Menolly of Half-Circle Sea Hold: Harper Hall Trilogy by Anne McCaffrey

Harper Hall Trilogy (Pern Series #3):

1. Dragonsong

2. Dragonsinger

3. Dragondurmmer

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Strength Rating: 4

Recommend: 4

Dragonsong

Anne McCaffrey's books of Pern are addictive. Dragonsong is the first book in her Harper Hall Trilogy about Menolly of Half Circle Sea Hold, the first female Harper. Readers first met Menolly in the Dragonriders of Pern Trilogy, but in this series we learn much more about the memorable character.

Half Circle Sea Hold is all about fishing. It is one of three holds on the ocean that divides the two large continents on the planet Pern. Like the life of any fishing village, there is much work to be done, usually in schedule with the tides and weather. The only part of her daily life that makes Menolly happy is when she is with the Harper. She loves to sing, play music and make up songs. She would be a natural to take over for the old Harper is she was a boy. But there has never been a female Harper.

When the old Harper dies, she gets to fill in for him while his replacement is sent from Harper Hall. Her father, the Holder, does not was the new Harper to know that a girl filled in teaching the children, for fear of disgracing the Hold. When Menolly is no longer allowed to play music and sing, she decides she cannot live in the Hold any longer. She runs away. She does not know that the old Harper wrote to the Masterharper about her before he died. The Masterharper, being so impressed with her songs, sends a searcher in every direction to look for her. If he can find her, she will be able to sing and play music to her heart's content. He would not let a gift like hers go because of her gender.

*Not all three books are about Menolly, but she appears in all three volumes.