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Dragonsong

By Anne McCaffrey
Dragonsong It was not Threadfall that made Menolly unhappy It was her father who betrayed her ambition to be a Harper who thwarted her love of music Menolly had no choice but to run away She came upon a group o

  • Title: Dragonsong
  • Author: Anne McCaffrey
  • ISBN: 9781416924999
  • Page: 315
  • Format: Paperback

    • It was not Threadfall that made Menolly unhappy It was her father who betrayed her ambition to be a Harper, who thwarted her love of music Menolly had no choice but to run away She came upon a group of fire lizards, wild relatives of the fire breathing dragons Her music swirled about them she taught nine to sing, suddenly Menolly was no longer alone.

    • Free Read Dragonsong - by Anne McCaffrey
      315 Anne McCaffrey
    Dragonsong

    About Author

    1. Anne McCaffrey says:
      Anne McCaffrey was born on April 1st, 1926, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.Her parents were George Herbert McCaffrey, BA, MA PhD Harvard , Colonel USA Army retired , and Anne Dorothy McElroy McCaffrey, estate agent She had two brothers Hugh McCaffrey deceased 1988 , Major US Army, and Kevin Richard McCaffrey, still living.Anne was educated at Stuart Hall in Staunton Virginia, Montclair High School in Montclair, New Jersey, and graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College, majoring in Slavonic Languages and Literatures.Her working career included Liberty Music Shops and Helena Rubinstein 1947 1952 She married in 1950 and had three children Alec Anthony, b 1952, Todd, b.1956, and Georgeanne, b.1959.Anne McCaffrey s first story was published by Sam Moskowitz in Science Fiction Magazine and her first novel was published by Ballantine Books in 1967 By the time the three children of her marriage were comfortably in school most of the day, she had already achieved enough success with short stories to devote full time to writing Her first novel, Restoree, was written as a protest against the absurd and unrealistic portrayals of women in s f novels in the 50s and early 60s It is, however, in the handling of broader themes and the worlds of her imagination, particularly the two series The Ship Who Sang and the fourteen novels about the Dragonriders of Pern that Ms McCaffrey s talents as a story teller are best displayed.She died at the age of 85, after suffering a massive stroke on 21 November 2011.Obituaries Locus, GalleyCat.

    Comment 887 on “Dragonsong”

    1. Matthew Gatheringwater says:
      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 , [...]
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    2. Jason Koivu says:
      I missed my reading window of opportunity for this one I should ve read it when I was a prepubescent girl Clearly young girls are the target audience for Dragonsong The less than thrilling story revolves around a girl musician Will she or won t she become the community s head musician Eee gads the tension Now she s lost, but a dragon rider comes to the rescue The drama Oh, aren t dragons ever so beautiful I m so excited I couldfall asleep.The description is lackluster as well The lack of details [...]
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    3. Sebastien Castell says:
      I ve read Dragonsong several times over the years and it continues to be one of my favourite Young Adult novels of all time Menolly is neither bad ass warrior nor shrinking violet, but rather someone whose passion for music in all its forms combines with a strong sense of decency to carry her through the trials of living in a place where she s not wanted, and having to make a place for herself outside her familiar home.Dragonsong neither fits the contemporary notion of Young Adult nor Middle Gra [...]
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    4. Janni says:
      Just reread this for the first time in years.A bit heavy on the Menolly is a girl, oh no and things don t really pick up until the fire lizards show up, but even so good stuff And still the comfort read it was 20 years ago.
      Reply

    5. Deborah Ideiosepius says:
      The Dragon books were part of the network of books that introduced me in my teen years to fantasy and sci fi and on re reading them years later it is encouraging to find them still as well written as I remember them The plots still as riveting, the world building still as thrilling and the characters still as good well, maybe just a tiny bit teen angst than I look for these days, but otherwise just as good In Dragonsong we follow the adventures of Menolly the youngest daughter in a sea hold whe [...]
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    6. Vivian says:
      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.
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    7. Eon ♒Windrunner♒ says:
      This was good, but not great.If the book was any longer I might not have felt the need to finish it, but it was just the right combination of length and interesting to make me want to know how it all turned out for the protagonist The world Anne Mccaffrey created is intriguing, but other than that there was not much happening In saying that, the second half was much better than the first, and I am almost tempted to carry on with the series, but not sure if I will as there are so many other books [...]
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    8. Jessica says:
      The first Anne McCaffrey I ever read, and still a favorite Menolly is a great character, and her adventures are timeless and instantly engaging.
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    9. Jon says:
      I almost named my daughter Menolly because I loved this book so much And it would have been a completely appropriate name for her she is currently in college pursuing a degree in vocal performance and has many musical talents and abilities.I read this book when I was an adolescent and it struck such a chord with me that I read it and re read it once or twice a year until I was an adult with children myself Menolly is the daughter of a strict practical sea holder on Pern Her father has little tim [...]
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    11. Mike (the Paladin) says:
      I read these later than the first 3 Dragon books but I enjoyed them A little younger audiance in mind here but a nice read.
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    12. Becky says:
      There is nothing like snuggling under the covers with one of your favorite books on a rainy day I love this book, unconditionally, so don t expect a fair review from me This is the book that led to my discovery of both sci fi and fantasy as genres, it opened up the world to me, at the time I was eleven but a decade later I still enjoy it.The book was written for an arguably younger audience than any other set of books in McCaffrey s Pern series There is no sex, minimal violence, the reading leve [...]
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    13. Sotiris Karaiskos says:
      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 born e [...]
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    14. Nick says:
      I didn t particularly enjoy this book, but I don t think it was really the book s fault I had previously read one short story in the Pern series, and it was intriguing enough for me to buy this book for 50 cents But I didn t realize that not only was this the third book in the overall Pern series, it was the first book in the Harper Hall trilogy Reading it, I was like, Menolly who Constrictive gender roles, whatever She s unhappy, whatever WHERE ARE THE DAMN DRAGONS Fire lizards What the eff are [...]
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    15. Kent says:
      Alien prejudice is a favorite trope for sci fi fantasy writers Presumably, reading about strange discrimination teaches us that all discrimination is strange Thoughtful writers like Iain Banks can use alien prejudice to comment on the dynamics of power and on cultural relativity That makes for an interesting read.In Dragonsong, Anne McCaffrey has done something else entirely It turns out that a main character who goes against the fake cultural grain can be two things simultaneously 1 someone who [...]
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    16. bella says:
      This is the BEST book I ve read this year I m actually not sure I can explain my love for this book but I m going to try I ve been a little disgruntled with the fantasy genre especially ya fantasy I m not a fan of the over emergence of vampires, fairies and angels The Game of Thrones helped redeem adult fantasy for me and Dragonsong has totally redeemed my love of ya fantasy I never picked up this series as a teen and I wish I had Dragonsong is the first book in the Harper Hall trilogy and the f [...]
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    17. Cecelia says:
      Many a woman who found her love of reading early will fondly reminisce about her horse period when she read anything she could get her hands on that had to do with horses, such as the Marguerite Henry books Misty of Chincoteague and Black Beauty There s a smaller and select group that can reminisce about their dragon period I say this because I know I went through both However, unlike horses, my love of dragons and dragon lore has lasted well into adulthood And those early dragon books that I d [...]
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    18. Alethea A says:
      I just reread this for the first time in 17 years I love this trilogy so much It introduced me to the world of Pern and was one of the few things I have ever been able to give back to my Aunt Debbie to repay her for her kindness in introducing me to science fiction fantasy, Isaac Asimov, John BellairsDragonsong serves both as an introduction for young adult readers to the Dragonrider series, an examination of gender roles and tradition in their society and perhaps in ours , as well as a loving c [...]
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    19. Tehani says:
      Marisol and I are rereading and reviewing Pern Our Harper Hall trilogy review is here fablecroft miscellaneou
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    20. Lissibith says:
      I knew this book wouldn t take long to read I didn t expect it to go THIS fast, and in looking back I m not sure what it is about the story pretty low on action that kept me racing through it, devouring the pages and unable to get myself to do anything else from beginning to end except sleep, and that only because my eyes were too heavy to continue.The story is a pretty simple and basic one, well trod territory where a young person has special gifts which no one around them understands and which [...]
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    21. drowningmermaid says:
      I always adore the beginnings of McCaffrey s books I love the way she introduces characters and her world I read a lot of her books as a middle schooler, devoured them like but I always had a sort of snooty attitude toward them Clear and bright and simple as a Grandma Moses painting Older, I actually appreciate them in some ways Somehow, I never read Harper Hall, in all my McCaffrey binges So, here s to finding it now.All that said, I m having a lot of trouble buying the problems in this book [...]
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    22. Wayland Smith says:
      This is another book I first read back in junior high school, long before there was an internet or a I just reread it, partially because I remember liking it, and partially for a reading challenge here It stood up very well for me Menolly is born to Half Circle Hold, and is hugely out of place She s the youngest daughter of the Holder, and never seems to fit in She s happiest with the Harper Petiron, but he passes away and she s left with parents that don t understand her She s forbidden to play [...]
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    23. Renay says:
      Well, once you get past the gratuitous abuse this is a pretty cute story.
      Reply

    24. Beth says:
      I ve had this book forever, but had never actually read it, and it ended up being a short book for a busy month, as well as fitting in with several of my reading projects 1 YA 2 books owned but unread for literally decades 3 older SF and fantasy by women before 2000 or so This one is from 1978.I will start by apologizing to anyone who loved this book as a kid and who remains fond of it today.I m sorry Well, let s press on.Life in Half Circle Hold on Pern is dour and humorless, Puritanical in fee [...]
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    25. Emma says:
      A brief forward to the review Dragonsong is the first book in Anne McCaffrey s Harper Hall trilogy The series is generally catalogued as children s at least in the nypl catalog but is really for any readers Like many of McCaffrey s novels, it s set in the world of Pern I haven t read anything but this trilogy yet, but am pretty sure these novels from the 1970s operate as prequels to the other adult oriented novels Oh, and I absolutely loved the entire trilogy.On to the review Menolly was born i [...]
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    26. Nichole Mohler says:
      Over the years I have heard great things about this series, but just never got around to it I finally picked up this book, and now I see what everyone was talking about It was fantastic Pern has lived in fear of the Thread for centuries During threadfall, it falls from the sky and anyone or anything in its path will be burnt up The main thing that can stop it is fire So the dragonriders mount up and stop it every threadfall Living in her sea hold, Menolly doesn t worry much about the thread All [...]
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    27. Chrisl says:
      One of those library cataloging challenge books When I explored, many of the libraries I visited had copies only in the Young Adult section, while in other libraries only SF shelving, and not in YA For me, a fun read, and reread, and a chance to see whether YA or SF copies got borrowed SF copies borrowing, but also shelved with McCaffrey s SF array At what age do the YA readers start borrowing from the SF Keep them away from Terry Goodkind, especially if they are home schooled McCaffrey s love [...]
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    28. Rebecca McNutt says:
      I m not usually a fan of dragon stories, but when my aunt bought me this book, within the first few pages I was hooked on it Menolly is a memorable character and the book has themes of friendship, bravery and kindness without getting too preachy about it The author s writing style is amazing and all in all, this is a great book for all ages, I highly recommend it.
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    29. Cj Janzen says:
      I don t know how many times I read this book, but it was one of the first books I honestly read I have learning disabilities and reading was always a struggle, but Anne McCaffrey made me fall in love with Pern reading I am forever in her debt.
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    30. elissa says:
      I think I read all 3 of the Harper Hall books when I was 12 I don t remember a whole lot about them, but I do remember snippets They were probably 3 1 2 to 4 stars at the time, so I ll round up These seem like they were solidly fantasy, but I think the Dragonriders series was SF.
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