Sunday, January 30, 2011

Watership Down - Book 4, 52 in 52

Watership Down by Adams is a delightful tale of courage and adventure, hardship and survival that is probably best appreciated by kids at least who are at least high school age.  Hazel and a band of rabbits escape their warren before its destruction and set out into the unknown to find a new home.  Upon reaching their new home, they begin to realize that a home is not simply a place where they are safe but also where they are happy, which leads them on a quest to find some does to join their warren.  Through all the risks, they work together relying on the strengths of each individual to achieve together what would be impossible for them individually.  Along the way, Adams weaves in a combination of rabbit history and folklore, sprinkles in bits of rabbit language, and succeeds in creating a sense of realism that makes the book a timeless classic.

I found the book a bit difficult to get into at first and on occasion the amount of description can make reading sections of the story a bit tedious; however, despite the slow start, the book is an exceptional read that can be enjoyed as a simple adventure or analyzed as an allegory.  At almost 500 pages, it's not a quick read (be prepared to stop and contemplate if you want to ponder the allegorical ideas), but it is definitely worth the time required to read it.

2 comments:

Faith said...

I just reread this book this past year. Very enjoyable and thought-provoking.

Harvest Moon by Hand said...

I've never read "Watership Down." Sounds like it would be a great book to read in the winter when the snow and cold keeps us indoors here more than we'd like.