Book Review: Watership Down

“You know how you let yourself think that everything will be all right if you can only get to a certain place or do a certain thing. But when you get there you find it's not that simple.”

"My Chief Rabbit has told me to stay and defend this run, and until he says otherwise, I shall stay here." 

 

Isn't it exciting the happiness that a good book can create? And don't you just love to hate the sorrow that comes with a book ending?  Watership Down was one of those books that I kept hearing was wonderful, but I kept thinking, "But it's about rabbits!" It was always hard to get myself to move it from the "to-read" list to getting the book and actually reading it. I don't regret doing it though.

Watership Down follows the lives of some rabbits who leave their warren because Fiver, who is prone to visions and premonitions, tells that something terrible will happen to it.  What follows are their adventures and trials as they try to find a new home and place to flourish.  Throughout the book, I would still have moments where I would stop and think, "But they're rabbits!"  However, most of the book is insightful questions about leadership, loyalty, companionship, survival, nature and courage.

I still think that perhaps this man was just a bit too fond of rabbits (they even have a language, a mythology, a religion, etc. in his world of rabbits), and that there is no way you could read this book aloud, because then you would have to pronounce Hyzenthlay and Thethuninnnang. But, it is really a good book. 

Four stars for Watership Down.