Customer Reviews

Watership Down

5 star:		(470)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(43)

 

 

"Watership Down" was Richard Adams' debut novel and was first published in 1972. He originally told it to his children to help pass the time on long car journeys. It won the Guardian Award and the Carnegie Medal in 1973 and is set in Berkshire, where Adams was born in 1920. It is, of course, about rabbits, and was made into an animated film in 1978 - the soundtrack of which featured "Bright Eyes", by Art Garfunkel.

The book opens at Sandleford Warren in May, with Hazel, a yearling, and his brother, Fiver, feeding at sunset. Although brothers, the pair are very different. Fiver was the runt of the litter and, as a result, is a lot smaller and much more nervous than his brother. He is, however, also something of a seer and - not long after the book opens - foresees the destruction of their home warren. The pair bring the prophecy to the Threarah, their chief rabbit - who, despite Fiver's success rate, refuses to accept it. The brothers decide to leave anyhow, and mean to bring whoever wishes to come along with them. A number of others join them, including two Owsla members : Silver, a nephew of the Threarah, and Bigwig. Although they have little idea of where they're going, Fiver knows what they should be looking for and have an excellent leader in Hazel.

This book has so much going for it, it's hard to write a review that will do it justice. Bigwig was a great character - an all-action rabbit (yes, really !!) whose name comes from the strange tuft of hair between his ears. However, he's not the only star. Other notable characters include General Woundwort, the leader of another warren and the baddest rabbit in England. (A vicious character, he'd leave your average bunny-boiler with badly burnt fingers and causes our heroes a great deal of trouble). Kehaar, a somewhat foul-mouthed (or is that foul-beaked ?) seagull, provides a certain amount of humour. He also helps the rabbits establish themselves after they arrive at their new home. The story is very engaging and is very well told. Adams explains the way rabbit society is structured, for example, including the role of a Chief Rabbit and his Owsla. As the story progresses, he includes a few words of the rabbits' own language and a few of their myths : these are very much centred on the great rabbit hero, El-ahrairah. An excellent book, and highly recommended.

Watership Down is a good book for children, young adults and adults. It is more than a fantacy and an allegory. There are a lot of messages in the book that the author conveys, such as environment, insensitivity of human development, nature, leadership, group relationship, ideals......

Only the British seem to know how to write for children without talking down to them. While telling a gripping adventure about a group of rabbits, Adams also makes a strong statement about the nature of leadership, contrasting the intelligent and intuitive protagonist Hazel with the repressive and authoritarian General Woundwort. The book's environmental message is also as relevant today as when it was written.

i read this book when i first started my second semester english class because it was lying around and i couldnt find another book to read, but now, im glad i did read it. its a wonderful book, full of adventure of thrill.. it really left me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know what was going to happen next with Hazel and his friends, and the dictionary in the back is fun to look at when u dont know what one of the authors words mean. Best of all, kids of all ages can relate to the book, and even if your not a kid, its still a good book to read in your spare time. i reccomend this book to people who have nothing better to do.. enjoy a good story once in a while.. even if it is about a fantasy world of rabbits and their society.. although i did get wrapped up in the book, because the author uses imagery strongly, leaving you with an almost movie like version of the book playing in your head.. buy this book.. not becuase you can, but becuase i said so...

Watership Down is one of those delightful books that I love to re-read when I little down--a little funky. I know it will pick me up and brighten this somewhat dismal world that sometimes comes down the road.

Watership Down is the allegorical story of a warren of rabbits who have to flee because their country domain is being destroyed by modern man and technology. It is the story of Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver, and the rest of their friends and family as they try to find a new living space in this sometimes cruel world. They have their own bunny language, their own epic heroes, and their own lives which every reader can equate to his or her own self.

I thought this is one of Adam's best works, and I found in it much suspense as the rabbits make their way across the English countryside with just enough pauses for me to catch my breath and continue on. After all, these are rabbits.

In this sometimes cold and callous world, we need more bunnies.

