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taylormosser's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sophiemaher's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
i watched the animated movie years and years ago after dad told me and b it was for children… an hour of nightmare fuel later and i had solidified the thought that i didn’t like it.
now here i am after reading the book years later - while i can now say i LOVE it, i stand by the fact that it’s quite intense for a so-called children’s story??
what a book… an ensemble of great characters embarking on an epic journey, complete with extensive insight into their rabbit culture, behaviour, politics, belief systems, language & history… it’s weird to think that such things don’t really exist (or maybe they do???? i hope so)
the writing was a big part of what made this story so immersive and magical - the way the author writes so knowingly about the natural world and the inter-connectedness of living things is suspicious….. some things i believe only a rabbit would know!!! the descriptions of the varying idyllic landscapes are especially evocative in contrast to the short, brutal and fear-filled lives they are subjected to.
in spite of (or because of?) this unfair reality, they turn to spirituality and mythology to find a sense of purpose and solace, which although i’m not religious myself, i found to be one of the most compelling aspects of the book. although they don’t understand death, they trust that the next place will be more peaceful… though a little bit haunting at times, these passages left a bittersweet feeling… which is soooo perfectly encapsulated in the song bright eyes!!!!!!!!!!
i’m not giving it 5 stars only because at some points it slightly dragged - there was at times a lot of (maybe unecessary) explanations of bunnies going here. planning this. moving outside. moving inside to a different spot. all of which could possible be cut while still retaining the overarching plot lines… but whatever!!! maybe without this i’d have been less invested. who’s to say. me, probably, and i could say SO much more but ill wait until someone else has read it to talk about everything else. so do it!!!
now the time has come to rewatch the movie…
now here i am after reading the book years later - while i can now say i LOVE it, i stand by the fact that it’s quite intense for a so-called children’s story??
what a book… an ensemble of great characters embarking on an epic journey, complete with extensive insight into their rabbit culture, behaviour, politics, belief systems, language & history… it’s weird to think that such things don’t really exist (or maybe they do???? i hope so)
the writing was a big part of what made this story so immersive and magical - the way the author writes so knowingly about the natural world and the inter-connectedness of living things is suspicious….. some things i believe only a rabbit would know!!! the descriptions of the varying idyllic landscapes are especially evocative in contrast to the short, brutal and fear-filled lives they are subjected to.
in spite of (or because of?) this unfair reality, they turn to spirituality and mythology to find a sense of purpose and solace, which although i’m not religious myself, i found to be one of the most compelling aspects of the book. although they don’t understand death, they trust that the next place will be more peaceful… though a little bit haunting at times, these passages left a bittersweet feeling… which is soooo perfectly encapsulated in the song bright eyes!!!!!!!!!!
i’m not giving it 5 stars only because at some points it slightly dragged - there was at times a lot of (maybe unecessary) explanations of bunnies going here. planning this. moving outside. moving inside to a different spot. all of which could possible be cut while still retaining the overarching plot lines… but whatever!!! maybe without this i’d have been less invested. who’s to say. me, probably, and i could say SO much more but ill wait until someone else has read it to talk about everything else. so do it!!!
now the time has come to rewatch the movie…
flamepea's review against another edition
4.0
If I could describe this book in one word it would be VISCERAL
this book evoked such a visceral reaction from me. WOAH WHAT A JOURNEY
GO READ IT
and its not about ships
this book evoked such a visceral reaction from me. WOAH WHAT A JOURNEY
GO READ IT
and its not about ships
rileyblundellwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
vixette's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is my favourite book is an inadequate way to explain just how much I love this story. It is the story that means a great deal to me, it is one of three incredible stories that have stayed with me since childhood, the other two being <b>Animals of Farthing Wood</b> and <b>Wind in the Willows</b>. And yes, I know I may have dated myself here, but these three books have had such an impact in my life. They live rent-free in my head and in all honesty <b>Watership Down</b> might be my very favourite. I could not put this book down, I have not read that avidly recently due to poor reading choices and recommendations, but this book rekindled my love of reading and brought with it emotions and memories of my childhood, all to the repeating mental soundtrack of <b>Stephen Gately's</b> song <b>Bright Eyes</b>. (May he rest in peace).
