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Fifteen Rabbits 9780440926412 Books

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Fifteen Rabbits 9780440926412 Books

When I first stumbled across this book, I was intrigued, not in the least because it seemed like a precursor to Richard Adams' Watership Down. I wanted to see how a different author, writing from a different time period, in a different (albeit translated) language, and with different geography and rabbits, would approach a similar story.

In short, I found it haunting and beautiful, just like its British counterpart. Salten's approach of not anthropomorphizing the rabbits too much worked very well: while it wasn't as rich in lore as Adams' tale--there's no rabbit language or myths about a trickster in this book--Salten's writing is exquisite (as much as I can tell, not being able to read the original German). The novel is relentless: a constant turning of fear and death, and in that regard, perhaps not as hopeful as Watership Down (although that had its fair share of death and fear as well). And while I'd suggest that the characters aren't quite as well developed as Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig and the rest, my heart broke a little bit as I read about the rabbits' fates. (Poor Epi got to me the most, perhaps because his death wasn't part of the natural balance of predator and prey but due to humanity's, uhm, "intervention". Ignorant cruelty.)

Furthermore, this book pushed me to do a bit of research! I read a review elsewhere where a reader was critiquing the book for its depiction of rabbits' natural habitats, stating that rabbits don't live in hollow burrows or scrapes (as Salten depicts) but in warrens. Since this is what I'd always heard myself, I decided to look it up, and found out that certain types of rabbits (Cottontails) as well as hares, their cousins, do actually live in shallow scrapes or burrows rather than extensive underground warrens. Perhaps this might also explain why the translator occasionally says "rabbit" and occasionally says "hare."

All in all, a gorgeous, haunting book, well-worth checking out from the library or picking up used.


Tags : Fifteen Rabbits on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Cover and pages all very clean. Inscription written on inner cover. Slight page yellow due to age. Spine nice and tight. Loc D3,Fifteen Rabbits,Dell PUBLISHING,0440926416

Fifteen Rabbits 9780440926412 Books Reviews

Great!
Book is like Saltens others gives us a glimpse of beauty and hardships that abound in nature. A flight of nature fantasy and a reality of the struggle for survival. Beautifully written.
Had it in hardback. Loved it enough to get it in paperback. Have 2 other Salten books. Thanks,
But I loved the book. Great author, great characters, interesting story line, you won't be disappointed. Almost as good as Bambi, this book will leave you thinking (if only about why he called it "Fifteen Rabbits")
Great book about family and the world of animals who have to deal with man. A great story that's in the world of the classic Bambi.
This is a beautifully written book by Felix Salten, the author of Bambi.It is a very realistic portrayal of life in the forest among fifteen rabbits as they interact with other forest animals. There are certainly sad parts in this book and that should be noted if you want it for your children. But those sad parts are some of the most beautiful writing in the book and truly conveys the animals' struggle to survive. I have no children, so this book was entirely for me, and I LOVED IT!
Fifteen Rabbits is the story of a bunch of rabbits and their first year in the forest. We get to watch them grow, see the dangers they face, and, ultimately, see how they die. In a way, it is brutal, as it doesn't really sugar coat the harsh realities of life in the wild and the many perils animals face, either from nature, or from man. Animals get shot, killed by hunting dogs, captured by foxes, hunted by owls and hawks, even go mad or starve in the brutal winter - on the other hand, life is not without its rewards. The lovely countryside, the long summer days, the friendships between the rabbits and the other animals of the forest and how they help each other, sometimes without even meaning to, and, of course, love. It is an odd story, and oddly written, but compelling just the same. This was written by the same author who penned Bambi, and, based on this book, I can only conclude that the Disney version of Bambi that most of us know has nothing to do with the original book, which I am now inclined to read. This is really a slip of a book. They used a large print size with double spacing to bulk out the book. In standard paperback 10 point, this would be a thin little thing, and can easily be read through in a day or less. One word of warning, however, I would not recommend this book for small children. By modern standards the story is pretty harsh, but by 1920's standards, (when this was published), probably not so bad.
When I first stumbled across this book, I was intrigued, not in the least because it seemed like a precursor to Richard Adams' Watership Down. I wanted to see how a different author, writing from a different time period, in a different (albeit translated) language, and with different geography and rabbits, would approach a similar story.

In short, I found it haunting and beautiful, just like its British counterpart. Salten's approach of not anthropomorphizing the rabbits too much worked very well while it wasn't as rich in lore as Adams' tale--there's no rabbit language or myths about a trickster in this book--Salten's writing is exquisite (as much as I can tell, not being able to read the original German). The novel is relentless a constant turning of fear and death, and in that regard, perhaps not as hopeful as Watership Down (although that had its fair share of death and fear as well). And while I'd suggest that the characters aren't quite as well developed as Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig and the rest, my heart broke a little bit as I read about the rabbits' fates. (Poor Epi got to me the most, perhaps because his death wasn't part of the natural balance of predator and prey but due to humanity's, uhm, "intervention". Ignorant cruelty.)

Furthermore, this book pushed me to do a bit of research! I read a review elsewhere where a reader was critiquing the book for its depiction of rabbits' natural habitats, stating that rabbits don't live in hollow burrows or scrapes (as Salten depicts) but in warrens. Since this is what I'd always heard myself, I decided to look it up, and found out that certain types of rabbits (Cottontails) as well as hares, their cousins, do actually live in shallow scrapes or burrows rather than extensive underground warrens. Perhaps this might also explain why the translator occasionally says "rabbit" and occasionally says "hare."

All in all, a gorgeous, haunting book, well-worth checking out from the library or picking up used.