Friday, August 28, 2009

Watership Down Introduction

Hello everyone,

Sorry it took me so long to get this set up; I had to find my book and divide it into manageable chunks for you all to read. (I'm not very good at that, so it took me awhile.) I think I've got at least this first section mostly figured out, but if anyone feels the need to read ahead, please don't hesitate to do so.

For this first session, I'd like for us to read chapters 1 ("The Notice Board") through 11 ("Hard Going") for Tuesday, September 8. The initial chapters are fairly short, but starting with chapter 12 they start getting longer, so I had us stop there. My page numbers are 17-71, though I don't suspect they're like that for every version. I hope I've given you all enough time to read; if you have issues with the length, feel free to let me know and I shall adjust accordingly.

So, in case you missed it, here it is again: Chapter 1 ("The Notice Board") through chapter 11 ("Hard Going") for Tuesday, September 8

And as an added bonus, I'd like to give you all a starting question:

What are your initial thoughts about this book? What are you expecting from this book? What have you heard about it? What thoughts or concerns do you have? If you've already read the book, try and recall what you thought before you first read it. I ask this because I want to know what people think the book is going to be about. This isn't terribly formal or anything...I'm just curious, is all.

Enjoy, everyone!

Ellen

5 comments:

Istari the Angel said...

I've already spoken to you about this, Ellen, but for everyone else, I've been quite looking forward to this book. When Philip first introduced me to the Redwall series a couple years ago, I enjoyed it so much that he was surprised I hadn't read Watership Down. I know very little about what it's about, but I've heard something about rabbits and that there's some real intensity in it. I don't know anything about the plot. But with a few recommendations from people who know my reading tastes and comparisons to a series I love, like Redwall, I'm eager to get started. The schedule for now looks good to me, and I can't wait to start discussing. Happy reading, everyone!

Kate said...

The schedule looks great. I'm really looking forward to reading and discussing again.

I have read this book twice before, but it has been years - probably close to 10 years since I last read it. So, I am really looking forward to rereading it and discussing it this time around.

The first time I read this book, I wasn't even in high school yet. I tended to bug my brother when I got bored, and he would get irritated. His remedy was to shove a book in my hand and command me to read it. Watership Down was one of those books. The copy he gave me had a rabbit on the cover (it's the cover that most of us have probably seen) and I remember thinking, "This is a thick book. About rabbits. Hm..."

It will be fun to see the reactions to new readers to this story.

Ruth said...

All I know is it's about rabbits and it's a thick book. I don't know anything else about it, but I'm excited for the chance to read it. Thanks Ellen!

Istari the Angel said...

Preliminary report is that the book is quite intriguing...I read the first section and then had to keep going...at the rate I'm going I'll be finished by the end of the weekend. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

EWatson02 said...

It's a VERY quick read; I think I managed to read the first section within about an hour and a half.

These are interesting responses. Can't wait to discuss!