Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

6 reviews

mamaewalk's review

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Creative, unique, and utterly badass story. Reads like a memoir. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Misogyny

Minor: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Panic attacks/disorders

kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Terminal illness

bubblegirl858's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

For my 2023 book rating system I gave this book 5 stars. This was our January Book Club read and I really enjoyed this book, even though it also frustrated me. It was a highly feminist novel told from a point of view that is not often seen, a child who is being forced to grow up too quickly in a world that doesn't explain how anything works and actively tries to suppress information. I really enjoyed the whole plot of women turning into dragons. It is a fantastic idea. Setting it in the 50's was also such an amazing way to show how men, the government, the public in general, and women who have internalized misogyny treat other women. The suppression of women's issues as being "sensitive" or "vulgar" is insane to most modern women, but it is how the world has always been and continues to be in some places, even if the normalization of speaking about women's issues and rights grows. This novel perfectly illustrated how children are taught to hate and be bigoted, how women are taught to shrink themselves and make themselves more palatable, and how love is love. It is not a choice to be gay or straight, it is not taught, it is just how it is. The only downsides/detractions that I had about this book was that it spent the majority of the time in her childhood, and then when it skipped to her teenage/young adult life the plot moved blindingly fast and we didn't get nearly enough time to understand the woman who she became. I would have liked to have explored a bit more of her adult life. The characters in this book were equally loveable and hateable. An equal balance. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Grief

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Alcohol, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Abandonment

Minor: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Pregnancy

helenferg's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Sexism, and Cancer

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Addiction, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Abandonment, Cancer, Grief, Misogyny, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Sexism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Physical abuse, War, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, and Dysphoria

Further warning for descriptions of menstruation.

kelseyr713's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"He looked at the window, toward the sky. In a brief, wild moment, I imagined it filled with dragons. Burning houses. Burning buildings. Swallowing men whole. I imagined the entire Mass Dragoning happening again, but bigger this time—every city, every town, every block, dark wings and sharp jaws and bright scales crowding the sky. I imagined myself unleashed, unhooked, unraveled, an explosion of heat and rage and frustration. My bones felt hot. My skin felt tight. The air in my lungs seemed to sizzle."

This alternate history fiction is a love letter to women, libraries, and science. Under the surface, it’s also challenging notions of what should be considered "normal" and encouraging not ignorance and fear, but love and acceptance. I loved and devoured it.

Content warnings: homophobia, parental emotional abuse, death of parents, cancer, body horror (although I personally found the dragoning described beautifully, this may not be true for all readers).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Cancer, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Sexism

Moderate: Grief, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Body horror, and Dysphoria

Minor: Murder, Physical abuse, Infidelity, and Pregnancy