A review by ellies_beez
Watership Down by Richard Adams

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

If you’ve turned your nose up at Watership Down because you think it’s just another silly kids book about talking animals, you’re missing out.
This book starts with Fiver (who is a seer) and Hazel’s calm, idyllic summer evening being interrupted by Fiver’s vision of their Warren being destroyed. They manage to gather a small group of other rabbits and leave on an expedition to find a new place to settle. Throughout their journey and the trials faced building their new home, the rabbits learn more about themselves and the world around them.
The book doesn’t shy away from depictions of death or violence, but it is not gratuitous in nature. Adams took the time to research real life rabbit social structures and behavior, so the rabbits’ world is able to have fleshed out mythology, spirituality, language, and politics while still remaining somewhat grounded in reality.
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