My review of Watership Down by Richard Adams

Watership Down by Richard  Adams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I found the novel Watership Down by Richard Adams surprisingly engaging. I am an adult, and this is an adventure story in which all characters are rabbits. I was quite surprised to be so taken with the story of the little breakout band of bunnies led by Hazel, Fiver, Silver, Bigwig, and later, Holly. Each new external challenge ~ finding new burrows, dodging danger, seeking out does ~ contains internal challenges revealing these key rabbits' personalities and strategic resourcefulness. Initial tensions during the first warren breakout and ensuing escape softened into a team spirit of trusting each rabbit's strengths. How could I help but cheer them? I found each of their victories thrilling, and I couldn't wait for their next adventure. (General Woundwort, leader of the Efrafa warren and frighteningly, cruelly evil, dampened my anticipation in some parts.)

Each rabbit warren our plucky little band, the Watership Down rabbits, encountered is its own little society with its own culture, government, rules, and habits. I delighted hearing rabbit proverbs, poetry, and terms of affection for each other. Periodically those in the main little band gathered around rabbit Dandelion, their best storyteller, to hear tales of the cunning El-ahrairah, their folk hero.

I could not help but admire the rabbits' courage, cleverness, and intimate knowledge of nature. And I was tickled by the names (like Blackberry, Bluebell, Pipkin) Adams gave his rabbit characters and their language. Most of the book is in English, of course, with a smattering of Lapine words. I loved their word for a motorized vehicle: hrududu because of the sound a vehicle makes. I finished the novel wanting to silflay, feed above ground; and I'll probably think of our elected officials as the Owsla for some time. :-)




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