I can't really tell what touched my heart so deeply as a child. Whether it was how remarkably human and compassionate the rabbits were, or whether I enjoyed their journey of finding a home and self-realisation. Perhaps I was always drawn to such stories, to journeys of strife and pain that led to the strengthening of a character, the realisation of who they were and their significance and importance to the world and their peers.
There are many things that as an adult have more meaning than they did as a child. As I have grown into my identity, my choices, there are things within this story that have a different impact than they did as a child. And yet, reading this book was like slowly reliving the animated film and my childhood, I could <i>see</i> the rabbits and <i>listen</i> to them talk. And yet despite having watched the animated version, I was stunned and impressed by the ammount of lore <b>Adams</b> had created for rabbits, such as their own language and folk-tales, annotated at the bottom of the page for us mere humans to follow along. I have always liked a well-researched and well-created plot and story, so this was definitely worth a star or two.
Perhaps the favourite thing about this book, was the development of relationships between the rabbits. In the animated version, limited by time and cultural ideology as well as age-appropriate content, the rabbits are focused on their journey and rescuing other rabbits. In the book, however, the bucks are much closer, affectionate and kind to one another, cleaning each other's wounds, huddling close to stay warm and etcetera. This is perfectly shown when they work together to rescue and heal two characters. I adore this because their trust and love for one another is shown through these small acts. I like to read a good bro-mance, I like to see non-sexual relationships where men are soft, gentle and supportive with one another and others. (The world would be a much better place if we all were more accepting and loving).
Although there are several characters, the two most significant characters for me are <i>Hazel</i> and <i>Bigwig</i>. <i>Hazel</i> is the brains, <i>Bigwig</i> the brawn.
<i>Hazel</i> is a natural-born leader from the start, making difficult decisions and thinking about the safety of everyone around him. His cunning, intuition and drive are enjoyable to read. But it feels like there is a little discrepancy between the animation and the book, for in the animation <i>Bigwig</i> seems more combative whereas in the book, despite openly questioning <i>Hazel's</i> orders a couple of times he admits <i>Hazel</i> is the best of them, and follows <i>Hazel's</i> directions often without many questions as he trusts <i>Hazel</i>.
In fact, <i>Bigwig</i> is probably the reason <i>Hazel's</i> plan succeeds. <i>Hazel</i> may have led the group from their birth warren because of <i>Fiver's</i> vision of death and danger, but it is <i>Hazel</i> <i>Bigwig</i> follows and it is <i>Bigwig's</i> strength and loyalty that sees them through. He goes from an aimless fighter to <i>Hazel's</i> most loyal and strongest companion. The one who meets death face to face and holds his ground despite the poor odds in the hopes of protecting his Chief rabbit and their new warren.
To those who know, I am of course talking about that scene. The scene that made <i>Bigwig</i> my favourite character in the whole story. I had to watch it a couple of times on YouTube after reading it in this book, because I think it is by far one of THE best scenes in the animation and book.
To those who might not know and do not mind spoilers, our rabbits have found their new home and have established a new warren, but it is full of males/bucks. Without females/does, their warren would disappear within a few seasons as most rabbits only live about three to five years. Fortunately, there is a huge warren nearby, a warren so overcrowded that does' are not breeding, their bodies absorbing undeveloped young and refusing to go into heat as there aren't enough resources. Unfortunately, their first attempt to visit and ask for some does ends in failure, so <i>Bigwig</i> is sent in undercover, to act as a rogue rabbit. But in truth, he is to gather as many does and bucks as he can and escape this huge warren with them.
