Menolly needs more than music’s power in the second book in the Harper Hall trilogy, set within science fiction legend Anne McCaffrey’s beloved and bestselling Dragonriders of Pern series.
In the world of Pern, Harpers are more powerful than kings, for the music they play can control the minds of others. For young Menolly, her dreams of becoming a Harper have nothing to do with power, but rather … but rather her love of music. Now she is finally living out her musical dreams as an apprentice Harper, but it’s turning out to be more challenging than she thought. Formerly forbidden to study music because of her gender, Menolly quickly encounters hostility from a number of her male peers and masters. With the help of new friends, teachers, and her nine tiny, colorful dragons, Menolly finds that her musical talents may prove more powerful than anyone could imagine.
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Very, very good book!
I’ve collected everything she’s written on this series.
Among the many books that Anne McCaffrey wrote in her Pern series, I particularly enjoy reading (and re-reading) Dragonsong and Dragonsinger that recount Menolly’s path into becoming a Harper. This is a beautiful portrayal of a shy, talented teenager who learns how to become confident and sure of her own value. I wonder why I like these stories so much, and think it’s because Menolly’s path to happiness and confidence is universal. We care about her, we want her to succeed, we would like to tell her that she is great when she falters, and we would, of course, like to have fire lizards. During the course of the two stories, Menolly meets several characters encountered in other books of the series, and we discover some important events of the main storyline from another perspective, which is great.
I read this book some time in the late 1980s, along with the entire series. A world with a medieval social structure and dragons that imprint on hatching and keep a devastating pest. The world building is spectacular and the characters are memorable.
This is a fantastic book. If you haven’t read it yet, you’re in for a treat, and if you have, it’s just as great a second or third time.
a heartwarming coming of age story of a young girl who is for bidden her passion because of her sex.
my favorite author!
Dragonsong and Dragonsinger are my absolute favorites of the Dragonriders of Pern series. I’ve read and reread them since I was a middle schooler. I think it resonates with kids and adults even now, because Menolly struggles to find her place in life on Pern. Don’t we all find ourselves struggling with that at some point in our lives?
All of Mccaffrey”s books are fantastic. You can’t go wrong with any of the Dragons of Pern Series.
This is the second book in McCaffrey”s series with heroine Menolly the harpist proving herself.
This is a classic series fun to reread occasionally.
So all of these boarding school series are popping up lately, and it made me want to read one of my favorites again. The Harper Hall trilogy is a magical blend of dragons and music in a coming-of-age story that endures. Maybe because I’ve loved it longer than Harry Potter, I feel like this is one of those books that helped to shape me. When I was getting ready to go to college, I read it again because I wanted to borrow some of Menolly’s resilience and passion. If you like dragons, music, school, or finding you own path to your dreams, this is a story that never goes out of style.
I’ve read all of Anne McCaffrey’s dragonrider books at least twice and the Dragonriders of Pern was my favorite. Anne weaves the tales of Pern with such love that the reader can’t help but fall in love. Each story of hers leaves you wanting the next. I started out reading from the library and eventually purchased all the books for my collection I loved them so much.
This was the first Science Fantasy I ever read, many many years ago. From the very first page, I was completely hooked. : )
Love the world of Pern. Wonderfully created
I love this author but as a singer, I identified strongly with the main character, Menolly, and her struggles.
I have loved all of her Pern books.
One of the best by this author. Enough said.
Oh, Anne McCaffrey, I do love your dragons, and all the people who ride them. Menolly is an extraordinary character and I adore how she grows over this series. In the first book Menolly escapes her past, but in this book, she learns to overcome it. It’s a simply told story, and I have certainly read it in a single sitting a time or two, but the language is beautiful and the message is rather timeless. As Menolly manages to do what so many said she couldn’t, all because she was a girl, as she forms friendships and gains confidence in herself and her abilities, as a reader I’m left with a sense of triumph, as if I was able to be there and know these characters and watch their journey in person as a part of their world. And that is part of Anne McCaffrey’s magic.