Sean Bala reviewed Watership Down by Richard Adams
Review of 'Watership Down' on 'Goodreads'
5 étoiles
After finishing "Watership Down" by Richard Adams, I immediately regretted that I did not read the book as a child. It is quite unlike anything that I have ever read. Adams found a way of making what is on the surface a very simple story which is deeply entertaining and though-provoking at the same time. Like the best children's literature, it can be read on multiple levels and does not shy away from the darker aspects of life and living.
Heavily influenced by Virgil's "Aeneid," the story follows a group of rabbits in rural England who escape from their warren when one has a premonition that their home is about to be destroyed. Adams describes the countryside in beautiful, well-drawn portraits that shows a deep love for the land. But what makes the novel stand out is the creation of a mythical world surrounding the rabbits, from language to culture …
After finishing "Watership Down" by Richard Adams, I immediately regretted that I did not read the book as a child. It is quite unlike anything that I have ever read. Adams found a way of making what is on the surface a very simple story which is deeply entertaining and though-provoking at the same time. Like the best children's literature, it can be read on multiple levels and does not shy away from the darker aspects of life and living.
Heavily influenced by Virgil's "Aeneid," the story follows a group of rabbits in rural England who escape from their warren when one has a premonition that their home is about to be destroyed. Adams describes the countryside in beautiful, well-drawn portraits that shows a deep love for the land. But what makes the novel stand out is the creation of a mythical world surrounding the rabbits, from language to culture to religion and legends.
"Watership Down" embodies the essential quality of influential world literature: the ability to create a highly-detailed world that can tell a universal story that resonates across cultures. It is the balancing of the quotidian and the universal that makes truly great literature. "Watership Down" is a beautifully-written novel that deserves its place as one of the 20th centuries best fantasies.