"Come on then, Hazel!"
"I'm coming!"
"Hurry up!"
"I'm coming!"
The rabbits streaked through the long, wavy grass. I think Watership Down gives the message that animals think and feel the same as humans. They would have to, to get away from predators. If you kill an animal, doesn't it bleed? I think the author got through to me because I'm going to do a report on this excellent book.
"Come on, let's go silflay!" (Eat grass)
"Sure, Bigwig!" Their back feet kicked warm dirt as they hopped to the bright, succulent green grass outside. Rabbits are like humans in their own way. They may not wear clothes or stand on two feet, but they communicate more or less the same way. They will talk and send messages they way you communicate which brings me to the conclusion that if rabbits communicate like that, so must other animals. I think the book gives off the image that even though they don't talk to you with words, that doesn't nessecarily mean they aren't talking.
"Grr, Ruff Ruff!"
"I'm going to get you!"
"Ruun!"
The rabbits flee from the Black Labrador's terrible jaws.
"That was a close one!"
The rabbits in Watership Down show you that it is a dangerous world because there are
many predators. In the middle of the book, Holly, one of two rabbits that escaped, tells of the poisoning of the rest of the rabbits by humans. This problem of predators shows throughout the book. Whether predators fox, dog, cat, human, or other rabbits, the animals struggle to survive like you or me.
"You know the rules. Take him away, and let him off with a ripped ear!" General Woundwort (rabbit) glared as the poor gray rabbit was led down the hall, kicking and struggling. People can be cruel, right? Well, so can animals. The rabbits of Owsla, a whole population ran by a bad rabbit by the name of General Woundwort keeps animals underground until a certain time marked by a bite or scratch on the rabbit. If a rabbit escapes and get recaptured, the punishment may be that they will make you blind. If they capture rabbits from another den, those rabbits will probably live at Owsla for the rest of their lives. Just because humans think animals are cute and fluffy doesn't mean they aren't cruel.
"Something bad is going to happen!"
"Ok. We'll leave, Fiver."
"We've got to leave, very, very soon!"
The rabbits (some of them) left because Fiver's bad feelings. Humans have a sixth sense sometimes also, like any animal. Not everyone left, and the rabbits who didn't leave were slaughtered. Don't humans leave a place if they feel they are threatened? Well, that's exactly what animals do.
"We've found our new home, and we'll live here for a long, long time!"
"Yes!!" Bigwig cried.
Throughout Watership Down, the rabbits show great courage. Whether helping fellow

rabbits or escaping the jaws of a predator, they always make it through unscathed. I think the important thing is that he author made his point with words. The rabbits could have been cruel like some others, but they were mostly kind. When Fiver predicted they had to leave, the rabbits left and didn't look back. I can always vision the rabbits standing on their hind legs, brown fur ruffled and their pink noses twitching.

I just finished reading this book today,and I love it! I'm pretty sure that this is my favorite book.Watership Down made me laugh,cry,and think.The ending is really good - not happy or sad.The drama in the book is very dramatic,from the fields covered with blood to Bigwig's fight with General Woundwort.My favorite characters are Bluebell,because he's always making jokes,and Blackberry,because he's so clever.Fiver is kind of cryptic.Anyway, I would definitely recommend this book for everyone.

The other reviews will give you lowdown on the story. I simply wanted to give praise where praise is due. Outstanding tale.

I may be 11, but I have a 12th Grade reading level. This was an excellent book - I read it in about 3 days. The book is about 500 entriguing pages long. It's about a group of rabbits, one of whom (Fiver) is a rabbit oracle, basically. They are all so cute! Fiver leads a group of rabbits, including Hazel, out of the Warren and into the wild. As they work together, Hazel becomes leader. They have many adventures and eventually end up on Watership Down, where they start anew. I loved the way Adams makes up words, such as Rah (eg Hazel-rah!), and uses them so efficiently. I would not reccomend this book for animal haters [aka devil worshippers :-)] or people under the age of 10, unless they can read very well and have patience to read books. If you like(love is more like it)d this wonderful book, I'd reccomend reading any of the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. Those are wonderful, and about mice. They are also intriguing, and I read all 14 in 1 day each.

There are just too many books, which dwell mainly on our human perspective of life and the world about us. This book presents the rabbits viewpoint as humans encroach on their home-front by developing lands and pushing them away, endangering their existence in the wild. Apart from being a very good story in itself, it presents the rabbits' habitats and serves as a reminder to think about other species co-habiting on this Earth with us. Along similar lines, I would like to highly recommend the new book, "ACCUSED BY FACET-EYES" by scientist-author, C.B. Don. Like "Watership Down", it is a compelling story, but in the form of an exciting science-fiction fantasy and it too opens the mind to the perspective of another species --- the essential pollinator honeybee society, which accuses humankind of endangering their habitats by our thoughtless, global polluting practices. Like the marvelous classic "Watership Down", this book is surely also a must-read for all caring nature-lovers, who enjoy a fantastic eco-novel!