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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-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
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
adventurous
emotional
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:
Yes
"Odysseus brings not one man to shore with him. Yet he sleeps sound beside Calypso and when he wakes thinks only of Penelope."
Adams' writing is at its best when he suddenly injects one of these achingly poetic philosophical theses into his "children's" book about rabbits, and it's main protagonist, Hazel, is certainly a Ulysses of his own. They catch you off guard and make you read the more pedestrian sequences with an eye for symbolism, metaphor and narrative parallels, as these are clearly intentional (evidenced by the quotes from an extensive array of literature which start each chapter). The fact the above quote comes after a diegetic oral retelling - just as the Odyssey itself was originally told - is the cherry on top.
It's funny to note that after the movie traumatised us all as children, in the novel it's these darker sections (like a really disturbing description of a badger in the night) which are far more compelling than the numerous occasions the rabbits are all just sitting around and talking about stuff. The pacing is pretty glacial, and the action is never really that thrilling, with some very sudden halts in the suspense, but the cast is loveable enough.
Besides these moments, my favourite chapters were probably the El-ahrairah stories, as I've loved the legends of Frith and the Black Rabbit of Inle since I was a child, and they stick with me as the novel's most powerful legacy. Adams has thought up such a gorgeous mythology, and his classical influences are on full display.
There are rather a few too many characters to satisfyingly keep up with, most notably Hawkbit, Acorn and Speedwell who are barely mentioned. There are also some dodgy bits of internal logic, such as rabbits - who have been shown in previous chapters to not know even what a peg, train, car, sea, or fish are - suddenly referring to petrol.
As for the ending I found the paragraphs on the passage of summer into winter some of the most hauntingly beautiful writing in the whole novel, and the epilogue had me in tears. But it wasn't an entirely satisfying ending, with no cast members (who we've come to know and love) receiving a gratifying sendoff besides Hazel.
Adams' writing is at its best when he suddenly injects one of these achingly poetic philosophical theses into his "children's" book about rabbits, and it's main protagonist, Hazel, is certainly a Ulysses of his own. They catch you off guard and make you read the more pedestrian sequences with an eye for symbolism, metaphor and narrative parallels, as these are clearly intentional (evidenced by the quotes from an extensive array of literature which start each chapter). The fact the above quote comes after a diegetic oral retelling - just as the Odyssey itself was originally told - is the cherry on top.
It's funny to note that after the movie traumatised us all as children, in the novel it's these darker sections (like a really disturbing description of a badger in the night) which are far more compelling than the numerous occasions the rabbits are all just sitting around and talking about stuff. The pacing is pretty glacial, and the action is never really that thrilling, with some very sudden halts in the suspense, but the cast is loveable enough.
Besides these moments, my favourite chapters were probably the El-ahrairah stories, as I've loved the legends of Frith and the Black Rabbit of Inle since I was a child, and they stick with me as the novel's most powerful legacy. Adams has thought up such a gorgeous mythology, and his classical influences are on full display.
There are rather a few too many characters to satisfyingly keep up with, most notably Hawkbit, Acorn and Speedwell who are barely mentioned. There are also some dodgy bits of internal logic, such as rabbits - who have been shown in previous chapters to not know even what a peg, train, car, sea, or fish are - suddenly referring to petrol.
As for the ending
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Un livre incroyable. Vraiment incroyable. A la hauteur des plus belles épopées du 20eme siècle. Une ode poétique a la nature. Un incroyable roman d'aventure. Qui pourrait croire qu'une simple histoire de lapin soit aussi belle et passionnante !? Impossible de lâcher ce livre quand on le commence.
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If this wasn’t for bookclub, I probably would’ve DNFed…. I was reading real fast/skim reading by the end not gonna lie. I just wasn’t interested?? I wasn’t intrigued by the plot or reading about rabbit drama. The only time I was interested was when Dandelion was telling those stories and idk why I was interested in those chapters. This was also wayyy too long like almost 500 pages?!?!? Def could’ve been (should’ve been) 250-300.
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I read this book in seventh grade and I remember that my teacher cried as she read the epilogue. At the time I didn't really get it but now I think I might.
"You needn't worry about them. They'll be all right- and thousands like them" is such a powerful line to end the book on.
This book about rabbits feels oddly human and I think that's very beautiful.
I find Richard Adams' writing a little bit more dull than I think I want it to be. The highlights for me are the story telling of the rabbit mythology. Especially the black rabbit of Inle. I think the characters come through the most in those sections.
"You needn't worry about them. They'll be all right- and thousands like them" is such a powerful line to end the book on.
This book about rabbits feels oddly human and I think that's very beautiful.
I find Richard Adams' writing a little bit more dull than I think I want it to be. The highlights for me are the story telling of the rabbit mythology. Especially the black rabbit of Inle. I think the characters come through the most in those sections.