Each warren is run in a similar way, with a Chief rabbit, an owsla (the equivalent to a military force) and then the common rabbits. In our warren <i>Hazel</i> is Chief rabbit and <i>Bigwig</i> is former owsla who will (as we later find out) train the next generation of owsla. But this giant warren is led by <i>General Woundwort</i> a massive and vicious rabbit who runs the warren very strictly.
<i>Woundwort</i> is a terrible and evil character. Irredeemable, and yet his origin story is really good. In the animated version, he is just some tyrant and that is all there is to it. And yes, he is a tyrant and he gets what is coming to him, but I wasn't expecting that story. Nor was I expecting the intelligence he was using to run the warren. The warren was an unhappy place, where rabbits were expected to obey orders and were beaten, mutilated and even killed for wanting to leave the warren or fight the oppression. But the cruelty inflicted here was the result of corrupted rules that came from a good place. Each group/mark, was allowed out at certain times of day for a certain period of time to prevent drawing the attention of the <i>Elil</i>, the predators and enemy of the rabbits, so foxes, kestrels and etcetera. They buried their poo instead of doing it everywhere for the same reason. But despite the good intentions, to hide his people from the <i>Elil</i>, <i>Woundwort</i> had become greedy, perhaps he was always a tyrant, like his origin story implies, but power corrupts, and with so many people afraid of him, including his owsla, he got away with murder. Literally.
<i>Efrafra</i> was built upon blood, slavery and suffering.
So, <i>Bigwig</i> not only beating some of the best warriors but also escaping with many does earned him the fury of <i>Efrafra's</i> owsla and its leader <i>General Woundwort</i>. They all believe him to be the chief rabbit, as he is so strong and cunning. And yet, when they attack our rabbits warren, <i>Watership Down</i> and <i>Bigwig</i> fights <i>Woundwort</i> and narrowly wins, <i>Woundwort</i> and his men are stunned to discover that <i>Bigwig</i> is not chief rabbit.
<i>Bigwig</i> stands panting, fur ragged and blood dripping down his face and on his claws and says:
<i>My Chief Rabbit has told me to stay and defend this run, and until he says otherwise, I shall stay here. </i>
The stunned silence, the growing fear as the <i>Efrafra</i> rabbits wonder who had the loyalty of such a powerful fighter is a beautiful moment in this whole film and one that lives rent-free in my head ever since I saw the animated version.
And all the while, we know that the chief rabbit is smaller than <i>Bigwig</i>, weaker in physique but more cunning than any rabbit in the book. And it is that cunning that makes <i>Hazel</i> such an incredible character. Rabbits are flight animals, yet he goes to a farm, risks dying to a cat just so he can free a dog and having two of his fastest runners lead the animal back to <i>Watership Down</i> because <i>Hazel</i> knew <i>Woundwort</i> and his men were too powerful, too cunning and would win the war between their warrens'. He turns the tide, the dog sending the <i>Efrafra owsla</i> running for the hills and potentially killing <i>Woundwort</i>, though the General's body is never found.
This is one story I would recommend to all, whether you watch the animated version/s or ready this book, it is a story that has had a huge impact on many people (one only needs to read the other reviews!). Some may not like reading the book, it might be slow and a little dull to some, but I would highly recommend giving this tale the chance it deserves. It is one that has stuck with me for years and will do for the rest of my life. It is a fantastic story that I will be reading AND watching again!
I can't really tell what touched my heart so deeply as a child. Whether it was how remarkably human and compassionate the rabbits were, or whether I enjoyed their journey of finding a home and self-realisation. Perhaps I was always drawn to such stories, to journeys of strife and pain that led to the strengthening of a character, the realisation of who they were and their significance and importance to the world and their peers.
There are many things that as an adult have more meaning than they did as a child. As I have grown into my identity, my choices, there are things within this story that have a different impact than they did as a child. And yet, reading this book was like slowly reliving the animated film and my childhood, I could <i>see</i> the rabbits and <i>listen</i> to them talk. And yet despite having watched the animated version, I was stunned and impressed by the ammount of lore <b>Adams</b> had created for rabbits, such as their own language and folk-tales, annotated at the bottom of the page for us mere humans to follow along. I have always liked a well-researched and well-created plot and story, so this was definitely worth a star or two.
