Watership Down by Richard Adams; narrated by Peter Capaldi | 2019; originally published 1972 | Blackstone Audio | Audiobook $ 22.00
Set in England’s Downs, a once idyllic rural landscape, this stirring tale of adventure, courage and survival follows a band of very special creatures on their flight from the intrusion of man and the certain destruction of their home. Led by a stouthearted pair of friends, they journey forth from their native Sandleford Warren through the harrowing trials posed by predators and adversaries, to a mysterious promised land and a more perfect society.
This one was actually a re-read for me. I first read it ages ago as a kid, and enjoyed it so much that I re-read it several times… but it’s been a few several many years since then, so I thought it’d be worth revisiting as an adult.
The story follows the epic adventures of a handful of rabbits as they flee the destruction of their home and try to find a safe new place to live. Yes, I realize this sounds terribly twee, but the key word here is adventure. This tale is just as action-packed as any book featuring regular old 2-legged characters could be. In fact, it’s downright bloodthirsty. Nobody is wearing a winsome waistcoat or baking biscuits like you might see in a cute pastel illustration from a friendly children’s book; no, we’re not shying away from the brutal natural life that rabbits tend to experience.
I’m glad I revisited this one; as it turns out, little-me’s taste in books wasn’t too terrible after all. One of the most appealing things about it is the way the rabbits seem to have their own very rabbit-y culture. They’re not just human characters with bunny ears on; they have their own language and political systems and mythology and social expectations. In a way, this reminds me of high fantasy, the genre in which one usually expects to find mysterious creatures doing battle as they shout made-up words that you have to look up in the glossary in the back of the book.
The only tiny little mar on my enjoyment of the book is the disappointing treatment of the female characters; the perspective is entirely that of a group of bucks, who tend to treat doe rabbits simply as objects to be won and bred with. I suppose this may only matter to a modern reader who is more used to reading from a feminist perspective; it certainly didn’t put me off as a child, and the story is a fun time all the same.
Here is a story worth reading for kids and grown-ups alike — and probably for grown-ups to read to their kids, though that recommendation is a bit outside of my wheelhouse. If you can get the audiobook version narrated by Peter Capaldi, go for it; he is an absolutely perfect storyteller for this tale.
Links:
- Review of Watership Down at Kirkus
- Obituary of Richard Adams in The Guardian
- “On the Unsettling Allure of Watership Down” article in the New York Times Magazine
Publication information: Adams, Richard. Watership Down. Ashland, OR: Blackstone Audio, 2019. Audiobook.
Source: Public library, via Hoopla.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.
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