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A review by amandadevoursbooks
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Ugh 😫 the first half of this book was delightful. The middle was a challenge, and the end complicated.
The premise is unique. In the 50s, a bunch of women turned into dragons, and they left. Alex, the primary's story, is one of remembering and forgetting as her culture remembers and forgets.
If you read it as a memoir, the story flows like water.
It centers rage, trauma, and healing, and it leans into an idea that if women had more power the world would be better. I find this challenging since colonialism and white supermacy wield white feminism as both a shield and a knife.
It's a book I'm going to be thinking about for a long time. It is both tragic and hopeful, sad and sweet, and creative and destructive.
I can't get over the how it centers white people in stories of black and brown people though. If recommend it to a specific type of reader.
The premise is unique. In the 50s, a bunch of women turned into dragons, and they left. Alex, the primary's story, is one of remembering and forgetting as her culture remembers and forgets.
If you read it as a memoir, the story flows like water.
It centers rage, trauma, and healing, and it leans into an idea that if women had more power the world would be better. I find this challenging since colonialism and white supermacy wield white feminism as both a shield and a knife.
It's a book I'm going to be thinking about for a long time. It is both tragic and hopeful, sad and sweet, and creative and destructive.
I can't get over the how it centers white people in stories of black and brown people though. If recommend it to a specific type of reader.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Xenophobia