When Women Were Dragons

By Kelly Barnhill

Book Overview

A GOODREADS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR - A fiery feminist fantasy tale set in 1950s America where thousands of women have spontaneously transformed into dragons, exploding notions of a woman's place in the world and expanding minds about accepting others for who they really are.

"Ferociously imagined...and as exhilarating as a ride on dragonback." --Lev Grossman, bestselling author of The Magicians Trilogy

"Completely fierce, unmistakably feminist, and subversively funny." --Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry

In the first adult novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Ogress and The Orphans, Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their path; and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex's beloved aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn't know. It's taboo to speak of.

Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this astonishing event: a mother more protective than ever; an absentee father; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and
watching her beloved cousin Bea become dangerously obsessed with the forbidden.

In this timely and timeless speculative novel, award-winning author Kelly Barnhill boldly explores rage, memory, and the tyranny of forced limitations. When Women Were Dragons exposes a world that wants to keep women small--their lives and their prospects--and examines what happens when they rise en masse and take up the space they deserve.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593466578
• ISBN13: 9780593466575
• Release Date: May 2023
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.1" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Excellent

It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did, it was excellent. I definitely recommend it.

Feminist fantasy for the win!

Barnhill captivates readers with her searing story of womanhood in this fictional United States. I would even go so far to say that Barnhill leaves you questioning whether dragoning is a suppressed historical relic and genuine internal dialogue for women in the world.

Had me in the first half

i loved the potential of this book! the first half or one third was compelling and sparked my own inner reflection on female rage. once the middle of the book arrived, it sort of falls off. the climax never really happens and in turn felt the author suppressed the dragon she described wanting to transform so badly. i do find myself very resonate of “looking up at the sky”, and identifying with wanting to transform. read the book for possible sparks of insight of female rage — but do keep in mind that the book may not live up to its hype and gorgeous its book cover.