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Amy's Reviews > Watership Down
Watership Down
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I'm 100 pages in, and this book is as boring as they come. So many indistinguishable rabbits hopping around eating various types of green things in the ground. I try to read on it during my lunch break, but I find that I'd always rather do anything than start back on this book. Is it a rule that classics have to be boring? Do books become classics because they are boring and someone has decided that it's a mark of high class to read boring books? Oh, god, please let this book get better since there are 350 more pages left to go.
Edit:
Since people keep on finding this review and balking at it, let me just say that I found the book to be beautifully written. However, I just didn't find any characters I particularly cared for, and the storyline just wasn't interesting to me. I watched the movie just to see if it would be worth it to read the book, and I had the same reaction. It just wasn't interesting. I'm not a big fan of journey-type narratives or anthropomorphic stories. I'm a prolific reader of everything from classics to sci-fi. I read a lot of children's literature. I taught American literature for 10 years. And I also know what I like and what I don't. This just happens to be a book that doesn't appeal to me. Perhaps it speaks to you. Every book is different for every person. Every person brings in different experiences that allows a book to speak to them in a different way. If we all liked the same things, the world would be a terribly boring place. My feelings toward this book should not be a personal affront to you who counts it among your favorites. My one star is personal and has little to do with the author's ability to write or others' possibility of liking it. One star simply means that it doesn't appeal to me in the least. Calm down and move on.
Edit:
Since people keep on finding this review and balking at it, let me just say that I found the book to be beautifully written. However, I just didn't find any characters I particularly cared for, and the storyline just wasn't interesting to me. I watched the movie just to see if it would be worth it to read the book, and I had the same reaction. It just wasn't interesting. I'm not a big fan of journey-type narratives or anthropomorphic stories. I'm a prolific reader of everything from classics to sci-fi. I read a lot of children's literature. I taught American literature for 10 years. And I also know what I like and what I don't. This just happens to be a book that doesn't appeal to me. Perhaps it speaks to you. Every book is different for every person. Every person brings in different experiences that allows a book to speak to them in a different way. If we all liked the same things, the world would be a terribly boring place. My feelings toward this book should not be a personal affront to you who counts it among your favorites. My one star is personal and has little to do with the author's ability to write or others' possibility of liking it. One star simply means that it doesn't appeal to me in the least. Calm down and move on.
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Watership Down.
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Reading Progress
October 21, 2007
– Shelved
February 20, 2008
– Shelved as:
classic
February 20, 2008
– Shelved as:
anthropomorphic
October 6, 2013
– Shelved as:
abandoned-forever
November 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
dnf
Comments Showing 1-50 of 55 (55 new)
message 1:
by
Ann
(new)
-
rated it 5 stars
Jan 24, 2009 08:58AM
Wow you should really finish this book! Did you get to where BigWig joins the other warren's owlsla and there's a bunny war? And the seagull? Jeez.. this is the least boring book ever.
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Ann wrote: "Wow you should really finish this book! Did you get to where BigWig joins the other warren's owlsla and there's a bunny war? And the seagull? Jeez.. this is the least boring book ever."After agonizing over the watching of the movie, I'm so glad I never wasted time with reading it. Bunny wars and seagulls are really not my idea of interesting. Fortunately, everyone in the world doesn't like the same thing, and I'm fated to have no interest in stories about male bunnies on a quest for a new home.
To each her own, oh well.
ahm...yeah....I am currently TRYING to read this book for the 2nd time and I can't even make it to page 100! I'll read like 2 pages and call it quits - I mean seriously, it's a book about talking rabbits. Who decided that this book should be deemed a "classic"?I think it sucks. I'm moving on.
It doesn't pick up until Part II in my opinion. But if you only take it as a book about talking rabbits I'd say you're missing out on the depth of characters..
Wow. That was inappropriate. You can't judge a person as having no patience because they didn't like a book you did. Stopping a famous book after a hundred pages doesn't show impatience; it shows decisiveness. I watched the movie to see if I should bother finishing the book and didn't like the movie either. I'm just not a big fan of anthropomorphism. I never read such books as a child and should have realized I'd not like them as an adult either.
It's okay. We all have bad days.
Horselover, click on my name and find out! I read a little of everything -- from classics to literature to sci-fi. I read lots of young adult books because I teach American literature to ESL students and try to find easier books I think my students will like. I also get a lot of free books to review from Amazon.com, so I read lots of new stuff. I don't really care for romances or bunny books (apparently).I can't tell what you like because your profile is set to private.
Sucks. I read the book back in middle school after not really enjoying the film. My mother read it as a child and gushed about it enough that I tried it. It's actually really good, but I can definitely see why some people find it to be slow and a littl dull.
*sigh* Kids these days have no appreciation for good literature. That's how adult books work, honey. Not everything has to be exciting and fast-paced. But I supposed people are entitled to their opinions.
Aisling wrote: "*sigh* Kids these days have no appreciation for good literature. That's how adult books work, honey. Not everything has to be exciting and fast-paced. But I supposed people are entitled to their op..."You apparently know nothing about me. I'm in my 30s, teach American literature, and read various genres (most of which are NOT action-heavy). This just wasn't my cup of tea. Anthropomorphic novels rarely are. I'm sure I have favorite novels that you'd not like just as I didn't care for this book. We all read through different lenses.
"Take the book into your two hands and read your eyes out, you will never find what I find." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Boring, really? You gave Cloud Atlas 5 stars and this book is boring. YOu teach American lit and you give this book one star because it is boring. I bet you teach Henry James or H.D. Thoreau, while they can be verbose and boring and (in the case of James) not my cup of tea, I would never give them one star based on how well they kept my attention. My daughter read this when she was 9 and she didn't think it was boring. A child, with a short attention span was engrossed by this "boring" book. I refuse to accept your review based on boringness as it absolutely incorrect and not factual at all.
Amy, I agree with you 100%. According to my Kindle, I have 10 hours left...but I feel like I've been reading it already for 10 hours. How does this book have so many 5 star reviews? The rabbits all blend together. I rarely don't finish a book I've started (especially one for which I've paid), but I don't think I can spend 10 more hours reading about rabbits hopping around from one boring event to the next.
Matt wrote: "Amy, I agree with you 100%. According to my Kindle, I have 10 hours left...but I feel like I've been reading it already for 10 hours. How does this book have so many 5 star reviews? The rabbits all..."I always hate getting comments about this review because the ones that love it are rabid about their love for it. Ya know, I watched the movie just to make sure that there wasn't something wonderful I would have missed by not reading the whole book. Oh dear lord. It was definitely one of the most boring movies I've seen in a decade. Either it speaks to you or it doesn't. If you want to validate your decision to stop reading, just rent the movie.
I understand that you found the story boring and I fully respect that, but I can't help but ask about what you thought of the prose. That's what kept me going and a major reason why I adore this book so much. It's so lyrical that I compare it to the prose of other works. (Which is unf
I'm sorry. Hit the post button by mistake! Anyway, as I was saying, I know it's unfair of me to compare Adams' writing style to other works, but I can't help it. I understand that some people on here found the extremely descriptive prose annoying. Is that what happened when you tried this book? I'm just wondering what it was exactly that bored you with this one. Thanks!
Amber wrote: "I'm sorry. Hit the post button by mistake! Anyway, as I was saying, I know it's unfair of me to compare Adams' writing style to other works, but I can't help it. I understand that some people on he..."The prose was fine. I found the book to be beautifully written. However, I just didn't find any characters I particularly cared for, and the storyline just wasn't interesting to me. I'm not a big fan of journey-type narratives anyway.
I see what you mean.
Thanks again. I appreciate you clearing that up a lot. I find it easier to respect an opinion once I understand the viewpoint, regardless of whether or not I agree, so thank you.
Budd wrote: "I refuse to accept your review based on boringness as it absolutely incorrect and not factual at all. "I find this really funny. As if being boring is an objective quality.
Corrie wrote: "Budd wrote: "I refuse to accept your review based on boringness as it absolutely incorrect and not factual at all. "I find this really funny. As if being boring is an objective quality."
Ha. Right. And if beauty and love were an objective quality, we'd all want to marry the same person.
That I find boring what someone else finds interesting obviously makes me a horrible, horrible person. I know. I'm just ... despicable. Just send me to a rabbit warren to live out my days in punitive misery among the bunnies. That would serve me right.
Oh, you are only allowed to review a book you have read in its entirety? Got it! Thanks, Pat!
Corrie wrote: "Oh, you are only allowed to review a book you have read in its entirety? Got it! Thanks, Pat!"I didn't say you aren't allowed, Corrie. I just said I was surprised they would. Many great classics take a long time to set the scene or develop the characters and don't become truly interesting until more than halfway through. I simply find it surprising that a teacher of literature would (1) write a review on a book they didn't read and (2) would later justify that fact by saying they watched the movie so they're sure they got it right. I also find it surprising that a teacher of literature would ask the question, "Do books become classics because they are boring and someone has decided that it's a mark of high class to read boring books?" To me, this review sounds like a teenage girl complaining about an assignment and not a helpful review. You're entitled to your own opinion, this is mine.
It sounds to me as if she read enough of the book to decide she didn't like it, and then later watched the movie to see if the story would appeal to her in any way, which it did not. What's wrong with that? Plenty of people may find this review helpful if they also felt the same way about it. Perhaps you should go write a helpful review of your own, instead of trying to argue with someone and/or insult them over their opinion of a book in their own review space.
