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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
I read this for our High School Summer Book Club selection. This was my first time reading Watership Down. I know that it is taught in school as an allegory, so I found the forward by Mr. Adams very amusing where it stated that it was just a story he made up for his children. I read it more as a children's tale than as an allegory, though I can see how it might be taken than way. I enjoyed the story. I must have been pretty tense during all of the action at the end. I found that my jaw hurt afterward -- I must have been clenching my teeth. I thought it was a fairly easy read.
adventurous
emotional
sad
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:
Complicated
There is a reason this is a classic. I love books that are meant for children that aren’t afraid to be imaginative and unusual, and also do not speak down to or question a child’s intelligence. This is a harrowing tale about what happens when power is abused, how society’s shift and often discusses how men negatively impact the world around them. The rabbits not being cutesy was so refreshing and parts of the book felt like a nature field guide which I loved, living in the countryside myself. I grew up loving the animated film and remember reading the book when I was young and being horrified by it- however reading it again I’m struck by how thrilling, brutal, poignant and beautiful a story it is. I found the characters compelling and loveable and now have an urge to listen to Simon and Garfunkel lol
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
A story rich with lore and care. I read it slowly, but that didn’t matter to me. I loved every word.
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I read this in high school and detested English class until it was over. I see the references the author made to the human world but it just was not interesting to me. The bunny language that was used throughout was annoying. I tried rereading the book about two years ago when someone had made a comment that there are many similarities between the TV show Lost and this book. I tried but I couldn't do it. It was not worth my time and effort to try to read it again even though I am a huge Lost fan.
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One of the very few books available to us kids in the 60s/70s that was written for children, but with a harder edge. I guess you might describe it now as a YA novel. Does a great job of straddling the line between terrible cutesy anthropomorphic rabbits and totally dumb animals. Good natural history touches. Pretty male dominated (does are very much used as currency in the book). That may be realistic, but it's jarring. Stands up reasonably well, but Dandelion's stories go on too long and the whole book could have been edited down a bit. Taken me 50 years to read it, but I got there in the end.