Kevin's Watch

Posted: **Sun Dec 04, 2011 1:10 pm**

Okay, so my moms group book club meets tonight.

My friend came up with a brilliant idea called "Reader's Choice," where we each read something we'd been meaning to read.

Well, I picked Dragonsinger, but I won't finish in time.

So here's my summary of what I'm planning to say (in colloquial English!) :

Well, I've only read a little but it looks like it's about: someone who's very gifted
- dealing w/ past hurts/un-learning lies
- dealing w/ present envy

Fire lizards - once thought to be legend... The main character has 9 of these fire lizards that have imprinted on her - like she fed them first when they hatched / they follow her around / think she's "mommy"

Oh, I guess I should say Fire Lizards are like dragons in Pern.... Yeah, Pern has dragons. People there RIDE dragons. And they can talk to them with their minds.

Dragons are so important because of threadfall...
Stories keeping community together so important because threadfall stops for hundreds of years. (right?)

So yeah, it also looks like it's gonna be about overcoming obstacles like envy and laziness to build a unified community.
(and then show the example of Silvina's lovely quote where she turns the fact that Menolly has 9 fire lizards into a piece of Harper Hall's status as a place that will have ELEVEN fire lizards when the other halls have barely any.)

Would someone who's read the whooole book comment for accuracy? Other insights would be great; I'm only gonna have like 5 chapters done by tonight, I think.

(It's okay, people don't really have a lot of patience for listening to someone talk about a fantasy book sometimes.)

Posted: **Sun Dec 04, 2011 2:04 pm**

Menolly's the Pern expert. But I think you've got it right, from what I remember.

Posted: **Sun Dec 04, 2011 7:49 pm**

It's been awhile since I read the Harper Hall trilogy, but for a brief summation, that sounds accurate to me. You may want to suggest future readers begin with Dragonsong, so they experience how and why Menolly impresses her first fire lizards.

Stone, anything else to add?

Posted: **Tue Dec 06, 2011 10:07 pm**

Hmmm (I honestly can't remember where Dragonsinger ends and Dragonsong starts - first 2 paragraphs may be 'Singer?)

I'd place more emphasis on the source of the trauma being a girl's talent in what's traditionally seen as a male sphere. The small-mindedness of her family keeps her from her gift - even though that gift was fostered by her family's (late- &male) Harper.

She runs off, learns to be self-sufficient and so finds contentment with her non-judgmental and appreciative fire lizards.

Then lands her dream at the Harper Hall where the male-dominated Harpers accept her for her talent/personality but the female characters make her life hell because of the traits she learnt while being self-sufficient living Holdless.

And if it's not part of 'Song, then blue trousers deserve a mention, if only in passing.

Posted: **Fri Dec 09, 2011 3:39 am**

Thanks guys... I got across much less than I wrote down here, but otoh, my group had some more enjoyable conversations than usual.

Yeah, my descrip was mainly of the first one to give setting and for other odd reasons...

Kevin's Watch

Accuracy check? "Dragonsinger" synopsis for book

Accuracy check? "Dragonsinger" synopsis for book