A review by bb_11
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

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

2.25

"Is it possible for a book to say feminist things yet not be feminist?", was possibly my book clubs best discussion topic after reading this book.  Ultimately, we decided yes it is possible and we have "When Women were Dragons" to thank for it.  This book was all over the place narratively and thematically. Any single issue the author was willing to tackle was burdened by her attempt to tackle 15 other things all at once. This led to a strangely paced, contradictory, and emotionally whiplashing plot. 

 Another sentiment my bookclub shared:  we couldn't wait for the first half of the novel to be over, but then the second half made us miss the first half!  The end of book "climax" completely invalidates the main character's development and obliterates the stakes all at once. 

Would recommend if you want to challenge yourself to critically deconstruct feminish literature and uncover evidence as to why a novel needs more than women>men to say something powerful.
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