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adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I first read this book in fifth grade (really not sure how) and decided to read it again as it's one of the few I've thought about throughout my life since.
I really enjoyed the story as a whole - the world building is grand, the characters are worth rooting for, and the action really builds. I only have two complaints, one more so than the other. The first, and least annoying to me personally, was that the action really picked up in the second half; so much so that it almost felt like two different story paces. The second, and more frustrating for me, was that there were often long passages that droned on with excessive detail about the setting. As someone who has a hard time picturing things in my head as they are exactly described, I prefer vivid imagery that still leaves much to the imagination. Richard Adams tends to over describe with so much detail that it becomes convoluted and I lose the image trying to follow the words. I tended to glaze over those passages, which could often be at least a page long.
I really enjoyed the story as a whole - the world building is grand, the characters are worth rooting for, and the action really builds. I only have two complaints, one more so than the other. The first, and least annoying to me personally, was that the action really picked up in the second half; so much so that it almost felt like two different story paces. The second, and more frustrating for me, was that there were often long passages that droned on with excessive detail about the setting. As someone who has a hard time picturing things in my head as they are exactly described, I prefer vivid imagery that still leaves much to the imagination. Richard Adams tends to over describe with so much detail that it becomes convoluted and I lose the image trying to follow the words. I tended to glaze over those passages, which could often be at least a page long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Blood
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was hesitant to read this book at first, because it's very different from what I usually read, but I ended up really enjoying it. There were some slow parts that were a bit tough to get through, especially the chapters where they told each other stories, but other than those parts it was a really fun heartwarming and adventurous story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Classism
Minor: Miscarriage, Abortion, Pregnancy
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Sexism
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hard to describe the fierce love I have for this book - I already loved the film but there's something about the way Richard Adams draws on the real life behaviour of rabbits to inform the behaviour of the characters in his story that gives an element of authenticity and believability to the rabbits in the book. This is one of my new favourite books of all time and it's taking everything in me to not turn right back to the first page and start the whole journey over again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Violence
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Beloved as a classic children’s story, Watership Down is the tale of Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and their friends, a group of rabbits who face relocation, danger, and adventure together on the quest to find and build a new home for themselves.
I was a huge fan of the Warriors series growing up, and this book gave me very similar vibes, only with rabbits rather than cats, so the nostalgia feeling that this book generated was a lot of fun. I loved the adventure and action (which picked up significantly towards the second half) and all the different rabbit characters were a delight. I did feel like the book could have been about a hundred pages shorter, but I also appreciated the world-building Adams engaged in, as well as the inclusion of rabbit folklore and mythology. While I wasn’t totally enthralled (a lot of sections dragged on and the beginning was pretty slow), I definitely understand why this one is so loved by so many readers over the years.
As an added bonus, with bunnies and outdoorsy vibes, this was the perfect springtime/Easter read!
Recommended if you like: classics; stories about animals; children’s literature.
CW: Animal injury/death/blood; violence.
Beloved as a classic children’s story, Watership Down is the tale of Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and their friends, a group of rabbits who face relocation, danger, and adventure together on the quest to find and build a new home for themselves.
I was a huge fan of the Warriors series growing up, and this book gave me very similar vibes, only with rabbits rather than cats, so the nostalgia feeling that this book generated was a lot of fun. I loved the adventure and action (which picked up significantly towards the second half) and all the different rabbit characters were a delight. I did feel like the book could have been about a hundred pages shorter, but I also appreciated the world-building Adams engaged in, as well as the inclusion of rabbit folklore and mythology. While I wasn’t totally enthralled (a lot of sections dragged on and the beginning was pretty slow), I definitely understand why this one is so loved by so many readers over the years.
As an added bonus, with bunnies and outdoorsy vibes, this was the perfect springtime/Easter read!
Recommended if you like: classics; stories about animals; children’s literature.
CW: Animal injury/death/blood; violence.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence
Moderate: Blood
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Yep. This is my favorite book. The Rabbit Book.
I need to reread this book again, for the billionth time, because I just adore this book. It stands out about other stories about animals because the animals actually feel like animals. But they also feel like people, and you get really excited about them and their stories. I adore the richness of rabbit society and how the author explores the psychology of being a rabbit. I love this book very much, and I recommend it to anyone who loves animals and wants to read a story that actually feels like it could be about animals.
I need to reread this book again, for the billionth time, because I just adore this book. It stands out about other stories about animals because the animals actually feel like animals. But they also feel like people, and you get really excited about them and their stories. I adore the richness of rabbit society and how the author explores the psychology of being a rabbit. I love this book very much, and I recommend it to anyone who loves animals and wants to read a story that actually feels like it could be about animals.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death