When Women Were Dragons
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-02 08:51:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kelly Barnhill
- ISBN：1471412199
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In a world where girls and women are taught to be quiet， the dragons inside them are about to be set free 。。。
In this timely and timeless speculative novel， set in 1950s America， Kelly Barnhill exposes a world that wants to keep girls and women small - and examines what happens when they rise up。
Alex Green is four years old when she first sees a dragon。 In her next-door neighbour's garden， in the spot where the old lady usually sits， is a huge dragon， an astonished expression on its face before it opens its wings and soars away across the rooftops。
And Alex doesn't see the little old lady after that。 No one mentions her。 It's as if she's never existed。
Then Alex's mother disappears， and reappears a week later， one quiet Tuesday， with no explanation whatsoever as to where she has been。 But she is a ghostly shadow of her former self， and with scars across her body - wide， deep burns， as though she had been attacked by a monster who breathed fire。
Alex， growing from young girl to fiercely independent teenager， is desperate for answers， but doesn't get any。
Whether anyone likes it or not， the Mass Dragoning is coming。 And nothing will be the same after that。 Everything is about to change， forever。
And when it does， this， too， will be unmentionable。。。
In this timely and timeless speculative novel， set in 1950s America， Kelly Barnhill exposes a world that wants to keep girls and women small - and examines what happens when they rise up。
Alex Green is four years old when she first sees a dragon。 In her next-door neighbour's garden， in the spot where the old lady usually sits， is a huge dragon， an astonished expression on its face before it opens its wings and soars away across the rooftops。
And Alex doesn't see the little old lady after that。 No one mentions her。 It's as if she's never existed。
Then Alex's mother disappears， and reappears a week later， one quiet Tuesday， with no explanation whatsoever as to where she has been。 But she is a ghostly shadow of her former self， and with scars across her body - wide， deep burns， as though she had been attacked by a monster who breathed fire。
Alex， growing from young girl to fiercely independent teenager， is desperate for answers， but doesn't get any。
Whether anyone likes it or not， the Mass Dragoning is coming。 And nothing will be the same after that。 Everything is about to change， forever。
And when it does， this， too， will be unmentionable。。。
Reviews
Ayvaire
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I would love to give this book 5 stars， but the main character did not turn dragon。 She was so utterly not relatable for me in the end。 Imagine you could turn into a dragon， explore the world， become an indestructible killing machine who can get way older than a human AND can fly and spit fire and you just be like "nah， I am rather human， while all of my leftover family turned dragon and is so happy。"I know most people probably wouldn't like to turn into a dragon， but damn， in that very universe I would love to give this book 5 stars， but the main character did not turn dragon。 She was so utterly not relatable for me in the end。 Imagine you could turn into a dragon， explore the world， become an indestructible killing machine who can get way older than a human AND can fly and spit fire and you just be like "nah， I am rather human， while all of my leftover family turned dragon and is so happy。"I know most people probably wouldn't like to turn into a dragon， but damn， in that very universe I would have dragon'd at the first chance。Every character who wasn't a sexist jerk and abuser was amazing and I loved them， except the main character。 I liked her， still， but I really don't get her。 And that's fine。 But she was so not relatable in that one aspect that it kind of hurt。 。。。more
Barbara
，
An exceptional book that shows us what the world could be like if women were larger， more respected and more powerful， told through alternating narrators。 One is Alex Green， caught between how she was raised- to be seen， not heard， to be quiet and not cause any trouble- witnessing the world changing in the face of women who can turn into dragons。 The other is Dr。 Gantz， bringing curiosity， kindness and an open mind to the entire phenomenon。 Really wonderfully told。 I didn’t want it to end。
Mira
，
I'm so， so disappointed that I didn't like this one。 I really wanted to enjoy it。 The author has mainly written children's books before this one， and to be totally honest， I think it shows in her writing。 Although there were many passages that were beautifully written， the characters all felt very one-note and I didn't feel that there was a cohesive message。 The protagonist was exceptionally boring and had very little personality outside of being smart and caring。 Honestly， I just finished readi I'm so， so disappointed that I didn't like this one。 I really wanted to enjoy it。 The author has mainly written children's books before this one， and to be totally honest， I think it shows in her writing。 Although there were many passages that were beautifully written， the characters all felt very one-note and I didn't feel that there was a cohesive message。 The protagonist was exceptionally boring and had very little personality outside of being smart and caring。 Honestly， I just finished reading it and I can't even remember her name。In the beginning， this book constantly makes comparisons between the "dragonings" and women's biological functions， like periods， but later walks this back by saying that cross-dressing and trans-identified male people can also become dragons， and even states at the end that the dragoning is not "sex-specific。" How does that make sense？ It should be called "When People （Mostly Women） Were Dragons" then。 It feels like that massively diluted the feminist message。In addition， I'm not entirely sure what the feminist message was。 That women are powerful and worth more than their baby-making abilities？ Yeah sure， that was a powerful statement back in the fifties when this book takes place， but these days something with a little more oomph is needed in my opinion。 The dragons in this book don't do anything revolutionary， and in fact most of them attempt to return to their usual daily duties - but as dragons instead of humans。 They can still talk， learn， fit into houses， and perform actions all as normal， so what's the point？ Presumably violence against women would go down due to women now being more powerful than men， but this is hardly explored at all。 I don't know， maybe I missed something， but I feel like the author could have done so much more with this premise。 。。。more
