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fronk10's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Fire/Fire injury
teatunesandtales's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gaslighting
puali's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Cancer, Sexism, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
sgrunwald96's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Cancer, Sexism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism and Homophobia
passionatereader78's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism and Abandonment
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Infidelity, Police brutality, Grief, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
autumn33344's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Cancer, Homophobia, Sexism, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
boba_nbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The magical realism within When We Were Dragons poses the question: what would happen if women could transform into something else and leave their mundane lives behind?
Alex Green is a young girl growing up in 1950s America. But in this version of history, women can turn into dragons. No one really knows how or why it happens, but there are times throughout history where there have been "mass dragonings"--times where multitudes of women hear some sort of call to become dragons. Alex lives through one of these times but is forced to remain silent as the topic of dragoning is taboo and not spoken of on the news, in schools, or even at home. Throughout the novel, we watch Alex as she goes through puberty, becomes a young woman, and begins to understand what it means to be a woman.
This novel focuses on the topics of feminism, queerness, womanhood, and feminine rage. My main critique is that though these topics are complex, the way they are presented is not. Yes, each woman is able to choose for themselves, but there the novel mainly focuses on housewives and homemakers. And the intersectionality is quite lacking as characters' race is not a focus of the story or even mentioned that I can remember.
However, all that to say, I still think this book is important. Its messages are ones that can stand up for years to come. I deeply felt for the women in the novel who were stuck in situations they didn't want to be in. In the 1950s, it was definitely much more difficult for women to escape, which is why dragoning in this novel was such an important yet unconventional situation. It involved the woman leaving everything they knew behind as society was not yet ready to accept the dragons.
Though it left me wanting just a little bit more, I think this is a novel I will contemplate for years to come and will want to reread eventually.
Graphic: Sexism, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Homophobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Panic attacks/disorders
rhyme_not_reason's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War
cmcahill's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment