One of the most phenomenal international bestsellers of the 1970s, Watership Down is an immersive saga that traverses great themes and feelings—courage, frailty, community, ecology, responsibility, friendship, love—while holding readers on the edge of their metaphorical seats. And oh, yes—it’s a 500-page novel about rabbits. The novel relates the exploits of a small band of unsure but intrepid rabbits who, under threat from encroaching human development, leave their familiar warren and set out across the English Downs in search of a new home. The characters of the rabbit protagonists are convincingly drawn, and the sweep of the action that carries them through encounters with predators, unfriendly terrain, and bad weather—to say nothing of fear, fatigue, despair, and other dangerous states of body and mind—is irresistible.
It has been over thirty years since I read Watership Down... and high time I re-read it. As another poster said, it teChes kindness and compassion. Plus it has given me one if my favorite words: tharn. Kind of like Grok. Both great words that embody so much.
since I first read this when I was much younger, I remember never having thought about life from another creature's perspective in the past. Of course there are so many deep levels to this wondrous book, but I will never forget my first exposure to it.
Although I hate rabbits (they are considered vermin in Australia and have done massive damage to the environment), the story is gripping and entertaining.
Because my mother has been a reading teacher since my brother and I were born, I can't remember a time when I wasn't interested in reading. I would be surprised if we each weren't read to within the first 48 hours of being born. This book means a lot to me because my mother didn't actually recommend this book, but my dad. This was my dad's favorite book, so I read it fairly young. I think this was the first book that I fell in love with.
The first book I ever read from the point of view of animals. Real animals with real world issues, as opposed to childhood stories. I guess I really didn’t think it could be done, and the result fascinated me!
Was able to travel to the exact meadow in England where Watership Down stemmed from (It is right near Highclere Castle of Downton Abbey fame.) It was magical to imagine talking rabbits.
In some ways, it's easy to forget that this is a book about rabbits. At the same time, the characters think and act so much like rabbits that it goes far beyond most anthropomorphized stories in bringing the animals to life as animals.
IT IS A MAJESTIC EPIC. THAT AN EPIC COULD BE WRITTEN WITH RABBIT PROTAGONISTS AND A GEOGRAPHIC AREA OF ONLY A FEW MILES MAKES THIS A TOWERING WORK OF THE IMAGINATION. TRANSFORMING RABBITS INTO A DEVELOPED CULTURE CHANGES THE WAY ALL RABBIT TALES AND EVEN ALL BEAST FABLES SHOULD BE UNDERSTOOD.
One taps Agree instantly, responding as the much younger person who read this a lifetime ago and loved it for the narrative, the story of Hazel and the rabbits.
Now as an older and (ahem) more sophisticated reader and one more sensitive and aware of animals, forests and all those others we share Earth with I recommend this as a way to remind us that nothing is here for us. Animals and trees and the mouse in the cupboard go about their independent business following their own drives. Granted, rabbit life might not be quite as depicted in Watership (or is it?), but reading it about it we can begin to comprehend--I hope-- that while all things on the planet are influenced by humans (and most often negatively) the natural world and its citizens both animal and vegetable are not there as obstacles, tools or resources for we allegedly big-brained thugs to use, abuse, squander and devastate as we will.
The Tale of the Fairy Wogdog is worth the price of admission, a delightful easter egg in the midst of a delightful rabbit adventure/social commentary. Yes, it is that weird and wonderful!
We use cookies to recognize you when you return to this website so you do not have to log in again. By continuing to use this site, you are giving us your consent to do this. You can read more about our practices and your choices here.
