When Women Were Dragons Review
There is a freedom in not asking questions
We’re turning the page on our March book, When Women Were Dragons.
One Sentence Summary:
In the 1950s, women spontaneously turned into dragons, and a teenage girl doesn’t know how to feel about it.
My Thoughts
Okay, that summary is a little bland…but this book was too!
The premise is juicy, but our main character is Melba Toast: Alex asks no questions. Alex always tries to keep things status quo. Alex observes, absorbs, and makes due.
Often, that’s the point. See the end of Chapter 21:
“There is a freedom in not asking questions. There is a freedom in being unburdened by unpleasant information. And sometimes, a person has to hang on to whatever freedoms she can get.” (pg 175)
That’s a poignant line!
Alex is also a child for the majority of the book. Why wouldn’t she believe the adults in the story?
The problem is that I had questions.
That “unpleasant information” wouldn’t have been a burden as an adult reader. It would have been welcomed.
I found it extremely frustrating being trapped in the head of someone who didn’t ever probe for answers.
On that note, I think there are so many other choices for a main character that would have made the world deeper and more interesting. For example:
An adult woman grappling with the decision of dragoning or staying in an unhappy marriage
A woman who dragoned and then navigates the guilt (and joy) of leaving her family behind
A woman who is extremely vocal that dragoning is immoral, but can’t help doing it anyway
How cool would those have been!? Instead, we watched a girl try to stay in line with society by suppressing that dragons exist.
Was that intentional by the author? Probably!
Was it fun to read? No.
Some things I loved:
The dynamic between her mother and her aunt
I would have loved to read this book from one of their perspectives (see above!). They were both such interesting characters with way more at stake than Alex. Ugh…what could’ve been!
The depiction of Alex’s first love, Sonja
This relationship was so sweet. These pages were the only moments where I really started to like Alex as a character.
This line:
”…our best selves and our worst selves and our myriad iterations of mediocre selves are all extant simultaneously within a soul containing multitudes.” (pg 142)
The metaphors!
This book was so rich with commentary, but here are a few of my favourite details:
How women are tied into knots to fit into society:
“Men arrived from villages across the island, or even the island beyond, hoping for a knot to prevent change. Or a knot to ensure discipline. A knot for quiet. A knot for obedience. A knot for docility. A knot for happiness in demeanor. And, most important, a knot to help the holder find a water dragon out at sea, to drive her, hold her, and turn her back.” (pg 103 )
Libraries as secret societies of information
How sex ed fails female students by skirting around topics deemed taboo
Dragons deciding to be visible as a way to normalize something scary
“It’s not a matter of letting anything stand. It’s a matter of accepting that the world isn’t the same as you thought it was before. We thought there weren’t any dragons. And then there were.” (pg 288)
Ultimately, this book is trying to do a lot.
Too much.
Here’s what I wrote at the midway point:
All in all, this book somehow feels both too young and too metaphor-heavy. It makes me wonder if it would be better suited as a short story? I can vividly imagine a version of this taught in schools and resonating much better.
In the author’s note (which you should always read! I will never stop saying this!), Barnhill says this book was originally written as a short story and then adapted into a novel.
Am I a genius?!?! How did I know?
Kelly, if you’re reading, I want the short story version ASAP!
Rating
I give When Women Were Dragons 3 stars
As much as I wanted to love this book, I didn’t.
The idea is SO COOL, but it got muddled with a character that lacked depth and agency.
Beyond the point of view, I also thought this book was trying to do too much with its metaphors. Dragoning became a bit of a catch-all for a bunch of topics.
Do the dragons represent female rage? Joy? Sexuality? Gayness? Power? Sexual assault survivors?
It’s unclear — at least to me.
That said, I’m still giving When Women Were Dragons 3-stars because of the concept. I will remember this one for a long time!
Also, any book with this in the acknowledgements deserves a bit of praise:
This book is not based on Christine Blasey Ford or her testimony, but it would not have existed without that woman’s bravery, her calm adherence to the facts, and her willingness to relive one of the worst moments of her life to help America save itself from itself
Our Next Chapter:
Help me choose what My Side Plot should read next:
Annie Bot, Sierra Greer
A brand new sci-fi novel about an AI robot designed to be the perfect girlfriend learning what it means to be human.
Talking At Night, Claire Daverley
This has been billed to me as a book for fans of One Day (Netflix) and Normal People (Salley Rooney), of which I am both.
Stay tuned for the winner's announcement on Fable and Instagram
Also On My Shelf:
She Who Became the Sun, Shelley Parker-Chan
This was described to me as “gay Mulan. ”Now that I’ve finished the book, I can confirm this is true. I loved it! An adventure from start to finish that also deals with conversations around gender identity and expression. Brilliant!
Set My Heart To Five, Simon Stephenson
I’m 70 pages into this book and it is SO ADORABLE! A human-like robot has an emotional awakening. Maybe I just love robot fiction???
Sidelined, Julie Dicaro
If you also happen to work in sports media (or if you feel like getting really angry), I highly recommend this short non-fiction read about the industry. Yikes.
Poor Things, Alasdair Gray
I feel like I should????
A Quick Book Report
How Q1 shaped up….
I love an emo book, what can I say?
Last Thought:
Epilogue
What did you think!?!?
Are you following along on Fable??
How are you tracking for your 2024 goal?