Debs
，
It could have been more nuanced and complex， I think， but I still really enjoyed it。
Jessica
，
A masterpiece。 I was prepared for this book to fill me with rage， but instead I found myself grieving alongside Alex （and oh， how I loved her！ And Beatrice！ And all of them！）。 And ultimately， this was not a book about rage。 It's a book about love。 There's nothing more to say。 Get your copy。 Read it。 Treasure it。 A masterpiece。 I was prepared for this book to fill me with rage， but instead I found myself grieving alongside Alex （and oh， how I loved her！ And Beatrice！ And all of them！）。 And ultimately， this was not a book about rage。 It's a book about love。 There's nothing more to say。 Get your copy。 Read it。 Treasure it。 。。。more
Katy
，
DNF at 75%。 How is this book under 400 pages？ I was desperate to finish it because I received it as an EARC from net galley but I'm not putting myself through it when I have taken a whole month to read it。 This is without a doubt my least favourite book of the year， it is dull and could have been a far more engaging short story。 Add on to the fact that the story is repetitive and the addition of scientific studies unnecessary most of the time。 Its simple feminism and there is little in the way o DNF at 75%。 How is this book under 400 pages？ I was desperate to finish it because I received it as an EARC from net galley but I'm not putting myself through it when I have taken a whole month to read it。 This is without a doubt my least favourite book of the year， it is dull and could have been a far more engaging short story。 Add on to the fact that the story is repetitive and the addition of scientific studies unnecessary most of the time。 Its simple feminism and there is little in the way of intersectionality， at points I did find it a bit uncomftable to read because of the focus of the female reproductive system which doesn't make a woman。。。 yeah not my thing。 。。。more
Jonathan
，
Really fabulous。
Maureen
，
This is such a wonderful book。 A phrase in the story perfectly depicts the premise: "The Untapped Power of Female Rage。" I think it's a very timely thought。 This is such a wonderful book。 A phrase in the story perfectly depicts the premise: "The Untapped Power of Female Rage。" I think it's a very timely thought。 。。。more
Cricket
，
Immensely delightful， heart-wrenching， and hopeful。
Kaytee Cobb
，
3。5 I enjoyed this but there was a huge lull in the middle that bored the bajeezers out of me
Alice
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 In 1955 women "dragoned"。 Not all， but many， en masse。 Then nobody was allowed to discuss it， or the dragons。 It was considered rude， offensive and simply not done。 No one knew why some women transformed and others did not but it was clear that they escaped the choking confinement of societal pressures of the 1950's。 Our young protagonist， Alex， comes to terms with her life's horribly unfair treatment， yet finds support in the most unlikely places。Written by Kelly Barnhill， Newbery Winner of the In 1955 women "dragoned"。 Not all， but many， en masse。 Then nobody was allowed to discuss it， or the dragons。 It was considered rude， offensive and simply not done。 No one knew why some women transformed and others did not but it was clear that they escaped the choking confinement of societal pressures of the 1950's。 Our young protagonist， Alex， comes to terms with her life's horribly unfair treatment， yet finds support in the most unlikely places。Written by Kelly Barnhill， Newbery Winner of the Girl Who Drank the Moon， who makes a seamless transition to writing for adults。 A compelling story of feminist subversive behavior that is an irresistible read that examines assumptions， judgement， society's pressures， rage and ultimately the love that binds us。 。。。more
Heidi Holford
，
This book was based on an interesting premise but seemed almost cartoonishly flat in its execution。 I wanted so badly to love it， and I just didn't。 This book was based on an interesting premise but seemed almost cartoonishly flat in its execution。 I wanted so badly to love it， and I just didn't。 。。。more
Michelle Moonen
，
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Samantha Krivensky
，
My soul needed this book。
Stacey
，
With everything going on for the last several years， this book landed at the perfect time。
Stacey Chin
，
3。5 stars
Nora Swerbinsky
，
