‘Fairy tales matter because at the heart of every one of them is transformation.’

In a world in which all the old certainties seem to be crumbling, it's hard not to feel we have lost our way. In Ripening, Sharon Blackie insists that fairy tales are precisely the stories we need for such times.

Long before they became bywords for people-pleasing princesses, these old stories – passed down to us through generations by our peasant ancestors – told us everything that women need to learn about the world. They might be set in difficult and dangerous times, but they require their heroines to face the unfaceable and dig deep for previously unimagined inner resources. They teach us to be savvy, inspire us to grow in confidence, show us how to be bold and claim the future we dream of. 

More than anything, fairy tales are soul-food. They show us how to take hold of our own personal narratives and transform them into stories that might begin with trauma, but end with empowerment. They offer us images of startling resonance and beauty, while showing us how to recognise and make use of the possibilities that rise to the surface when broken systems are cracked open.

'Sharon Blackie ventures further than most of us have the courage for, and then comes back with a map' Melissa Harrison, author of The Stubborn Lights of Things

'Ripening show us how we can move through life with vision and sensitivity. A fascinating, thought-provoking and authoritative read' Katherine May, author of Wintering and Enchantment

'She knows her archetypes, knows her Jung, knows her fairytales and knows her neuroscience, and is sick of being patronised by men who don’t’ Sunday Times

‘Beautifully written and full of wit... Ripening takes a compelling case for the importance of fairy tales to modern life’ Marya Hornbacher, author of Wasted

‘If you find yourself on a threshold and are looking for a larger context, or cauldron, in which to forge the meaning of your life, or maybe just a new direction, there’s no finer guide’ Elise Loehnen, author of On Our Best Behaviour

'As a midlife woman, I found this wonderful book about fairy tales full of wisdom, insight and inspiration – and I will certainly give it to my teenage daughter as a guide to the possibilities of her unfolding life' Fiona Robertson, author of Stone Lands

DR SHARON BLACKIE is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author, and a psychologist with a background in mythology and folklore. Her work is focused on reimagining women’s stories, and on the relevance of myths and fairy tales to the personal, cultural and environmental issues we face today. As well as writing seven books of fiction and non-fiction which have been translated into multiple languages, including the bestselling If Women Rose Rooted and Hagitude, her writing has appeared in international media outlets and she has featured in programmes by the BBC, US public radio and independent filmmakers. Sharon is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an Honorary Member of the UK Association of Jungian Analysts, and has taught and lectured at many academic institutions, Jungian organisations, retreat centres and cultural festivals around the world. Her much-loved publication ‘The Art of Enchantment’ is a Top Literature Substack.