Watership Down

Richard Adams

May 2019 · Blackstone Publishing · Narrated by Peter Capaldi

About this audiobook

One of the most beloved novels of our time, Watership Down is an epic journey, a stirring tale of adventure, courage, and survival.

Fiver could sense danger. Something terrible was going to happen to the warren; he felt sure of it. They had to leave immediately. So begins a long and perilous journey of survival for a small band of rabbits.

As the rabbits skirt danger at every turn, we become acquainted with the band, its humorous characters, and its compelling culture, complete with its own folk history and mythos. Fiver’s vision finally leads them to Watership Down, an upland meadow. But here they face their most difficult challenges of all.

A stirring epic of courage and survival against the odds, Watership Down has become a beloved classic for all ages. Both an exciting adventure story and an involving allegory about freedom, ethics, and human nature, it has delighted generations with its unique and charming world, winning many awards and being adapted to film, television, and theater.

Ratings and reviews

I love this book and was very disappointed with this reader, while he does have a good voice and does the characters well to the new Netflix mini-series, he mispronounces El-ahrairah, and while I can understand slight pronunciations because of regions and dialect, the 1978 movie, the TV series, the Netflix series, and Ralph Cosham's version of the audio-book all pronounce it pretty much the same. It jolts me out of the immersion of the reading because I have to remember who that character is. If it wasn't for that this would be a 4-5 star review.

This is one book that over the years I've come back to time and time again. Peter's narration is... OK.. although I did think acasionaly that it was Billy Connolly that was doing the narration.

Peter was coached in the correct pronunciation of El-Ahrairah by Richard's daughter. It is more likely that past versions have never quite got it right. This is certainly true of the 1978 movie. The correct pronunciation is phonetically Ella-(h)rare-RAAA, with the emphasis on the last syllable. Only real experts, or perfectionists, pronounce the 'h' before the 'rare' though, as it is tricky!

About the author

Richard Adams (1920–2016) wrote many novels and short stories, including Watership Down and Shardik. Watership Down hit the top of the New York Times bestseller list, where it stayed for eight months, eventually becoming Penguin Books’ all-time bestseller. He grew up in Berkshire, England, the son of a country doctor. After an education at Oxford, he spent six years in the army and then went into the civil service. The success of Watership Down allowed him to leave that work and write full time.

Peter Capaldi is a Scottish actor, director, and screenwriter. He has won two BAFTAs, two British Comedy Awards, an Oscar for directing the live-action short film Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life, and is the Twelfth Doctor of the long-running BBC program Dr. Who. Capaldi lives in London with his wife and daughter.