When Women Were Dragons Audiobook By Kelly Barnhill cover art

When Women Were Dragons

A Novel

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When Women Were Dragons

By: Kelly Barnhill
Narrated by: Kimberly Farr, Mark Bramhall
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About this listen

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.

©2022 Kelly Barnhill (P)2022 Random House Audio
Coming of Age Fantasy Fiction Dragons Heartfelt Scary

Critic reviews

A Best Book of the Year: GOODREADS, BUZZFEED, BOOKRIOT, KIRKUS and LIBRARY JOURNAL

"Completely fierce, unmistakably feminist, and subversively funny, When Women Were Dragons brings the heat to misogyny with glorious imagination and talon-sharp prose. Check the skies tonight—you might just see your mother."—Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry

"Ferociously imagined, incandescent with feeling, this book is urgent and necessary and as exhilarating as a ride on dragonback."—Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians Trilogy

"[A] riveting historical fantasy...What’s surprising about Barnhill’s rare foray into adult fiction is its subversiveness and feminist rage. It’s a powerful, searing novel that feels deeply true, despite its magical premise."—BuzzFeed

Featured Article: A Spoiler-Free Explainer on Prime Video’s The Power


The Power by Naomi Alderman is a bestselling 2016 sci-fi novel imagining a world where women begin to develop the ability to release electrical energy from their hands, and how this power flips societal gender dynamics. Now, a new legion of fans are about to discover the world of The Power. Get ready for Prime Video's thrilling adpatation of Naomi Alderman's sci-fi stunner with this essential primer on the story's plot, characters, and themes.

What listeners say about When Women Were Dragons

Highly rated for:

Empowering Feminist Story Thought-provoking Metaphorical Tale Excellent Narration Engaging Coming-of-age Story
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So much potential

It is such a cool concept but I find the main character just so timid and hush hush about everything so there is not much detail in anything. I would have loved the story from Marla and Beatrice’s pov

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Loved it!

This is such a cool, empowering, feel good story. I loved every chapter and do not regret using a credit for this one. Such a cool story!!

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One of my new favorites

I started this book because of the interesting concept of women turning into dragons. I didn’t expect it to be so much more than that. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

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A solid read

I liked this story and seeing the knowledge and understanding of dragons unfold. Lots of parallels to minority groups in America though with a happier twist. I would have liked to hear more from the dragon’s point of view and less from the main character who was accepting but opposed to dragoning. It was an interesting story but not on my recommendation list for others. There was potential for more here- but it never developed as I had hoped.

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Too long but quite lovely.

I loved the concept of there being a dragon, a kind, soft, loving but fierce dragon in all women. Several beautiful and important realities were woven into the story and I enjoyed how the feminine intellect was the driving force in this girl’s coming of age/staying true to herself story. Another great read/listen along this same theme is The Change.

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Wonderful story

A wonderful story with beautifully relatable characters. The symbolism is also strongly portrayed and can mean many things to different readers. This was an enjoyable journey!

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Great start, tough finish.

I loved the first half of this book, and then it started to drag. Still appreciated the storyline. I found the narrator’s voice a bit annoying.

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Interesting but tedious

This started off strong but became tedious and difficult to appreciate. The narrator was excellent but had I been reading it, I likely would have given up.

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Where was the editor?

Great premise, but rather slow and preachy (even though I'm in "the choir"). There also seemed to be some discrepancies in the repetitive, super-detailed descriptions. Sigh. Where was the editor?! I'd previously read another book by the same author that was perfectly delightful. But this book felt like a slog.

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An emotional rollercoaster

I absolutely loved this book. So much to think about. I loved it and highly recommend it

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