List Books In Pursuance Of Dragonsong (Harper Hall of Pern #1)
| Original Title: | Dragonsong |
| ISBN: | 141692499X (ISBN13: 9781416924999) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Harper Hall of Pern #1, Pern (Chronological Order) #18, Pern #3 , more |
| Characters: | Menolly |
| Setting: | Pern |
| Literary Awards: | California Young Readers Medal Nominee for Middle School/Junior High (1980) |
Anne McCaffrey
Paperback | Pages: 192 pages Rating: 4.24 | 46053 Users | 1397 Reviews
Mention Epithetical Books Dragonsong (Harper Hall of Pern #1)
| Title | : | Dragonsong (Harper Hall of Pern #1) |
| Author | : | Anne McCaffrey |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 192 pages |
| Published | : | June 1st 2006 by Aladdin Paperbacks (first published March 1976) |
| Categories | : | Fantasy. Science Fiction. Dragons. Fiction |
Commentary During Books Dragonsong (Harper Hall of Pern #1)
A book doesn't have to be Great Literature or even particularly good to appear on my "formative fiction" shelf, it just has to be a book with a meaning that changed me or helped me to understand myself and the world in a new way. Fortunately, Dragonsong is also a very good book of its type.The best friend of my childhood was different from me in many ways: middle-class to my trailer-trash, older, weak where I was strong (he suffered from a heart condition that would kill him while still a teenager), and part of a large and functioning family.
We both lived in religious households that discouraged "worldly" reading but, while my folks were strict, his were lax. During a winter holiday sleep-over, he smuggled Dragonsong and some of its many sequels to me. We sprawled in front of the wood-stove and read all day and long into the night. I'd scrimped to save for treats and, feeling very elegant, served us Ritz crackers with Cheeze-Whiz (the big jar!) and vienna sausages. I was so anxious to impress, I put my finger on the side of the stove to show him how long I could stand to sizzle.
There were other sleep-overs and other books, but this is was the important one, the one I remember whenever I open a new book and read merely for the pleasure of escape into another kind of life.
Menolly, the protagonist of Dragonsinger, escapes in a more literal way. Denied the expression of her natural abilities, she runs away to live independently. She fed my tomboy fantasies by living rough, making her own shelter, killing and skinning a large bird, and taming wild animals. Just when she is settling into her new rustic life, disaster strikes. Finally, her talents are recognized by kindly people who whisk her away on dragon-back to a new community of people who can value her for the reasons she values herself.
It is not a complicated story, but it is well-told and the theme is universal. It has resonated in my life as I have tried, with only some measure of success, to find a safe place where my own talents are recognized and friends who care for me not in spite of, but because of who I am. The irony for me, of course, is how that place is located in the past, with that dead boy who loved me enough to smuggle books.
Rating Epithetical Books Dragonsong (Harper Hall of Pern #1)
Ratings: 4.24 From 46053 Users | 1397 ReviewsAssessment Epithetical Books Dragonsong (Harper Hall of Pern #1)
For me, this book transcends the plane of existing merely as a book. It is a dear memory wrapped so closely to my self identification for when it was introduced to me and by whom, my father.For a preteen growing up on a small island Menolly's fate was so easy to identify with and I wished for my own dragonets. The story is magical. And I love it still.I am a little confused about the order in which I have to read the books of this series because there are different approaches. I chose the order in which they were released. So I have to break the Dragonriders of Pern trilogy to begin this.In the Harper Hall trilogy we are at the same time as the previous book of the series but we follow a different story. The protagonist of this story is the sweet and sensitive Menolly who goes against the strict conservative beliefs of the region that was
Just re-read Dragonsong and Dragonsinger. May have been more emotionally/musically engaged with the characters this time than the first time I read them so many years ago. Would like to award more than 5 stars.***In answer to question "What is your favorite fantasy?" ... the stories featuring Menolly and her miniature dragons ... might only be surpassed by the stories about the Apprentice Assassin.Don't read much fantasy nowadays. Over the last few decades, I think only Robin Hobb and Rothfuss
A brief forward to the review: Dragonsong is the first book in Anne McCaffreys Harper Hall trilogy. The series is generally catalogued as childrens (at least in the nypl catalog) but is really for any readers. Like many of McCaffreys novels, its set in the world of Pern. I havent read anything but this trilogy yet, but am pretty sure these novels (from the 1970s) operate as prequels to the other more adult oriented novels. Oh, and I absolutely loved the entire trilogy.On to the review:Menolly
Dragons were my ponies, Koivu
Marisol and I are rereading and reviewing Pern. Our Harper Hall trilogy review is here: http://fablecroft.com.au/miscellaneou...
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