[.ca] Watership Down (ISBN 0140039589)

From Amazon.com:
Watership Down has been a staple of high-school English classes for years. Despite the fact that it's often a hard sell at first (what teenager wouldn't cringe at the thought of 400-plus pages of talking rabbits?), Richard Adams's bunny-centric epic rarely fails to win the love and respect of anyone who reads it, regardless of age. Like most great novels, Watership Down is a rich story that can be read (and reread) on many different levels. The book is often praised as an allegory, with its analogs between human and rabbit culture (a fact sometimes used to goad skeptical teens, who resent the challenge that they won't "get" it, into reading it), but it's equally praiseworthy as just a corking good adventure. The story follows a warren of Berkshire rabbits fleeing the destruction of their home by a land developer. As they search for a safe haven, skirting danger at every turn, we become acquainted with the band and its compelling culture and mythos. Adams has crafted a touching, involving world in the dirt and scrub of the English countryside, complete with its own folk history and language (the book comes with a "lapine" glossary, a guide to rabbitese). As much about freedom, ethics, and human nature as it is about a bunch of bunnies looking for a warm hidey-hole and some mates, Watership Down will continue to make the transition from classroom desk to bedside table for many generations to come. --Paul Hughes

We Need More Bunnies!:
Watership Down is one of those delightful books that I love to re-read when I little down--a little funky. I know it will pick me up and brighten this somewhat dismal world that sometimes comes down the road. Watership Down is the allegorical story of a warren of rabbits who have to flee because their country domain is being destroyed by modern man and technology. It is the story of Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver, and the rest of their friends and family as they try to find a new living space in this sometimes cruel world. They have their own bunny language, their own epic heroes, and their own lives which every reader can equate to his or her own self. I thought this is one of Adam's best works, and I found in it much suspense as the rabbits make their way across the English countryside with just enough pauses for me to catch my breath and continue on. After all, these are rabbits. In this sometimes cold and callous world, we need more bunnies.

Timeless and for all ages:
Only the British seem to know how to write for children without talking down to them. While telling a gripping adventure about a group of rabbits, Adams also makes a strong statement about the nature of leadership, contrasting the intelligent and intuitive protagonist Hazel with the repressive and authoritarian General Woundwort. The book's environmental message is also as relevant today as when it was written.

My Review:
"Come on then, Hazel!" "I'm coming!" "Hurry up!" "I'm coming!" The rabbits streaked through the long, wavy grass. I think Watership Down gives the message that animals think and feel the same as humans. They would have to, to get away from predators. If you kill an animal, doesn't it bleed? I think the author got through to me because I'm going to do a report on this excellent book. "Come on, let's go silflay!" (Eat grass) "Sure, Bigwig!" Their back feet kicked warm dirt as they hopped to the bright, succulent green grass outside. Rabbits are like humans in their own way. They may not wear clothes or stand on two feet, but they communicate more or less the same way. They will talk and send messages they way you communicate which brings me to the conclusion that if rabbits communicate like that, so must other animals. I think the book gives off the image that even though they don't talk to you with words, that doesn't nessecarily mean they aren't talking. "Grr, Ruff Ruff!" "I'm going to get you!" "Ruun!" The rabbits flee from the Black Labrador's terrible jaws. "That was a close one!" The rabbits in Watership Down show you that it is a dangerous world because there are many predators. In the middle of the book, Holly, one of two rabbits that escaped, tells of the poisoning of the rest of the rabbits by humans. This problem of predators shows throughout the book. Whether predators fox, dog, cat, human, or other rabbits, the animals struggle to survive like you or me. "You know the rules. Take him away, and let him off with a ripped ear!" General Woundwort (rabbit) glared as the poor gray rabbit was led down the hall, kicking and struggling. People can be cruel, right? Well, so can animals. The rabbits of Owsla, a whole population ran by a bad rabbit by the name of General Woundwort keeps animals underground until a certain time marked by a bite or scratch on the rabbit. If a rabbit escapes and get recaptured, the punishment may be that they will make you blind. If they capture rabbits from another den, those rabbits will probably live at Owsla for the rest of their lives. Just because humans think animals are cute and fluffy doesn't mean they aren't cruel. "Something bad is going to happen!" "Ok. We'll leave, Fiver." "We've got to leave, very, very soon!" The rabbits (some of them) left because Fiver's bad feelings. Humans have a sixth sense sometimes also, like any animal. Not everyone left, and the rabbits who didn't leave were slaughtered. Don't humans leave a place if they feel they are threatened? Well, that's exactly what animals do. "We've found our new home, and we'll live here for a long, long time!" "Yes!!" Bigwig cried. Throughout Watership Down, the rabbits show great courage. Whether helping fellow rabbits or escaping the jaws of a predator, they always make it through unscathed. I think the important thing is that he author made his point with words. The rabbits could have been cruel like some others, but they were mostly kind. When Fiver predicted they had to leave, the rabbits left and didn't look back. I can always vision the rabbits standing on their hind legs, brown fur ruffled and their pink noses twitching.

Classic Work of Literature for ALL ages:
i read this book when i first started my second semester english class because it was lying around and i couldnt find another book to read, but now, im glad i did read it. its a wonderful book, full of adventure of thrill.. it really left me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know what was going to happen next with Hazel and his friends, and the dictionary in the back is fun to look at when u dont know what one of the authors words mean. Best of all, kids of all ages can relate to the book, and even if your not a kid, its still a good book to read in your spare time. i reccomend this book to people who have nothing better to do.. enjoy a good story once in a while.. even if it is about a fantasy world of rabbits and their society.. although i did get wrapped up in the book, because the author uses imagery strongly, leaving you with an almost movie like version of the book playing in your head.. buy this book.. not becuase you can, but becuase i said so...

A great book!!!:
I just finished reading this book today,and I love it! I'm pretty sure that this is my favorite book.Watership Down made me laugh,cry,and think.The ending is really good - not happy or sad.The drama in the book is very dramatic,from the fields covered with blood to Bigwig's fight with General Woundwort.My favorite characters are Bluebell,because he's always making jokes,and Blackberry,because he's so clever.Fiver is kind of cryptic.Anyway, I would definitely recommend this book for everyone.