Ripening: Why Women Need Fairytales Now

by Sharon Blackie

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


In this world in which all our old certainties seem to be crumbling, many women feel lost. 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 insist that their heroines 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.


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PRAISE FOR RIPENING:


'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


'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

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology, Feminism, Audiobook, Irish Literature

320 pages, Hardcover

Published June 2, 2026

Reviews

[Coco Sanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every word of this book. Very inspiring❤️

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

Interesting idea, though quickly becomes repetitive

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This just isn't holding my attention--got through the first section and decided it's not for me. I'd rather just dig up the old fairy tales! That's what i mistook this book to majority be about.

[Ella-Mae Campling · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something reverential about how Sharon Blackie seemingly releases an erudite delight right when we in society seemingly need them most. Following on from the success of Wise Women, If Women Rose Rooted and Hagitude, and MORE it’s hard to believe that I could end up finding another book surrounding fairytales and mythologies intrinsic links to our modern psyche so inherently fascinating. But oh how I did. A fascinating foray into certain archetypes and their capturing hold on society lays before you when you pick this one up (because you should). It glided into publication right as I personally needed this collection; featuring sections on the beginning of a girl, the transitions of girls into womanhood, and following through on how finding a center of self, always returning to yourself and community, this is a beautiful ode to the connections of others we can often find by turning to earlier tales, as well as examining their pollution and transformation across time and societies. Written with such a care and passion for her subject, a non-fiction that has such warmth is a treat to read. My copy is littered in notes, and as someone with a deep fascination behind the relationship between fairytales, mythologies, ancient tales and modern societies- this book was another absolute wonder to read.

[Tatiana Goded · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharon Blackie’s books have always arrived when I most needed them. “Ripening” was no exception. I devoured all her other non-fiction books after finding “Wise women” in my favourite bookshop in Wellington. “Hagitude”, “The enchanted life” and “If women rose rooted” moved me to my core, and provided that deep need for meaning through the deep essence of fairy tales and our connection to the land. They helped me feel rooted and connected to myself in a way I hadn’t experienced in a long time. I have them near me to reread them again in times of need. In a moment when I am making a big move in my life at 50, one that most consider crazy but that feels right from my deepest core, I needed something to reinforce my deep intuition. And one day I received an email from Sharon’s substack account, announcing the release of “Ripening”. It was as of life had heard my needs. I knew last year she was writing her next book, but life got on the way and I hadn’t kept on the loop. Just reading about its contents made me cry, how it helped us connect to ourselves via fairy tales, how they could help you make difficult decisions and take leaps of faith. I hadn’t realised how much I missed Sharon’s deep ancestral wisdom. I ordered the book that same day, and it has been food for my soul in the last days. Yesterday I finished it with tears in my eyes. So many women and girls should read it, to see the value we bring to the world, to understand our wisdom and our resilience. This book was a bit different in the sense that she didn’t tell the entire stories, but summarised them to dig deep into their meaning and purpose. There were stories I hadn’t heard of before that I would have loved to know more about. But this was not the purpose of this book: she’s managed to dig deep into the meaning of fairy tales from many different countries and connect them, giving us wings to fly and roots to feel grounded. Thank you, Sharon, for feeding my soul in such a beautiful way, for bringing so much hope and strength to women who have lost it. I can’t wait till your next book

[cypher · Rating 2 out of 5]

fairytales teach women how to be in a relationship?! (from the beginning of the book)
what?! no, they do not...in this regard they really don't, quite the opposite, fairytales might teach people unrealistic "standards".
do women need fairytales more than men? seriously?! no, not really.
this was so incredibly melodramatic.
do women need fairytales now? no. did women need fairytales in the past? no. any person, woman or man, needs a bit more non-fiction now (some politics, climate, some economics, some science...), and maybe some science-fiction (the good ones, with perspective) before they need fairytales...or fantasy books (the "modern" fairytales, some say).
just being honest, fairytales are probably breaking things more than fixing in the current world. non-fiction is what we all need. this, in my opinion, was a silly book (even if this, specifically counts at non-fiction...i should have picked some science maybe...i understand if you wanna go and do an analysis on fairytales...but implying, or stating directly, that "women need fairytales now" is just incorrect...this does not support the right kind of feminism, a feminism of strong and knowledgeable women who know a lot about a lot, make informed decisions in politics and the economy, and dominate through logic in the world...taking time for a fairytale book instead of a book on the economy now, for example, will most likely be time lost in a woman's development towards that strong knowledgeable and logical person she could become...women do not need fairytales now before they need many other things).


...at some point in the book the author says she has never met a woman who does not identify with the shapeshifting magical creatures from european fairy tales...aham...that was a bit stupid, definitely untrue...and definitely very melodramatic. give me a break. every woman identifies with a magical creature these days...just because...because they can?
and then she starts talking about God, and the divine feminine (whatever that is) that women crave...definitely very melodramatic.
not so non-fiction, factual analysis on european fairy tales, after all.

[Becky Lee Warburton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved some parts of this book and found its reframing of fairy tales as stories about agency, rather than simply stories of rescue, genuinely fascinating.

That said, I wouldn't say the book held my attention throughout. At times, I found the discussion a little repetitive, and I felt that the section on writing your own story was somewhat oddly placed within the book.

I also found the title Why Women Need Fairy Tales a little too strong. I think the book makes a compelling case for why fairy tales are important to reflect on through a feminist lens, but I'm not sure I'd go as far as saying women need them.

[Emmie · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at about 80%. More of a 2.5/5.

It's clear that Blackie knows her stuff; she writes eloquently and passionately. This just didn't grab me, though. I found it repetitive, a little too self-helpy, and quite light on the actual psychology. That said, it's probably (partially) on me for assuming that it would be more of the latter than the former.

I'm sure this is a great book for someone who has never heard of the self and the persona, or the mother and father wound (and I mean that with full sincerity), but for me, personally, the whole thing started to feel a bit like one long preface by about the halfway mark. The last 20% was a summary of the ideas repeated throughout the course of the book and a few activity suggestions I didn't want to sift through.

[Lottie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

Yes, we really do. We really need fairytales. Unfortunately that’s pretty unrealistic in late-stage capitalism. This book provided great insight into various topics, like folklore and fairy tales links to feminism, and how to survive the current state of the world. I wasn’t sure how it all linked together, and it was getting somewhat repetitive by the end, but this was still a solid read overall

[Heather Samson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don’t have the language of doing that inner work you might find this book Hard to get through. I really enjoyed it as I’ve been part of a women’s circle for many years now and love reading the insights from various writers who do the work. I especially liked all the journal prompts/reflections after chapters/sections. I also really like when a writer is narrating their book.

[Lorelei · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I bought it after listening to the audiobook so I could highlight it and save the passages that held so much meaning for me. The parallels to modern life are startling and Blackie does a wonderful job of sharing her psychologist's experience and point of view to help women navigate their own path. I have also read "When Women Rose Rooted". Highly recommend.

[Alice Ashton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out strong but I found myself getting increasingly bored. Not my bag re non fiction. It was more ‘self help’ than I expected which is not my preference. I was hoping for a really empowering text, but just didn’t get that feeling.

[Mahayana Dugast · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an entertaining take on fairy tales, but I could only read half.