WOA. I cant believe all mean comments saying you don't know nothing about literature and etc, even the smartest people and people who teach literature, or "wise" people, or whoever, don't like all classic, and don't like books with 5 stars. People, just bc is your favorite book doesn't mean it has to be perfect for everyone.
Each one has opinions, each one is different. Are u kidding? Your are judging a person that you don't know!!!
I'm currently reading this book, and Im liking it, but is so slow.
Btw I think children like this book bc is about rabbits. Not about real persons. Whatever.
Repet: IM LIKING THIS BOOK. And i understand everyone has different opinions -.-
I understand you...Even though I find the book beautifully written and I praise the way the writer "told the tale" from the rabbit's point of view, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I really tried to like it, I can see it's a beautiful piece of literatura, but I'm just not into it. "It's not the book, it's me. Sorry."
I recommend medication
I find it hard to believe anyone who teaches literature would describe a work as "boring". Surely you don't allow your students to write off the texts they have to read in that way. And surely you're realise Watership Down isn't just about bunnies and seagulls - right? Well, you're entitled to your opinion. Good luck with the american literature.
Some books are just boring, classic or not. I started this one once and stopped. Long and boring is double bad.
Duane wrote: "Some books are just boring, classic or not. I started this one once and stopped. Long and boring is double bad."I'm glad you're with me on this one. Life is too short, and there are too many books to read ones that are not appealing.
Mom, when I grow up, I want to be a contrarian just like her!
so many gushing reviews...you're a rebel, Amy lol
thank you for not loving this book! I've made it halfway through but it's been a real struggle. I am not getting anything out of it, and I can't imagine what children this would ever appeal to. ugh. not sure if I'll finish it. I might have to clip my toenails.
I love love love to read but I literally can't bring myself to finish this book. I'm forcing myself to read it hoping at any moment it will become interesting. People's glowing rating is the only reason I've made it this far.. I'm at chapter 23 & want to pull my hair out! I read most books in 2 days, I've had this one for 4, I'd rather have a root canal then read this book!
Kimberly Holloway wrote: "I love love love to read but I literally can't bring myself to finish this book. I'm forcing myself to read it hoping at any moment it will become interesting. People's glowing rating is the only r..."Stop now! You can do it. It's allowed.
I'm on page 12 and bored. As I get older it is still hard to not finish a book, but there is less time left to read, so if a book doesn't move you, you should move on to one that does. quitting this book. glad to know I am not alone.
I'm on page 232 and still bored. Still waiting to care. I'll trudge through it, since I've invested this much time in it, in hopes that it will get better. Some say that the second half is worth suffering through the first half. If I change my mind, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I'm aging pretty fast.
I loved the movie as a child, and have just finished the book. While I enjoyed the book, it didn’t quite do the magical thing that truly great books do. I did not find it boring, but I can definitely see how another reader would.
I completely agree with you Amy. I am more than halfway through with the book and though the writer is very good at his craft it is a very boring story. It amazes me that the book has such a high rating. I have come this far into the book so I believe I will finish it but I don't expect it to grow on me.
I really like how you explain your rating at the end, though. Even though you didn’t need to it was a good thing to do. That’s actually really cool and will really stop people from being aggressive towards you. And I do think we should at least all agree on the point (if we can’t all agree on the rating of the book😜) that the world really WOULD be boring if we all had the same tastes. :)
Thank you for your review. I’m on chapter 11 and STRUGGLING! Like you said, none of these bunnies are interesting to me and I’m bored by their journey. I’m trying to stick with it because it’s our book club pick for the month, but I’m hoping these bunnies will just get on with it. Huge yawn fest.
I'm 115 pages in and came to this app to see if it was worth continuing. Seeing the way people who like it are acting makes me want to quit even more.
This book was assigned my senior year and I don’t think anyone in the class finished the book. (My friends and I laugh about it to this day! )Here I am 40 years later and now an avid reader, reading reviews to see if perhaps I now might enjoy it. Your review has cemented my original view of the book. Thanks!
I’m on page 200 and while I like the book at baseline; it’s really uneventful for large chunks. Since these characters are in fact rabbits and written with the depth of such. The slow moments of the story have been the worst. I plan to finish it but I’ve never been this bored by a book that is decent in premise and well written. I think this could have been shaved down by 200 pages
I feel you. I'm 12 chapters in and soooooo bored and I love animals more than people. I was sure I would love this. I don't know if I can go on anymore!
I find the adventures of rabbits boring. 🐇🐇🐇 I am plodding through this book because my husband gave me a beautiful edition for Xmas, explaining that back in the early 70s it was quite a fashionable read for uni students.
This has been on my “to read� list for a long time. I am on page 139 and I am struggling. Projects that I’ve been meaning to get to for years are getting attention because I dread continuing.
