If much of the novel feels like a full-throated howl, an indictment of a system of gender apartheid, an alchemy occurs in the final chapters. Barnhill relaxes into her characters, and it's here that When Women Were Dragons really sings. The stakes feel more genuine as Alex navigates her first relationship and also grapples with letting Beatrice, whom she has parented for years, find her own path ... Written on the heels of that bruising Supreme Court battle, and before the current 'Don't Say Gay' laws and push to ban books, When Women Were Dragons reminds us how difficult it is to put the knowledge of freedom back into the bottle and the cost to a society that tries.
... evocative ... Balancing the story between Alex's recollections and historical documents, Barnhill explores the taboos around women and anger, resizing paradigms of choice, freedom and the complicated roles of gender in society.
Alex, a physics prodigy whose own mother dies six years later, is a plucky, tenacious heroine, selflessly devoted to Beatrice and undaunted by her dismissive father or pervasive 1950s sexism. Is she too perfect to be real? Probably. But a book in which women spontaneously morph into dragons (amid social pressure to forget it ever happened) isn’t aiming for realism, just delightful fun ... This is a lovely motif in the novel: knots of string and twine and wire forming and unraveling, as women try to stop themselves from dragoning. It’s a pleasing metaphor for the ways the ties that bind us to our lives can also hold us down ... Barnhill intersperses a variety of fictional 'found texts' throughout her narrative, and they make for enjoyable and very funny sketches.
How the girls survive the conformist pressures and prejudices of their small-minded town would be sufficiently gripping thanks to Barnhill’s skills at developing complex, empathetic characters. Against the backdrop of increased dragoning episodes and their social havoc (particularly as the dragons mysteriously begin to return from wherever they went), the girls’ saga is ablaze with possibilities not typically available for land- and body-bound souls ... Barnhill’s poetic prose offers small delights amid the inevitable sorrows and injustices of the story...Also effective is her tactic of scattering transcripts, news articles, scholarship, and other documents throughout the narrative to propel the plot and cast a shimmer of veritas on the proceedings ... The book’s resolution is broad and hopeful — like the dragoned women who, curious and now confident, fly back to earth to see what they’ve missed and how they can help.
A feminist historical fantasy tackling self-discovery, queer identity, and dysfunctional family ... Barnhill’s sharp and lyrical prose showcases the joys and agonies of female power in this coming-of-age/alternate history ... Readers will be moved, discomforted, and inspired by Alex’s introspective voice and experiences.
Barnhill’s novel and its wild premise expertly satire the patriarchy and its machinations—from the suppression of information to the indoctrination of gender roles. The narrative turns female rage and joy into weapons, all while resisting the rigid gender binaries that gender-focused magic systems can fall prey to. It is infuriating in all the best ways and finds the raw magic within women’s determination to break free.
Through teenage Alex’s perspective, readers witness dragons marching with civil rights protesters ... Meanwhile, Alex examines her relationship with Beatrice while reflecting on their mothers’ complicated sisterhood. And interspersed throughout these events, Barnhill includes research documents that Marla left in Alex’s care, offering thoughtful context for this eerily familiar world ... Kelly Barnhill...offers the same sort of magic she’s brought to her middle grade readers for years. A close examination of the patriarchy and cultural inequalities, When Women Were Dragons is fantasy that is both political and personal.
A deeply felt exploration of feminism in an alternate fantastical history ... Barnhill makes palpable Alex’s sense of loss as well as the strictures of mid-century American life. This allegory packs a punch.
In lesser hands the dragon metaphor would feel simplistic and general, but Barnhill uses it to imagine different ways of living, loving, and caring for each other. The result is a complex, heartfelt story about following your heart and opening your mind to new possibilities ... This novel’s magic goes far beyond the dragons.
