Dragonsinger

Dragonsong had a satisfying, happily-ever-after ending so it's a bit surprising that this sequel begins just minutes later, like turning the page to the next chapter. Reading this novel straight, it's approximately 250 pages of what happily-ever-after looks like. Looking a bit deeper, it's Menolly's therapy after her traumatic upbringing. She requires a lot of assurance from phenomenally pleasant people before she can begin to believe she has worth and something to contribute.

The turning point arrives when she loses her temper. I fully agreed with another character who expressed relief that Menolly was willing to stand up for herself after all. Actually I scoffed a bit when it happened, since it's triggered by a silly concern following show more all of the many graver things that have happened to her, but it actually makes sense. As Menolly's feelings of worth are rising from zero, the first thing she rates herself above is a dog to be kicked by the lowliest minds over the pettiest matters. I'd imagine after this book ends her pride will build still further, until she's ready to take umbrage at increasingly serious challenges to her character. Menolly doesn't return to confront the family that abused her, but it's another kind of victory that she decides they don't even rate a letter.

Pern ranks high among imaginary worlds I'd soonest visit, but many of its novels are not aging well (beat your wife lately, F'lar?). Menolly's duology retains its shine, the brightest portion of Anne McCaffrey's legacy. show less

Mennolly is an apprentice harper now, but her troubles are far from over. Having Impressed a clutch of nine fire lizards, she faces unique challenges at the Harper Hall. There's no question Masterharper Robinton appreciates Mennolly's gift, but the attitudes of the other masters who will be teaching her range from skepticism to outright dislike. She faces jealousy from her peers, and though she makes a few friends, she's not sure whether they like her for herself or for her fire lizards. To top it off, a lifetime of being punished for writing music leaves her burdened with self-doubt. Mennolly longed to find a home at the Harper Hall, but will she be able to hold her own there?

I loved this book, possibly even more than I loved the first show more book. The plot is not as action-packed, but the characters and setting make up for that. And I'm a sucker for boarding school stories; what can I say? Recommended for readers who enjoyed Dragonsong -- don't wait as long between books as I did! show less

Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey is the second book of the Harper Hall trilogy (along with Dragonsong and Dragon Drums). I first read these and the original Dragonriders of Pern trilogy (Dragonflight, Dragonquest and The White Dragon) back when I was barely a teenager.

I loved all of them for many years, along with many other McCaffrey stories. It took me awhile to figure out that one of the things that I really enjoyed is that there is no religion in this fantasy setting, and no war or large-scale violence.

The Harper Hall trilogy are my favorites, and the only ones I am interested in keeping now. That's because they don't involve any sex, unlike the other early trilogy. It took me a long time to figure out that McCaffrey's portrayal of show more sex was deeply problematic: almost always involving at least one scene where the man makes sexual overtures, the woman says no, and the man goes ahead anyway. Sex without consent is by definition rape. Add in the particular twist of the telepathic bonds with dragons or fire lizards, such that when the dragons mate, the people linked to them have sex too, swept away by the sexual urges. Which is to say, the woman bonded to the gold queen dragon doesn't get to pick her sex partner and may not even know what the hell is happening if she didn't happen to grow up in a dragon weyr. But hey, that's just biology and associated social order.

The protagonist of Dragonsinger is Menolly, the youngest daughter of the chief (Holder) of a small, isolated fishing village (seahold). She's about 15 at the beginning of the second book. Menolly has just arrived at Harper Hall to great acclaim as Petiron's lost apprentice. However, she struggles to find her place in this new, unfamiliar community while still healing from the injuries, both physical and emotional, acquired in Dragonsong. She's an apprentice, but the lone female, and can't stay in the barracks with the boys. There are other girls, but they're casual students and more concerned with social status and dating. Her encounters with various students, apprentices, and masters of various musical disciplines leave her uncertain about her future at Harper Hall.

This is a charming books featuring a strong female character coming of age and finding her strength and her friends. She deals with physical and emotional abuse, seeking food and shelter, social ostracism, bullying, prejudice, and overly narrow gender roles. But the story is hopeful and ultimately rewarding. I wanted to be Menolly when I read these books at her age. show less

This book picks up right were Dragonsong left off. Menolly arrives at Harper Hall on the back of a bronze dragon, with the Masterharper himself as her traveling companion. The whole thing is more than she could have ever dreamed, but then comes the hard part: making a place for herself at Harper Hall. The Masterharper said that girls could be harpers, but part of her still doubts him and worries that she's only getting a warm welcome because of her fire lizards.

