#the woman who rides like a man

[where-our-stories-start]

Little Women (2019) // Simone de Beauvoir // The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (Tamora Pierce) // The Color Purple // Persuasion (Jane Austen) // Catherine, Called Birdy (2022) // tumblr.com

[checkoutmybookshelf]

The Quartet That Started It All

As followers of this blog will note, this is not actually the quartet that started it all for me, but it DID launch author Tamora Pierce's career in the 1980s, and Alanna remains absolutely beloved among Pierce's heroines. Let's talk the Song of the Lioness Quartet.

In a classic case of "if I can't do this as a girl, then I'll do this as a boy and I have a handy twin brother to go full Twelfth Night with," Alanna of Trebond begins The First Adventure by dressing as a boy to train as a page in Tortall's royal court. This book introduces all our main characters and establishes Alan the page amongst his peers and Alanna as she finds herself and her place in chivalry.

One of the other amazing things about Alanna's story overall is that she begins it absolutely terrified of her own magical gift. Her arc includes learning to work with her magic rather than to fear it, and that's a twist on magic users that I really appreciated. We often get overly confident magic users--indeed, we'll get TWO of them later in the series--but it's rare that we get magic users who are fully aware of their powers and are still absolutely terrified of them. So of course, the story and the world and Pierce herself keep throwing Alanna into situations where she has no choice but to develop and use her gift. It's so, so good. This first book covers Alanna's page years, and we move into her squire years in book two.

In the Hand of the Goddess really expands on Alanna's key relationship with Prince Jon on Conte, Duke Roger of Conte, and Geroge Cooper. Alanna moves into a wider world of adult politics and stakes in this book. From being able to defeat an older, stronger, and more experienced opponent in a duel to developing her healing skills when a wound puts her out of commission during a war, Alanna cements her skills, connections, and position in society. This culminates with unmasking Roger as an attempting regicide and the accidental reveal of her gender.

This book is really, really good, and extends Alanna's childhood fear of magic to her fear of Roger specifically in a really natural, logical way. I could say more about the details, but these two books have an episodic vibe to them, so I won't spend too much time exploring every single key plot event.

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man sees Alanna spending her first year as a knight in the desert, with a Bazhir tribe. She becomes their shaman by way of self-defense; she murders their first shaman when he tries to murder her for "being unnatural." Then it falls to Alanna to train three magic users for the tribe, and this is where we see more nuance into how different magic users relate to their powers, from sheer hubris to fear to "this is just part of me, let's do this." It's a phenomenal experience for Alanna, and she learns as much from her students as they do

Book three also sees Jonathan bitching to hell and back about having to be king, which is not a great look, and it's one Alanna calls him on. He spends most of the book alternating between pitching a hissy fit, begging Alanna to marry him, and training to take over as Voice of the Tribes. The interesting thing here is that Alanna refuses to marry Jon. He is trying to fit Alanna into his own fairy tale, and she very much goes "That isn't our relationship, I can't do that. We aren't meant to be like that, and that's ok." If I could inject that lesson into humanity's collective head, I would. It's well done and it's great.

Lioness Rampant picks up on Alanna's travels after she leaves the Bazhir, and eventually sees her return to Corus with a magical artifact to help secure Jonathan's position as king.

There's also the teeny tiny complication that Alanna's twin brother, Thom, has resurrected Duke Roger. Absolute chaos ensues, and Roger almost manages to take out the entire court during Jonathan's coronation. Nobody should have to kill an evil sorceror twice, but Alanna did.

If you want to dive into Tamora Pierce's Tortall Universe, starting with Alanna is absolutely a good choice. These books hold a very soft spot in my heart, and they're never not engaging.

[the-dust-jacket]

Okay y’all what do we think about the new Song of the Lioness covers?

[wondereads]

Tamora Pierce Marathon: The Woman Who Rides Like a Man

I'm rereading every Tamora Pierce book (except Protector of the Small since I just read and reviewed it last year), and here's part three with The Woman Who Rides Like a Man.

Song of the Lioness 1 2 3 4

While I love Tamora Pierce, she is truly one of my favorite authors in the world, this book is so painfully written in the eighties. The plot of this one centers around Alanna, now a knight, going off on adventures and encountering the Bazhir, a desert-dwelling people who, while within Tortall, are somewhat autonomous. Now, I must give credit where credit is due. For a book published in 1986, the fact that Pierce created an actual culture and story around a people that are clearly based on the Middle East/Northern Africa instead of just making them the villains is quite good. However, there is a lot of insensitive content. Alanna does her best to become accustomed to living among the Bazhir, and she is quite respectful most of the time, but there are certain things, like her aversion to the face veils that the women wear, that betray some bias. Also, the whole story revolves around Jon eventually becoming the Voice of the Tribes, a spiritual leader for the Bazhir, so they will make peace with the Tortallans, which just reeks of white saviorism and colonialist behavior.