Perhaps the favourite thing about this book, was the development of relationships between the rabbits. In the animated version, limited by time and cultural ideology as well as age-appropriate content, the rabbits are focused on their journey and rescuing other rabbits. In the book, however, the bucks are much closer, affectionate and kind to one another, cleaning each other's wounds, huddling close to stay warm and etcetera. This is perfectly shown when they work together to rescue and heal two characters. I adore this because their trust and love for one another is shown through these small acts. I like to read a good bro-mance, I like to see non-sexual relationships where men are soft, gentle and supportive with one another and others. (The world would be a much better place if we all were more accepting and loving).
Although there are several characters, the two most significant characters for me are <i>Hazel</i> and <i>Bigwig</i>. <i>Hazel</i> is the brains, <i>Bigwig</i> the brawn.
<i>Hazel</i> is a natural-born leader from the start, making difficult decisions and thinking about the safety of everyone around him. His cunning, intuition and drive are enjoyable to read. But it feels like there is a little discrepancy between the animation and the book, for in the animation <i>Bigwig</i> seems more combative whereas in the book, despite openly questioning <i>Hazel's</i> orders a couple of times he admits <i>Hazel</i> is the best of them, and follows <i>Hazel's</i> directions often without many questions as he trusts <i>Hazel</i>.
In fact, <i>Bigwig</i> is probably the reason <i>Hazel's</i> plan succeeds. <i>Hazel</i> may have led the group from their birth warren because of <i>Fiver's</i> vision of death and danger, but it is <i>Hazel</i> <i>Bigwig</i> follows and it is <i>Bigwig's</i> strength and loyalty that sees them through. He goes from an aimless fighter to <i>Hazel's</i> most loyal and strongest companion. The one who meets death face to face and holds his ground despite the poor odds in the hopes of protecting his Chief rabbit and their new warren.
To those who know, I am of course talking about that scene. The scene that made <i>Bigwig</i> my favourite character in the whole story. I had to watch it a couple of times on YouTube after reading it in this book, because I think it is by far one of THE best scenes in the animation and book.
To those who might not know and do not mind spoilers, our rabbits have found their new home and have established a new warren, but it is full of males/bucks. Without females/does, their warren would disappear within a few seasons as most rabbits only live about three to five years. Fortunately, there is a huge warren nearby, a warren so overcrowded that does' are not breeding, their bodies absorbing undeveloped young and refusing to go into heat as there aren't enough resources. Unfortunately, their first attempt to visit and ask for some does ends in failure, so <i>Bigwig</i> is sent in undercover, to act as a rogue rabbit. But in truth, he is to gather as many does and bucks as he can and escape this huge warren with them.
Each warren is run in a similar way, with a Chief rabbit, an owsla (the equivalent to a military force) and then the common rabbits. In our warren <i>Hazel</i> is Chief rabbit and <i>Bigwig</i> is former owsla who will (as we later find out) train the next generation of owsla. But this giant warren is led by <i>General Woundwort</i> a massive and vicious rabbit who runs the warren very strictly.
<i>Woundwort</i> is a terrible and evil character. Irredeemable, and yet his origin story is really good. In the animated version, he is just some tyrant and that is all there is to it. And yes, he is a tyrant and he gets what is coming to him, but I wasn't expecting that story. Nor was I expecting the intelligence he was using to run the warren. The warren was an unhappy place, where rabbits were expected to obey orders and were beaten, mutilated and even killed for wanting to leave the warren or fight the oppression. But the cruelty inflicted here was the result of corrupted rules that came from a good place. Each group/mark, was allowed out at certain times of day for a certain period of time to prevent drawing the attention of the <i>Elil</i>, the predators and enemy of the rabbits, so foxes, kestrels and etcetera. They buried their poo instead of doing it everywhere for the same reason. But despite the good intentions, to hide his people from the <i>Elil</i>, <i>Woundwort</i> had become greedy, perhaps he was always a tyrant, like his origin story implies, but power corrupts, and with so many people afraid of him, including his owsla, he got away with murder. Literally.