This was another nostalgia reread. Of all the Pern books, this is the one I've reread the most, and not just because I adore Elizabeth Malczynski Littman's cover art. I love fantasy school stories, and that's basically what Dragonsinger is (although the series is technically show more sci-fi, if you handed this particular book to someone unfamiliar with the series as a whole, they would almost certainly classify it as fantasy). There are no dangerous villains or races against time, just Menolly being tested and then taught by various Masters, making friends and dealing with bullies, and trying to figure out where she fits in.

The entire first third of the book was devoted to Menolly's first day at Harper Hall, and the number of characters introduced was dizzying. I was struck by the realization that, although McCaffrey didn't describe most of the characters in detail, their personalities were so vivid that I felt like I could picture them perfectly anyway.

The last time I played an instrument was in elementary school, and I never practiced enough or paid enough attention to be very good at it. Even if I couldn't always follow the specifics of what Menolly or the Masters talked about, I never felt lost. I enjoyed Menolly's encounters with the various Masters, particularly Master Domick, whose compositions enthralled her. One thing I would have liked to have seen, though, was more of Menolly interacting with apprentices her own age. She spent most of the book having great conversations with various adults at Harper Hall, but she only spent much time with one apprentice, Piemur. For a school story, Dragonsinger didn't have much in the way of Menolly attending actual classes.

Another thing I'd liked to have seen was other female apprentices. Menolly met, and briefly lived with, several female students, but they were there because their parents paid for them to be there, not because they had any actual talent. They were also primarily mean to Menolly. Only one of them eventually became her friend, but, like the other girls, she wasn't very musically talented. Considering how adamant Robinton had been that girls could be harpers too, I'd have expected a few other reasonably skilled female apprentices at Harper Hall.

Not only was Menolly the only female apprentice, she was also massively talented. I had completely forgotten how short of a time span the book covered, only about a week or so, so the events at the end came as a bit of a shock. In all my previous rereads, I don't think it ever occurred to me how odd it was thatMenolly's musical career moved along so quickly and smoothly. I mean, yes, she arrived at Harper Hall with years of Petiron's teachings under her belt, but I'd still have thought she'd have had to wait six months to a year before that particular decision was made, if only to get her used to life at the Hall and lessen the possibility of complaints about favoritism from the other apprentices.

So yeah, this book had some issues, but I still loved it. I loved that Menolly went from a place where she was punished, even beaten, for her love of music to a place where that same love was celebrated and encouraged. I loved that she took on the Masters' tests and challenges and managed to impress even the ones who seemed biased against her. This book was 100% a fantasy about finding that perfect place where your contributions matter and you truly belong, and it still worked excellently for me on that level, despite its problems.

Additional Comments:

I'm still not sure how I feel about the bits with Camo, one of the few on-page mentally handicapped characters in the Pern series. On the one hand, Menolly, Silvina, and Piemur treated him kindly. On the other hand, some of Menolly's thoughts about him bugged me. For example: "Silvina was just a kind, thoughtful person: look how she treated dull-witted Camo. She was patience itself with his inadequacy." (17) She also thinks of him as a "numbwit" (186).

Rating Note:

Part of me feels like I should give this a 4.5-star rating, due to the various problems I mentioned. But darn it, it still works so well for me overall, so I gave it an extra half star for its long-term appeal.

(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

I enjoyed this installment significantly more than the first of the trilogy, I think largely due to how much I enjoyed Menolly's character growth. While a large amount of plot still seemed to happen to her without her input at all, it was nice to, essentially, finally get a couple reactions followed by actions from her as well. The rest of the cast of characters at Harper Hall did a lot to carry this book, with their interactions with each other and our point of view character adding significant depth. Not sure where the third book will go next with Menolly, but I'm looking forward to finding out.

This is another reread from long ago. I hoped it would be all I remember as that was pretty awesome. I was not disappointed.

Menolly is finally at Harper Craft Hall, where she belongs. While there is bullying, the true adults (one "adult" is also a bullying snob) help Menolly when she is out of her depth. It was fascinating to me to see the young musician bloom when in her element.

Second in a series, this can stand alone as long as the reader has some familiarity with McCaffrey's Pern, although it is much better if one has read Dragonsong. While written for young adults, I thoroughly loved it. I think adults with a love of music would also find it interesting. Anyone who loves science fantasy will probably enjoy this book.

The fourth Pern novel continues to follow Menolly during her time in the Harper Hall and I thoroughly enjoyed this. A more substantial read than Dragonsong, it really brings the life in the Harper Hall alive. Menolly herself is a truly likeable character and you finds yourself rooting for her to succeed against any obstacles in her way. The Masterharper is a likeable father-figure and the others in the hall are lively characters. The firelizards are an interesting focus and the world of Pern is more layered - from the Crafthall perspective that this novel adds to the Weyr-focused view we've seen before.

Again, for all Pern addicts out there, one of my favourites so far. Lose yourself in an alternative reality for a while, you won't show more regret it! show less