Richard George Adams - Watership Down

Pros: lots of adventure; suspense more in second half; likable characters
Cons: moved slowly and I skimmed fairly often; no emotional connection with rabbits; annoying accents/pidgin talk

When Englishman Richard Adams created this 426-page novel in the early 70s, he may have been influenced by world events, such as the bitter reality of the Vietnam War and President Nixon shaking hands with the Russian president. Watership Down is ...

Pros: Beautifully written. compelling.
Cons: None

For years I have heard people praise the book Watership Down as a classic of literature. However, the idea of a novel about a group of rabbits always seemed a bit childish. While I like children's literature, I really wasn't interested in nearly...

Pros: Deeply moving, very exciting, laced with wonderful humour.
Cons: Often misrepresented as a "fluffy bunnies" tale.

Watership Down is a masterpiece.

The above sentence should stand on its own. The book is not without its flaws, but only in minor and inconsequential ways (for example, some of the - very occasional - human speech grates a bit), and in any...

Pros: A many layered book that doesn't lose its appeal over time; something for all ages
Cons: Too complex in parts for very young children

When I was in the seventh grade, I had a skiing accident. I crashed headlong into a fence, and shattered my...pinkie. I had to spend almost a week in the hospital. First they had to remove the remnants of my original joint, and then replace it with...

Pros: Wonderfully developed story and characters, great writing, very well researched
Cons: Difficult text, complicated story, some violence, annoying rabbit language

Do you like cute, fluffy little bunnies? I mean, who doesn't? In Watership Down, you get to be close up and personal with dozens of these furry creatures. But the only thing is, not everything as it seems, as a young rabbit called Fiver senses. ...

Pros: Always inventive and with a great sense of tension and drama. Adams knows his stuff.
Cons: Chauvinist pig, thy name is Adams. A very middle-of-the-road type book.

Okay, I admit it. For years I’d been intending to read, “Watership Down”, but I’d always found some excuse to keep me from the task. So what pushed me over the edge? What gave me the drive and the oomph to actually pick up this 480-some page book and ...

Pros: Beautifully written; exciting; suspenseful; innovative idea
Cons: A few unnecessary details

Watership Down has been one of the few books that I have read that has truly surprised me. The entire book deals with a group of talking rabbits living on the English countryside. It sounded interesting, but I really didn't expect to enjoy it...

Pros: Highly detailed, rabbits still act like rabbits, wonderful story and format
Cons: Might be too heavy for young or immature readers

Richard Adam's classic tale might be mistaken for a kid's book about fictional rabbits. But from the first page, you realize that this is no fairy tale story, in deed I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone under 13. Adam's has composed a moving,...

Pros: A truly unique adventure.
Cons: Too dark for children.

In its time, Richard Adam's story about a ragtag gang of rabbits searching for a new home had much of the same epic splendor of LOTR. Of course, it wasn't a pure fantasy and had none of the "world building" depth of Tolkien's work, but the writing...

Pros: well written, gripping story
Cons: none

Watership Down is a remarkable book... it has facets of so many genres, it is almost a genre by itself. It is an adventure story, a quest story, an epic tale. It contains myths and stories within stories. It is a fantasy, but it deals with relevant...

Pros: One-of-a-kind great page-turning adventure tale
Cons: It ends too soon!

Richard Adams' "Watership Down" is that rare gem, a unique reading experience. There is really nothing out there I am aware of to which it could be compared. To say that it is in a class by itself may be cliche, but it is the plain truth.
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Pros: Fun and original
Cons: a natural for rip offs

This is a story about talking rabbits. If that makes you think of a children's book I don't blame you, but you pretty much have to be reading on an adult level to make it through the book successfully. The author is not always successful in integrating...

Pros: coming of age, creative, good for several readings
Cons: long, lots of invented words

Imagine you are the leader of a great and powerful nation. One day some wild-eyed young man somehow comes to your attention, raving wildly about the end of the world. Aliens are coming, he says, and we will all be killed if we stay. We must find and...

Pros: Engaging characters, superb plot, stands up well to multiple reads
Cons: It has a last page

You cannot read this book just once. There is so much more going on in this novel than the main plot suggests. The main plot alone, on its surface, is a grand and exciting adventure. A group of rabbits set out into the unknown to try to save their...

Pros: Characters are excellent. Story is enchanting. Fun to read and reread
Cons: Some offensive language and violence

I first read this novel when I was in the 8th grade. I enjoyed it so much that I read it to my younger brother (who still considers this his favorite novel of all time to this day).

Adams tells the story of a group of rabbits that have to...