<i>Efrafra</i> was built upon blood, slavery and suffering.
So, <i>Bigwig</i> not only beating some of the best warriors but also escaping with many does earned him the fury of <i>Efrafra's</i> owsla and its leader <i>General Woundwort</i>. They all believe him to be the chief rabbit, as he is so strong and cunning. And yet, when they attack our rabbits warren, <i>Watership Down</i> and <i>Bigwig</i> fights <i>Woundwort</i> and narrowly wins, <i>Woundwort</i> and his men are stunned to discover that <i>Bigwig</i> is not chief rabbit.
<i>Bigwig</i> stands panting, fur ragged and blood dripping down his face and on his claws and says:
<i>My Chief Rabbit has told me to stay and defend this run, and until he says otherwise, I shall stay here. </i>
The stunned silence, the growing fear as the <i>Efrafra</i> rabbits wonder who had the loyalty of such a powerful fighter is a beautiful moment in this whole film and one that lives rent-free in my head ever since I saw the animated version.
And all the while, we know that the chief rabbit is smaller than <i>Bigwig</i>, weaker in physique but more cunning than any rabbit in the book. And it is that cunning that makes <i>Hazel</i> such an incredible character. Rabbits are flight animals, yet he goes to a farm, risks dying to a cat just so he can free a dog and having two of his fastest runners lead the animal back to <i>Watership Down</i> because <i>Hazel</i> knew <i>Woundwort</i> and his men were too powerful, too cunning and would win the war between their warrens'. He turns the tide, the dog sending the <i>Efrafra owsla</i> running for the hills and potentially killing <i>Woundwort</i>, though the General's body is never found.
This is one story I would recommend to all, whether you watch the animated version/s or ready this book, it is a story that has had a huge impact on many people (one only needs to read the other reviews!). Some may not like reading the book, it might be slow and a little dull to some, but I would highly recommend giving this tale the chance it deserves. It is one that has stuck with me for years and will do for the rest of my life. It is a fantastic story that I will be reading AND watching again!
bittersweet_symphony's review against another edition
4.0
Although it’s an overly plot heavy book, it’s a rare type of novel with an unspeakable appeal. The most compelling aspects are the cosmology and myths surrounding these anthropomorphic rabbits.
You could a real sense for the culture and motivations of the rabbits. Their adventures are replete with examples of daring leadership, loyalty, equality, communitarianism, and care for the natural world.
You could a real sense for the culture and motivations of the rabbits. Their adventures are replete with examples of daring leadership, loyalty, equality, communitarianism, and care for the natural world.
kivt's review against another edition
4.0
This was one of my absolute favorite books as a kid. It was a relief to find it still holds up.
kstephensreads's review against another edition
I listened to this one because it has been loved by two of my AO kids. And now I know why.
lil_bookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
jdeveret's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fantastic book! I didn't know much about it going in other than that it was about rabbits and it was referenced on Lost. Going in I had the impression that this was one of those dusty "modern classics", so I expected to struggle at first to become engaged, but the narrative moves quickly and is bolstered by a far more interesting and charismatic group of protagonists than I would ever have thought achievable by anthropomorphic rabbits. The descriptions of the rabbit mythos, as well as many of the story beats, were reminiscent of Tolkien, particularly The Hobbit; but frankly, Watership Down is more richly layered, and just plain more interesting, than Bilbo's adventure. I particularly enjoyed reading about Hazel, the unassuming leader of the warren and a particularly fascinating character, and I found his quiet confidence and level-headedness to be inspiring. He never asks to be in charge, but it doesn't take long for even those who once outranked him to defer to his wisdom as the rabbits strive to make a new society. Whether or not you've heard of this book, if you're looking for a pleasant read that is equal parts adventure and bildungsroman, I encourage you to find a copy!