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After about 6 months of forcing myself to read it, after page 300 I finally decided to skim it. I am not the type of person to give up. Then I skipped to the epilogue. If I pay my money, I want to get my money's worth. This book is really boring, but since there was no bad language or sex, I didn't have any excuse for not trying to get through it. Everyone else loves this book. Maybe there is something wrong with me.
I was very disapionted to read all the negative views about this book. Believe you, i breed rabbits, and that point is very true. They do not give a flip about female rights.I highly recommend reading it. One of those rare books that you will pick up, reread again, and find something new in it you didn't notice the first time. The portrayal of the countryside the rabbits wander thoughis excellent. This is also based on how wild rabbits behave in the wild. This is a wonderful read. Boy bunnies generally do not care about the females unless they can mate wth them.
So yes, it would be natural for the male bunnies to view females as 'breeding stock.' However, if you do read into what the bucks are saying about the females, esp the hutch rabbits, they do show some general concern for their welfare. They are just not a romantic species. This is beautfully written book. They have adventures one right after th eother that makes you want to skip ahead a few pages to see if they will be OK.
He writes with urgency too, so that whether he's writing about a danger the rabbits are facing or telling a funny story you become caught up in the moment. How anyone can not like this book or the characters is beyond me. Richard Adams manages to capture everyone's desire for freedom, love, friendship and doing away with bullies. Yes it's a story about rabbits, but it's so much more - those that can't see that aren't in touch with their inner child. Read and enjoy.
In the author's note beginning this read, Adams states that he struggled to find a publisher, as the characters of bunnys was childish, whereas the storyline was very adult.And thats what I thought this book would be like. Well the storyline was very adult, kinda like Gulliver's travels. The main crew of rabbits travel the countryside and encounter trails and tribulations which (apparently unintentionally) are allegories for human society.The whole rabbit thing is done brillantly, from a rabbit's perspective the world is a dangerous and fascinating place, its a bit like a fantasy novel with supernatural creatures, except the creatures are of course dogs, foxes and human vehicles.As an older book Watership Down, does have a longer-winded feel about it, with lots of stories within the story and build-up to the final confrontation.I remember my first experience of this book was actually the movie (intially dismissed as a child's Animals of Farthing wood type thing) Then I happened to catch my younger brother watching towards the end, where there were rabbits totally tearing the s*** out of each other and brutality in all corners.Highly Recommended :)
The brothers, along with a group of like-minded individuals, leave the warren and go through several adventures in search of a safe place to live.To give anymore of the plot details away would remove some of the enchantment from this incredible book, and I refuse to do that to you. You may say that life is too short to re-read books, but I say that life is to short not to enjoy your favorite things.Richard Adams began Watership Down as a story told aloud to his two daughters on a long car trip. After taking their concerns to the Chief Rabbit and trying in vain to make him believe and understand that they are in great danger, Hazel and Fiver plan an escape from their warren. Fiver has the gift of prophecy, and when he speaks, his older brother Hazel listens. Watership Down is the story of a small group of rabbits traveling across the English countryside in search of a new home. If you'll allow yourself to get lost in the story, you will not regret it. I have read it many times, and have vowed beginning this year to re-read as my first book of each new year from now on. I have read many other wonderful books over the years, but there is something special about Watership Down, a certain magic that not even time can erase.
The rabbits of Watership Down act with human characteristics such as bravery, loyalty and ingenuity. As I have stated before, it is my all-time favorite book. Their tale begins when Fiver, a small, nervous rabbit, senses an unnamed future danger for the warren in which they live. In creating his fantastic world of wild rabbits, Adams constructed a new language, a complete culture, and an imaginative folk history for his characters, all of which add incredible depth to the story and to the characters themselves. Watership Down is a story of great beauty. I first read it when I was just 12 years old, almost 20 years ago. However Adams has written them with a naturalist's eye for real rabbits - the reader is left with the impression that this is simply how rabbits behave.Watership Down is a marvelous tale of adventure, the breathtaking story of a journey which leads eventually to the safety of a new home, as well as a keen understanding of the outside world and all its perils. Rich in detail and with a compelling and entertaining plot, Watership Down is truly a timeless masterpiece, a modern day classic that is beloved by many (including myself - in case I have not made that clear).
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