So， I was only going to give this three stars but then the last few pages almost made me cry and I realized how much I love Alex and Beatrice's relationship。 This was such an odd reading experience for me。 I really enjoyed the story and the writing style but I never felt compelled to keep picking the book up。 I think this might be due in part to the fact that any time any plot development occured， the chapter would end and the next chapter would have nothing to do with anything that just happene So， I was only going to give this three stars but then the last few pages almost made me cry and I realized how much I love Alex and Beatrice's relationship。 This was such an odd reading experience for me。 I really enjoyed the story and the writing style but I never felt compelled to keep picking the book up。 I think this might be due in part to the fact that any time any plot development occured， the chapter would end and the next chapter would have nothing to do with anything that just happened。 I was keeping my expectations for this book low from the start as I knew I was wanting too much from it and I think that saved my reading experience。 This is not a very diverse book and that's disapointing yet expected。 While Alex is a lesbian， all the main characters are white and Women of Color， who I would think would be even more affected by the dragoning， are only mentioned in passing comments。 Alex as a charactter and her love for Beatrice saved this book for me。 Wanting to make sure that they would be okay， and wanting to see them grow together was a driving factor in why I didn't DNF。 Overall， I like what this book did but wish it had done more。 。。。more
Saritza
，
When my colleague recommended the book I thought， this is such a weird story but hey， it's got dragons and she's never steered me wrong， so why not。 I didn't start reading it until I got to the airport thinking I'd probably read a little on the plane。 Then my flight got delayed。 I sat in the terminal and cracked this book open。 I did NOT want to stop reading。 It is such an immersive read and Barnhill's beautifully evocative language keeps you turning the pages wanting to learn more about the phe When my colleague recommended the book I thought， this is such a weird story but hey， it's got dragons and she's never steered me wrong， so why not。 I didn't start reading it until I got to the airport thinking I'd probably read a little on the plane。 Then my flight got delayed。 I sat in the terminal and cracked this book open。 I did NOT want to stop reading。 It is such an immersive read and Barnhill's beautifully evocative language keeps you turning the pages wanting to learn more about the phenomenon of a lifetime。It's a speculative memoir about an event called the Dragoning where thousands of women stepped out of their skins and took to the skies as newly transformed dragons。 It's set in the 1950s and 60s and it's PHENOMENAL！ 。。。more
Annie Camp
，
*long sigh* If only
Jessica
，
Masterful， powerful， and fiercely feminist。 I couldn’t put it down。
Jennifer Kepesh
，
I was a bit disappointed in this book， because Kelly Barnhill wrote one of my very favorite books （ The Girl Who Drank the Moon ）， and this one just doesn't gel。 It feels as though she wanted to write an alternate reality， but also wanted to write an allegory。 There is too much crammed in， and the metaphors are a bit heavy-handed， and her depictions of dragons just don't make sense （dragons carrying handbags， knitting， building walls--the all of it felt as though she hadn't considered the physic I was a bit disappointed in this book， because Kelly Barnhill wrote one of my very favorite books （ The Girl Who Drank the Moon ）， and this one just doesn't gel。 It feels as though she wanted to write an alternate reality， but also wanted to write an allegory。 There is too much crammed in， and the metaphors are a bit heavy-handed， and her depictions of dragons just don't make sense （dragons carrying handbags， knitting， building walls--the all of it felt as though she hadn't considered the physicality of the beings， and yet I know KB can be very good on such detail）。 It wasn't a terrible book， but it didn't live up to her best。 。。。more
Patricia
，
On premise， this should have been exactly for me: the set-up is basically Damsel meets The Power meets The Leftovers， all of which I absolutely love， and Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank The Moon is one of my all-time favorite middle grade novels。 But it just didn't come together。 The overarching metaphor was super heavy-handed and one-note， which made the whole novel end up feeling a bit boring。The acknowledgments mention that the idea for this book was originally intended for a short story， and I On premise， this should have been exactly for me: the set-up is basically Damsel meets The Power meets The Leftovers， all of which I absolutely love， and Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank The Moon is one of my all-time favorite middle grade novels。 But it just didn't come together。 The overarching metaphor was super heavy-handed and one-note， which made the whole novel end up feeling a bit boring。The acknowledgments mention that the idea for this book was originally intended for a short story， and I think that would have worked better。 To me， there just wasn't enough depth or nuance here to sustain 350 pages。 。。。more
Judith Trail
，
This book made it to my lifetime favorite book list （Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett; The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle， Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J。R。R。 Tolkein）。 That is saying alot as I am 70 years old， and English Literature major， daughter of a voracious reader and owner of about 2450 books， having read far more than that number in my lifetime。 This novel made me angry， made me rage， made me cry， made me feel unbearable joy and made me rethink my en This book made it to my lifetime favorite book list （Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett; The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle， Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J。R。R。 Tolkein）。 That is saying alot as I am 70 years old， and English Literature major， daughter of a voracious reader and owner of about 2450 books， having read far more than that number in my lifetime。 This novel made me angry， made me rage， made me cry， made me feel unbearable joy and made me rethink my entire life and what I wanted to do with it。 It is funny， profound， thought-provoking and empowering。 It is a masterpiece and every woman in the world should read it so that we can remember just who we are and what we can do。 