willemvdz 's review for:

Watership Down by Richard Adams

4.0

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(3,5) A long and incredibly dense read; Watership Down appeared to me less as a children's novel and more as a rabbit's bible or Illiad or any other epic tale. It's filled to the brim with worldbuilding as seen through the eyes of its lapine heroes, mythological stories of their own, complex use of language and accents for different animals within the world, and lots of lengthy passages detailing the strategical battles they fight as they try to make a place of their own in the world, safe from men and other predators. It was often a tough book to get through, one where the experience of Adams' highly detailed writing often came close to overshadowing the story itself, though, in the end, Adams' heart for these animals and the effort he put into enriching their adventures is what makes this such a compelling read; one where you care for rabbits as if they were your lifelong friends.