"The Velveteen Rabbit" Review (Spoilers)

[matt_zimmer]

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

I finally read this. This book is pure. This books understands real in a way nothing else I have ever read does. It is by turns tragic, magical, and beautiful.

The book was written in 1922. As a rule, I don't like books this old. I don't connect with them. Williams found something in 1922 that was Universal and timeless, and the messaging still works in a world entirely absent scarlet fever. The book moved me and it matters. *****.

Comments

[jasonderoga86]

😃😃😃 I remember this book! 😃😃😃

When I was about 10 years old or so, my dad read it to me and my younger brother in the coziness of our living room one warm evening. It's been forever since I read it, but I remember getting serious "feels" as Dad read the tale to us. Gonna have to track it down and give it another read-through; the illustrations in our copy of the story were really cute, too.

It's always refreshing to know that the innocence of children's books still have that magical pull to yank one out of a world of darkness, even if only for a fleeting few hours. I'm glad the story touched you, buddy. Much love to you. 😇

[matt_zimmer]

It's not a remotely innocent book. If it were, it wouldn't be so profound. It's brave and truthful.

[jasonderoga86]

True. I guess I was thinking too much of my personal experience back then; I gotta track down a copy and read it again.

But yes, the actual story ain't innocent. And I remember being greatly saddened at the part where the Rabbit is packed up with the young boy's other books and toys to be set ablaze due to the doctor's orders.

But it was the elderly Skin Horse's soulful speech about what makes a toy "Real" and later the Rabbit's transformation into a real rabbit that was SO profound that, if I can remember correctly, both my younger brother and I started sleeping with our stuffed rabbits every night. Stories like this do that to you at that age, I guess -- and we both knew our friends at school would likely make fun of us because boys "weren't supposed to play with stuffed animals". But screw it, sleeping with our bunnies just felt RIGHT back then.

[matt_zimmer]

I avoided the book because I heard the rabbit burned. Candice assured me he escaped the fire so I read the book. It's amazing.