Review of "Watership Down" by Richard Adams

I love to read. I was house-sitting way out in the country for some friends of mine. I saw they had a copy of "Watership Down", and I had been meaning to read it for years. I settled myself into the hammock in the yard, and barely left it all day. I couldn't put the book down. I was completely enthralled by the writing as well as the actual story line. Whenever I thought the rabbits had finally found what they were looking for, I was surprised with something completely new.

For me, this is the hardest book to explain to people. I always want people to read it. People ask me what it's about. Well, it's about talking bunnies. It is so much more than that, but I just can't put it into words. It's terrifying, it's engaging, it's beautiful, it's funny, it's an adventure, it's swashbuckling, it's really just about everything.

The story follows two rabbits, Hazel and Fiver, as they search for a new warren, escaping imminent danger at almost every turn. They come across militant warrens and artistic warrens. They find a bird and make friends. The biggest problem facing this ragtag crew of rabbits is the lack of does. They will never have a successful warren until they are able to produce offspring.

The characters are engaging and lovable. The story is thrilling and rife with adventure. The writing is beautiful. My favorite line is the first sentence of the seventeenth chapter, "It was cold, it was cold and the roof was made of bones." Richard Adams is an engaging writer. I've never before seen through a rabbit's eye. I am fairly certain reading "Watership Down" is the closest I will ever get to doing so.