Alex is a lonely， odd duck of a child of a father who does not care for anyone but himself and a mother， a thwarted mathematician and scholar。 Her aunt Marla is the only adult that pays attention to her。 Mother dies; father leaves and Marla， well， she "dragons，" leaving a daughter， Beatrice， to be raised by her sister and who becomes the most important person in Alex's life。 In 1955， 642，000 plus women in America spontaneously turned into dragons。 It had happened before， and continued to happen， but not en masse。 This novel is about Alex's life after this event， her drive to care for Beatrice， whom she treats as a sister， and her drive to finish her education and go to college。 Alex must make her way as a human woman， not a dragon， and she must find a way to reconcile her drive to excel with the motives that urged so many women to transform to a beast of raw power， empowerment and danger。 This is in fact what all must women must face: to become a dragon and become fully realized or to stay human and lose one's soul。 Choose the dragon every time。 。。。more
Rachel
，
Yup。
Erin Wallace
，
I wanted to love this！ Kelly Barnhill is one of my favorite middle grade writers。 The premise for this is just fantastic。 But it never drew me in。 It was slow and meandering。 I hoped for more。
SG Matthews
，
A little slow to start。 I had no idea how magical this book would become。 It's set in the 50-60's yet we see such glaringly obvious echoes here in 2022 about human and women's rights。 It's a beautiful social commentary on the Divine Feminine and how we continue to be shoved not under the rug， but into secretarial roles （much love to the badass women who are in secretarial roles and absolutely love it！）。 This was not at all what I was expecting this book to be but it was magical in it's own way。 A little slow to start。 I had no idea how magical this book would become。 It's set in the 50-60's yet we see such glaringly obvious echoes here in 2022 about human and women's rights。 It's a beautiful social commentary on the Divine Feminine and how we continue to be shoved not under the rug， but into secretarial roles （much love to the badass women who are in secretarial roles and absolutely love it！）。 This was not at all what I was expecting this book to be but it was magical in it's own way。 It's full of familial bonds and what they mean to us individually， chosen family， and a sprinkle of LGBTQ+ rights。 。。。more
Robin
，
hmmmmmmmm， interesting thoughts
Alyssa （alyssas_books）
，
The idea of this book was great but IMO was not executed well。
Anna
，
When Women Were Dragons reads like the personal account of a woman called Alex who starts with her childhood and ends part way through university， with an epilogue of sorts to describe what came after。 It is in some ways a coming of age and a reckoning。 The account is also interspersed with scientific addresses and committee notes regarding the subject of dragoning。 Because in 1955， America there was a mass dragoning event （in Alex’s childhood） in which thousands of America women transformed int When Women Were Dragons reads like the personal account of a woman called Alex who starts with her childhood and ends part way through university， with an epilogue of sorts to describe what came after。 It is in some ways a coming of age and a reckoning。 The account is also interspersed with scientific addresses and committee notes regarding the subject of dragoning。 Because in 1955， America there was a mass dragoning event （in Alex’s childhood） in which thousands of America women transformed into dragons in one single day。 Women turning into dragons happened before and after and the government tried to cover it up by making people forget - not men in black style but - with half-truths and dismissals， firings and a semi-media ban。What’s brilliant about When Women We’re Dragons is that Alex is not the perfect narrator， she also avoids conflict to an extent， keeps her head down studying ferociously， and refuses to even really think about dragons。 It’s little Beatrice who is dreaming of dragons， who wants action， who is the more typical protagonist。 Instead we have Alex with an ill mother and an absentee father （having an affair） and as she frequently points out， very little context for what she experiences。 The old lady down the road turns into a dragon when she is 4 and is never to be mentioned again， her aunt is written out of history after the mass dragoning， her best friend is banished when it is realised they may be too close。Very little is known about dragoning， whether from rage or joy， the only thing that is apparent is that self-identifying women are likely to hear the call within their lifetime。 And with America in the state we see Alex living through in Wisconsin… why not be a dragon？ The sexism is institutional， societal， familial， and so on。 No book can cover everything， this is not necessarily an intersectional text but Alex’s very personal scope， even being relatively disinterested in those around her fits the story like a glove and says a lot even about our reality’s history。I wish there had been more about the global situation regarding dragons but that’s not Alex’s world and Kelly Barnhill has done a brilliant job showing that segment up and raising into question attitudes and how America dealt with things then and now。 No book can cover everything， but what When Women Were Dragons does encompass - which includes love and family and choices - it does very well in a story that is wholly itself。With thanks to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jen
，
This book is unlike anything else I have ever read。 It is a master class in how to use aspects of the fantasy genre to amplify the struggles of human existence particularly for women。 I loved every minute of it and even shed a few tears。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=When Women Were Dragons
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=When Women Were Dragons&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft