews for this book, but I do have some comments on the many 1 Star Reviews.
I went through and couldn't believe all the one stars that were given to this book. Yes, it is about Rabbits. No, it is not a children's book. Yes, it does give detail descriptions about everything. These are things that make it GOOD. I read this book when I was in 7th grade (on purpose) and I loved every minute of it. The world that Richard Adams has created is one of masterful work. Maybe it's because my IQ is not below 75 that I love it. If you want just the story, watch the movie. If you want to read one of the greatest things in print today, get the book. Or if you hate reading, get the audiotape even and listen in the car. Trust me, if you go in with no prejudice, you will love Watership Down.
Score: 5 - Posted on 2008-08-22
Bunnies and more bunnies
This is a great book for everyone who enjoy well written stories. A young bunny with the talent of prophesy and his sister who act on his promptings. It has the culture of this enchanting creatures, couple with instruction to understand it better. A well done, good to learn about life and what to do when problem arise book, and it will be for many years to come.
Anna del C.
Author of "The Elf and the Princess"
and "Trouble in the Elf City"
The Elf and The Princess: The Silent Warrior Trilogy - Book One (The Silent Warrior Trilogy)
Score: 5 - Posted on 2008-08-13
Part fantasy, part children's book, all charming...
Watership Down by Richard Adams is part fantasy, part children's book and all charming. This has become a true classic that is universally loved. Richard Adams first created Watership Down as an oral story for his two daughters on a long road trip. When he was finally finished, they encourage him to write it down in book-form as it was better than almost any book that he read to them each night.
This story is about a group of rabbits. But unlike many fantasies, these rabbits don't do anything they wouldn't normally do except to talk to each other and other animals. Brother rabbits Hazel and Fiver live happily in Sandleford Warren, until Fiver has a premonition that something terrible is going to happen to their home. They convince a group of rabbits to flee Sandleford and seek a new and safer warren. The rabbits go through many travails and Adams details them all in great detail. Perhaps the most dangerous expedition involves the search for female rabbits to help populate their new warren. The rabbits have their own language, Lapine, and Adams provides a glossary of Lapine terms at the end. This edition also includes a new introduction where the author tells how he came to write this book.
I'm not much of a fantasy reader, but I grew very fond of Hazel, Fiver and their companions.
Score: 4
- Posted on 2008-08-09
Great Story, 70% Good Metaphor
I've waited for years to read this book, and by and large it didn't disappoint. Great story, interesting characters, largely fast flowing plot, and mostly a good metaphor: the metaphor of breaking from the herd, breaking from the old way, treating life as an adventure to be tackled, and taking risk and using ingenuity to accomplish a mission. I loved all that, and loved its message about the complacency of hutch rabbits (average humans!) - and how weak and lost we become when complacency takes over.
BUT...
The metaphor of the story ultimately breaks down because it becomes a "happily ever after" story. The whole purpose of the rabbits' ultimate mission in the second half of the book is to find ways to attract or procure female rabbits so they can mate, have babies, and just...ultimately live average, complacent lives. I admired their ingenuity in achieving this end, but what kind of message is this "end" in our modern world? Just more dating, mating, and procreating - exactly the complacency that is KILLING OUR PLANET.
It's time for a new way: forget breeding like rabbits, stop the cycle of overpopulation, stop the spread of our species into new untamed lands, and instead scale back. Go within and heal our ancient wounds. Had the book had this message I would have liked it a thousand times more.
Two other criticisms: 1) I found the mythical rabbit-and-God folktales within the book, the ones the rabbit storytellers told, to be EXTREMELY DULL. Once I realized they were not remotely an intrinsic part of the story I skipped them - whole chapters - to no great loss. That sped things up a lot. 2) The literary quotations at the beginning of each chapter were distracting and irrelevant, so after a few chapters I mostly ignored them.
Score: 4