Beyond the dubious representation, this book is just kind of weak in terms of plot. It's obviously a bit of a "between" book meant to get everyone in place for Lioness Rampant. There's not much conflict, and there really is nothing that I would consider a climax. I will say that I think Alanna grows a lot character-wise in this book. Her time with the Bazhir forces her to adapt her worldview, and she goes through a lot of introspection when it comes to her attitude towards magic. Also, she faces her feelings when it comes to Jon, who acts like a prick in this book. Overall, this is definitely the weakest of Song of the Lioness. Still, even though you probably couldn't guess it from my ranting, I did enjoy it still. If I were to give it a rating like a normally do in my updates and reviews, it would probably be a solid 7/10. If it were not in this particular series where I am attached to the characters, it would probably drop to a 6.

[alnst-hyunaluka]

Also, as a woc myself, can I ask from this fandom that unless confirmed by canon, can we not shove the one dark-skinned, disabled, female character into the "only allowed to feel selfless love for humanity or/and platonic love for her deceased brother" corner? Pretty please?

[perhaps-mr-collins-has-a-cousin]

😩

[andrastesgrace]

man getting older hasn't changed my ships but it has changed the way I think about them and my reasoning for the ones I don't love

[buk0wskis]

final verdict

also with this my oscar playlist is up! just a sweet lil angel boy who deserves nothing but the world. brother needed a bodyguard like yesterday

[hestiasroom]

does anyone else's mom think they are "mean" for having boundaries? or is that just my mom?

[dr-dendritic-trees]

So... in between the last time I reread Woman and now, I may have, possibly, got totally obsessed with fibercrafts... but I love the sequence with Alanna learning to weave.

Now, its a great sequence even for a non-weirdo, because Alanna is getting comfortable with being a woman, and she's learning reciprocally from her Bazhir apprentices.

But also, I love and can deeply relate to the little scene where's Alanna's like... watching them weave with growing envy, because its just... a loom.

Now I want to write a fic where Raoul or Jon or other various someones come across Alanna weaving (because I guarantee she still does it occasionally), and she gets defensive about her feminine hobby and they're just like "can we try".

[dlnqnt]

baby this is the worst example of career inspiration i have ever read

[harmofud]

Gonna ring in the New Year by saying that you cannot easily decide who is and is not trans based purely on body type or facial features alone, and doing so often plays into some nasty western societal conceptions of what beauty is.

I'm very much cis and people think I'm trans all the time bc I have big shoulders, a wide jaw line, and a big nose. If I, a cis woman, have those features, that means that those features are not indicative of gender at all and cannot/should not be used to determine who is and isn't trans.

My dad has a friend who is a Polynesian woman. She's super tall, buff, and stocky, and people are assholes about it and keep asking if she's really a woman. That's a huge dick move first of all, and second of all, she's cis! That means that you cannot use height, strength, and stockiness as metrics for being a cis woman.

Women world wide have so many different features that you cannot restrict trans women from the pile without restricting cis women as well. There are examples of cis women being able to grow mustaches and beards, and those ladies get attacked double about a thing their body does because it's not female enough.

The thing that I mentioned earlier about it being a Western beauty standard problem is that there's this idea that all women have (or should have) hourglass bodies with big boobs and big butts, big thighs, small calves, ankles, and feet, thin and angular jawline (although small and round jawline works as well), small nose, thin shoulders, thin arms, no acne, long hair, and be short but not so short that you look 'weird' compared to your partner. That's so specific! Some races just aren't going to have those features and I doubt any race has them all! I don't know any woman who fills every category, and viewing every woman who violates that hyper specific standard as a Judas of some kind is not only insulting but also exhausting. Like damn girl, you really live like that?

I'm just saying that 'being a woman' is a societal group that we as humans made up. True, there are physical differences between male and female, but not so much that we're different ass species who inherently think differently and act differently and do everything differently. We're all human beings at the end of the day. I share a lot of physical features with guys I know and I'm cis and always will be. I shouldn't have to argue with people about whether or not I fulfill the beauty standard enough to be considered a woman, and if I shouldn't have to do it, other people shouldn't have to do it either, whether they be trans or not.

And, to finalize my point, I really truly don't want to he defined purely by whether or not I'm able to carry children. Haven't we, as women, fought against that idea for centuries? Haven't we, as women, struggled historically against claims that infertility makes us not good women? Haven't we, as women, fought for our ability of self-determination and the ability to be seen as more than our sex or gender, and that we have value even after we've done made the baby?

Ladies, I'm just saying that if you exclude the Western beauty standard and also refuse to define yourself by your baby-making propensity (like how we have fought for the ability to do), there's precious little that truly defines womanhood. I am a woman simply because I am. I'm assuming trans women feel the same way. None of us are so different, not really. Don't be insulted if someone asks for your pronouns, and don't be insulted if someone says sir instead of ma'am at the grocery store. Just be polite about it.

