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A review by readerette
Watership Down by Richard Adams
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
While unnecessarily long, this is a great adventure story where characters from a variety of backgrounds learn to rely on one another's strengths and build a new home together. It's wonderful to see the world through the eyes of creatures humans commonly call "pests".
It's a bit predictable after the first twist, but I don't think the twists and action are really the point.
My major complaint besides the length is the depiction of female characters, given that this book was written in the 1970s (not 1870s) by a man with daughters. There aren't many females in the book, the rabbit ones have very few thoughts or contributions of any kind besides fear and kittens, and they come across as dispensable considering their death rate relative to the main male rabbit characters. One could argue that this is all simply because of the "natural" way of rabbits, but the male rabbit characters behave in lots of unnatural ways despite the author's research into rabbits, which I'm sure was a deliberate choice. So why didn't he choose to create stronger, more present female characters?
Given the violence, the emotional toll, and the struggles the rabbits undergo, I would suggest this for children 12+ at minimum (more middle grade than children's), but it's a great read as an adult as well.
I listened to the audiobook read by Peter Capaldi, who did wonders with all the different character voices. I listened at 1.75x instead of my usual 2x because otherwise I couldn't catch all the rabbit-language words underneath the accents.
It's a bit predictable after the first twist, but I don't think the twists and action are really the point.
My major complaint besides the length is the depiction of female characters, given that this book was written in the 1970s (not 1870s) by a man with daughters. There aren't many females in the book, the rabbit ones have very few thoughts or contributions of any kind besides fear and kittens, and they come across as dispensable considering their death rate relative to the main male rabbit characters. One could argue that this is all simply because of the "natural" way of rabbits, but the male rabbit characters behave in lots of unnatural ways despite the author's research into rabbits, which I'm sure was a deliberate choice. So why didn't he choose to create stronger, more present female characters?
Given the violence, the emotional toll, and the struggles the rabbits undergo, I would suggest this for children 12+ at minimum (more middle grade than children's), but it's a great read as an adult as well.
I listened to the audiobook read by Peter Capaldi, who did wonders with all the different character voices. I listened at 1.75x instead of my usual 2x because otherwise I couldn't catch all the rabbit-language words underneath the accents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexism