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A review by savvyrosereads
Watership Down by Richard Adams
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
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, and Injury/Injury detail