[marklikely]

you guys know that phenomenon where dudes will be like "women aren't funny" but its just bc when a woman makes a joke they don't get it and take her seriously and just think she's like an idiot? like a woman will say smth silly as a joke and they'll just be like "smh you can't be serious you're so stupid" bc theyd rather think a woman is stupid than think that she's just saying it to be funny.

i feel like thats what happens in the reviews every time a woman tries to direct a campy b movie right now.

[wondereads]

Books I Read in April

Reviews under the cut

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding (7/10)

This one was for class, and it was insane. First of all, it's over 900 words, so it goes on for a while. Second of all, this is a soap opera in the form of an 18th century novel. It's got children out of wedlock, a romance between people of different classes, a secret birthright, and lots of sex. Yes, sex, in an book from the 1700s. This book is notably a satire, and it pokes a lot of fun at the sanitized public image of the time. Also, it's getting a miniseries adaptation at the end of the month that looks really good.

Spell Bound by F. T. Lukens (8/10)

Overall, I just found this book good. It was a quick, light, easy read, and it's definitely a welcome reprieve from the intense fantasy I normally read. The magic is pretty fun, and I really liked the romance. The plot was a little too much for so quick a book, and some of the side characters aren't as fleshed out as I'd like, but this is definitely a great book to just relax and blow off some steam while reading. It isn't a masterpiece, but I'd still recommend it, especially if you're just looking for a little fun.

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce (9/10)

Part of my Tamora Pierce marathon, I very much enjoyed my reread of this book. I like the way Pierce skips through a lot of time; it brings a sense of realism to the whole thing as Alanna is training for years. I love Alanna's character development, and we have the start of it in this book. I will note that the plot feels a little disjointed.

In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce (10/10)

In my opinion, this is the best book in Song of the Lioness. The character work with both Alanna and her love interests is great, the plot is cohesive, and you're on the edge of your seat. I'm a huge supporter of George, but why does their age difference have to be seven years??? It's a good thing Pierce can write some amazing romance.

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken (8/10)

Initially, I was having some trouble getting through this book. I think part of it was just how busy I've been, but I do think the beginning just doesn't do it for me. However, it was necessary for the most part, and I really liked the rest of the book. Tamsin grew on me, I was invested in the romance, and the side characters are quite good. The actual plot is full of all kinds of twists and reveals, and it ended on such a good cliffhanger—it definitely makes me want to read the next book! I'd say that even though this book isn't perfect, it's a great read, especially if you're an Arthurian nerd like me.

The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce (7/10)

Quickly following the best book of the series is, in my opinion, the worst. The actual character work and writing is just as good as Pierce's other books, but the subject matter is...touchy. For a book published in the 80s, it's already great that the Middle Eastern-esque culture is not just immediately villainized, but through a modern lens, the plot feels very white savior. Alanna has a great amount of respect for the Bazhir, and some of her preconceptions are disproven throughout the book, but her repeated aversion to the veils and Jon becoming the Voice just doesn't sit right with me.

The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole (5/10)

What an insane book. Another one for school, and this is the beginning of the genre of gothic literature. As such, this sort of story is finding its feet, and this one is all over the place. Due to some influence from medieval romance, the characters are all rather flat, but at least it's entertaining.

Dragonfall by L. R. Lam (9/10)

I'm really glad I got an ARC of this book because I really enjoyed it! I particularly liked Arcady, Everen, and their relationship, but the plot is solid and interesting, and the writing does something new. The only downside to this is that it's going to be at least a year before the next book comes out. While there's some intense cliffhangers at the end of this book, I don't really know how the next one is going to go, and I am very curious. In the meantime, I do recommend this book, especially for anyone looking for a slow burn fantasy romance with a bit more substance to it. And dragons, which is a good enough reason alone to read any book.

[applebunch]

far more compelling for me than the fact that narrators can time-travel is the reason WHY narrators can time-travel. in-universe acknowledgement of "nothing in their universe exists outside of the things that are 'on mic'". if it isn't in an episode, it didn't actually happen. that's an actual rule that exists in the story. it has been canonized.

the stamatis's parents never spent a second alive. gemma and charlotte never actually had their wedding. every single character has only existed as far back as their flashbacks can throw them. and that's IF they have flashbacks! flashbacks are not common! leon dragging michael out of the bar didn't get a flashback, so it didn't happen! like not in just the implicit way that applies to all characters in all stories, that's an in-universe rule!

but what's really getting me is this:

greater boston starts with leon killing himself. it starts because he kills himself. the foundation of the story is leon's death on the roller coaster. that's why everything else happens. leon's death makes something in their strange world into a story worth telling. the story is the only medium through which their world is allowed to exist.

leon's death is what brought their world into existence.

or, fun reversal, the world was created SO leon could die in it, which would then create a story intriguing enough to justify the existence of the rest of the world.

huh.

[fuckedprophet-arch]

Yknow for Dallas to be a jealous man and territorial dude, he be fucking a lot of peoples wives. Like sir?? You see the energy?