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Wise Women

On sale

3rd October 2024

Price: £20

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Selected: Hardcover / ISBN-13: 9780349018317

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An unforgettable collection of retold myths and folk tales celebrating the wisdom and power of women in midlife and beyond

‘The book I’ve been longing for’
JILL DAWSON, author of The Bewitching

‘Fascinating’ SARA SHERIDAN, author of The Fair Botanists

‘Read it, absorb it, treasure it!’ SHAHRUKH HUSAIN, author of The Virago Book of Witches

Ungainly giantesses. Sequin-strewn fairy godmothers. Misunderstood witches. Fierce grandmothers. Hairy-chinned hags. Craggy crones.

From early childhood, we learn about the world and its possibilities through myths and fairy tales. The heroines, though, tend to be golden-haired princesses, and the evil-doers often older women.

But women today are searching for positive versions of themselves from midlife onwards, and this dazzling array of not-to-be-messed-with characters provides them. They outwit monsters, test and mentor younger heroines, embody the cycles and seasons of the earth, weave the world into being – and almost always have the last laugh.

These women manifest their wisdom in different ways, and so offer us inspiration for how we too can walk boldly and live authentically in the second half of life.

Praise for Sharon Blackie:

Hagitude is already becoming a beloved cult classic, as a myth-infused manifesto for the possibilities for life from middle age onwards’ Katherine May

‘Engaging and inspiring, Sharon Blackie’s beautiful book will empower people to find wonder in everyday life’ Clover Stroud

‘Fascinating, packed with stories and bursting with lovely descriptions of the natural world. There’s plenty in Hagitude to inspire women of every age’ Christina Patterson, Sunday Times

Reviews

Julia Bueno, author of Everyone's a Critic
This rich curation re-iterates the truth that women in midlife - and beyond - are a vital source of wisdom. Reading them ignited a fire in my belly!
Sara Sheridan, author of The Fair Botanists
A fascinating collection of female myths and legends that read like both dreams and nightmares
Jill Dawson, author of The Bewitching
The book I've been longing for. I immediately want to give it to all my woman friends. It is so important and Sharon Blackie is exactly the right inspirational person to bring this topic and these new stories of old women to the culture
Dr Angela (A.G.) Slatter, award-winning author of The Briar Book of the Dead
Wondrously wise, clever and insightful as well as slyly funny. Wise Women maps a new path made of old stories, offering an alternative for women in the second half of life - a reframing as a harvest season of experience rather than a dying off
Shahrukh Husain, author of The Virago Book of Witches
This scrumptious new collection took me into much-loved tales from evergreen folklorists and story-gatherers and gifted me the bonus of meeting marvellous new beings. Nestled in insightful notes, this collection turns the spotlight on older women, celebrating their perspicacity and clout with the flair of a seasoned Broadway performance. This will be a smash-hit of a show starring mature and canny women in its second and third acts! Read it, absorb it, treasure it!