©2024 Fable Group Inc.
3.5 

When Women Were Dragons

By Kelly Barnhill
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill digital book - Fable

Why read on Fable?

Discover social reading

Chat inside the ebook with emojis, comments and more

Annotate with notes, tabs, and highlights

Share or keep your notes private with our annotation features

Support the World Literacy Foundation

We donate 20% of every book sale to help children learn to read

Publisher Description

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.

1609 Reviews

3.5
Thumbs Up“The 3.5 was due to lack of interest. I had a hard time staying focused and felt like it was a chore to get through at times. However, I would recommend this to others that would appreciate the quality and importance of the message.”
Likable charactersMulti-layered charactersBeautifully writtenDescriptive writingEasy to read
Beaming Face with Smiling Eyes“Sometimes I got frustrated with the descriptions of misogyny (it was angering and also something we know about already) but it did provide good contrast with descriptions of the beauty and power of women. I was left feeling uplifted.”
Characters change and growDiverse charactersDescriptive writingComing of ageThought-provokingHomophobiaMisogyny
Rolling on the Floor Laughing Face
Characters change and growDescriptive writingFast-pacedMagical settingThought-provokingMisogynyUnsatisfying plot
Slightly Smiling Face
Characters change and growLikable charactersMulti-layered charactersBeautifully writtenEasy to readOriginal writingRealistic settingComing of ageHeartbreakingThought-provoking

About Kelly Barnhill

KELLY BARNHILL has written several middle grade novels, including New York Times bestsellers The Ogress and The Orphans and The Girl Who Drank the Moon, which won the 2017 John Newbery Medal. She is also the recipient of the World Fantasy Award, and has been a finalist for the SFWA Andre Norton Nebula Award and the PEN America Literary Award. She lives in Minneapolis with her family. 

Start a Book Club

Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!

FAQ

Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?

Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?

How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?

Do you sell physical books too?

Are book clubs free to join on Fable?

How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?

Error Icon
Save to a list
0
/
30
0
/
100
Private List
Private lists are not visible to other Fable users on your public profile.
Notification Icon
Fable uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB