Watership Down is a must read for anyone, anywhere and of any age. Okay, okay, maybe the King of Spain who loves nothing more than to shoot elephants on his holidays would hesitate to pick it up, but everyone else IN THE WORLD must read this.
It's a traumatising tale of a band of rabbits who flee their home warren in fear of its imminent destruction. Their journey is somewhat epic and the disparate band slowly form a community of travellers, learning from their travels something of the value of life, freedom and peace,
This isn't just a story for kids about rabbits. This is about struggle, identity, authority and free will. Richard Adams created this story out of a desire to entertain his own children, but he has succeeded in entertaining thousands of children and adults.
Richard Adams creates a world parallel to our own where groups of individuals struggle against the oppression of organisation and military regimes; a world where, more often than not, the strong dominate the weak through fear and retribution. But into this world he has hurled those who are willing to stand against oppression and overcome it, where leaders are willing to give their lives for their people: if only our world were a little more like Adams' ideal.
There is a strong Creation mythology that runs through the story and if you ever see the film, the artwork is amazingly beautiful and should feature on the cover design of the 40th Anniversary copy, however the jacket for the most recent publication is atrocious and puts even me off reading it again. So, if you do buy a copy add my complaint to your purchase please.
Watership Down is a tale that will be enjoyed by all, regardless of age so tuck in and experience a taste of this world, which incidentally is a real location and under threat from developers. You'll see the irony once you've read the book.
It's a traumatising tale of a band of rabbits who flee their home warren in fear of its imminent destruction. Their journey is somewhat epic and the disparate band slowly form a community of travellers, learning from their travels something of the value of life, freedom and peace,This isn't just a story for kids about rabbits. This is about struggle, identity, authority and free will. Richard Adams created this story out of a desire to entertain his own children, but he has succeeded in entertaining thousands of children and adults.
Richard Adams creates a world parallel to our own where groups of individuals struggle against the oppression of organisation and military regimes; a world where, more often than not, the strong dominate the weak through fear and retribution. But into this world he has hurled those who are willing to stand against oppression and overcome it, where leaders are willing to give their lives for their people: if only our world were a little more like Adams' ideal.
There is a strong Creation mythology that runs through the story and if you ever see the film, the artwork is amazingly beautiful and should feature on the cover design of the 40th Anniversary copy, however the jacket for the most recent publication is atrocious and puts even me off reading it again. So, if you do buy a copy add my complaint to your purchase please.
Watership Down is a tale that will be enjoyed by all, regardless of age so tuck in and experience a taste of this world, which incidentally is a real location and under threat from developers. You'll see the irony once you've read the book.
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