Book Club Report: Watership Down by Richard Adams

Okay, so here's one of those books that I've felt bad forever for not reading. One of those books you hear about all the time, but just have never seem to get around to. You know the kind? So I was quite pleased when my book club decided to add Watership Down to the line up this year.

But when I saw how fat the book was, I was worried. That's a lot of words about rabbits!

In the end, I read about 130 pages of this popular book and decided I had too many other things to read to suffer through 400 more pages. Yes, people, take note... I DID NOT LIKE IT!

In fact, I was moved to create a DNF (did not finish for those unfamiliar with the term) shelf in Goodreads so I could stick it, and also the Path of Swords somewhere and get them out of my way. It was a sad sad day for me. Here's the thing about books I don't finish.... it's not that I never give up on a book, it's just that usually, when I do, I have all the intention in the world of coming back to it one day and finishing it. (Whether or not that actually is another thing.)

I highly doubt that's going to happen with this book.

And why did I not like it? Seriously, it was just plain boring. I know. How can I even utter the word? But it's true, and so I moved on to a different book, and one that will probably end up in my top ten of the year. See, why waste time, right? Move on, right?

BUT, you may ask, what did the book club think?

For the handful that actually stuck with it and read it, they said:

• loved the characters of Hazel and Fiver
• the ending was worth it, it was actually quite weepy
• how can you write 500 pages about rabbits?
• books (and movies etc.) that take animals and give them human characters are one thing, but those that allow them to "talk" yet keep their animal behaviors are another.
• most of us don't like talking animal books
• the author said in his note "this is a book about rabbits.. there is no other point I'm making" and to that most of us say, "yeah, right. NOT."
• is this a kid book or an adult one?
• there was too much description and much of that was using British terms and plants which we had no idea what they were
• where were the girl bunnies? (I know I know, they show up later after I quit!)
• why do so many people like this? Sentimental reasons? Why do boys like this so much? Adventure? Really?
• In the end, it came down to this... do you or do you not like rabbits? We had book club members that came down on both sides!