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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was forced to read this book in highschool which is probably why I didn't enjoy it very much. They always make you anazlye too far into books...it takes the fun out of reading.
I switched to the audio book for this one, very good but more engaging read aloud!
Tried to read this before watching the tv series. Hated this book in high school. I think I would have enjoyed it more this time around if I gave it more of an effort, but I just couldn't get into it. DNF on page 58.
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
This rating was much higher until we got to the “Fetch the Doe” quest line. That put a seriously bad taste in my mouth. Hard to not notice the entirely male cast talk about how women were only good for having children and doing homebuilding labor.
This is what I'm going to call a "recent classic." Published originally in 1972, Watership Down is a tale of fearless adventurers traversing the great unknown in order to find a safe place to call home. And guess what sort of creatures these adventurers are? Rabbits. Yup, rabbits.
Watership Down is strongly reminiscent of Warriors, or rather Warriors is strongly reminiscent of Watership Down. By personifying an animal, these authors are able to create a whole new realm of adventuring, to create a new language, new conflicts, new everything, while still following the paths of many authors before them.
Speaking of conflicts, Adams did a good job. The conflicts weren't full time; there wasn't an ever-present state of worry, but there was enough trouble to make it interesting. I liked that there were a few lulls in the action. Adams was obviously telling a story, not presenting various plot points and worries to keep you tense the entire time. And even the tense parts were told in such a laid back style that it felt more like Grandad telling stories around the fire than anything else. The style was very similar to Lewis and, to a degree, Tolkien.
The characters were surprisingly in depth. There were bunches of rabbits running around, so the ones Adams named, he gave little quirks to make them easier to remember, like Blackberry being the smartest and Bluebell the best storyteller. Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and Pipkin were probably the most threshed out, but Dandelion and Holly enjoyed their time in the spotlight as well. Since the story was told in third-person omniscient, you can easily get to know whoever Adams wants you to. Even Woundwort, the antagonist, was given some time.
Watership Down probably isn't for you if you want fast paced action and adventure, and, to show my fangirl, "feels." However, if you're simply looking for a good story, I would certainly recommend it.
Rating: 4/5
Watership Down is strongly reminiscent of Warriors, or rather Warriors is strongly reminiscent of Watership Down. By personifying an animal, these authors are able to create a whole new realm of adventuring, to create a new language, new conflicts, new everything, while still following the paths of many authors before them.
Speaking of conflicts, Adams did a good job. The conflicts weren't full time; there wasn't an ever-present state of worry, but there was enough trouble to make it interesting. I liked that there were a few lulls in the action. Adams was obviously telling a story, not presenting various plot points and worries to keep you tense the entire time. And even the tense parts were told in such a laid back style that it felt more like Grandad telling stories around the fire than anything else. The style was very similar to Lewis and, to a degree, Tolkien.
The characters were surprisingly in depth. There were bunches of rabbits running around, so the ones Adams named, he gave little quirks to make them easier to remember, like Blackberry being the smartest and Bluebell the best storyteller. Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and Pipkin were probably the most threshed out, but Dandelion and Holly enjoyed their time in the spotlight as well. Since the story was told in third-person omniscient, you can easily get to know whoever Adams wants you to. Even Woundwort, the antagonist, was given some time.
Watership Down probably isn't for you if you want fast paced action and adventure, and, to show my fangirl, "feels." However, if you're simply looking for a good story, I would certainly recommend it.
Rating: 4/5
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-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:
N/A
I first read, plague dogs by this author and was reluctant to read this and spoil how amazing that book was.
But this book lives up to Richard Adam's legendary writing.
This book evokes many emotions that just makes me feel more human. Idk this was just a good read.
But this book lives up to Richard Adam's legendary writing.
This book evokes many emotions that just makes me feel more human. Idk this was just a good read.
An epic novel (distinctly Hobbit-like) whose characters become so real to you that you feel depressed when you finish the last sentence -- not because of what happened, but because it's over and you are back in a world where rabbits don't tell stories or fight glorious battles. I'll never look at a field full of rabbits, frozen in unexpected headlights while grazing at night, the same, and I like cats and dogs a little bit less.
Watership Down is a story about the importance of stories, the way myths help us apply what we've learned in the past to how we survive in the future, and a cautionary tale about what happens to one's humanity (or...rabbitity?) when you favor security and order over imagination and invention.
(See, Ma, it was heroic of me to major in Creative Writing!)
So beautiful, so good, and the best use of epigraphs I've ever read.
Watership Down is a story about the importance of stories, the way myths help us apply what we've learned in the past to how we survive in the future, and a cautionary tale about what happens to one's humanity (or...rabbitity?) when you favor security and order over imagination and invention.
(See, Ma, it was heroic of me to major in Creative Writing!)
So beautiful, so good, and the best use of epigraphs I've ever read.