Title: Spinning Straw into Gold: What Fairy Tales Reveal About the Transformations in a Woman's Life

Author: Joan Gould

Publisher: Random House 2010

Genre: Nonfiction - Fairy Tales/Folklore

Pages: 330

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR

What’s your favorite fairy tale? Whether it’s “Cinderella,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Hansel and Gretel,” or another story, your answer reveals something significant about you, your experiences, and your soul. In this penetrating book, Joan Gould brings to the surface the hidden meanings in fairy tales and myths, and illuminates what they can tell you about the stages in your own life. As Gould explores the transformations that women go through from youth to old age–leaving home and mother, the first experience of sexuality, the surprising ambivalence of marriage, the spiritual work required by menopause and aging–her keen observations will enrich your awareness of your inner life.

Another long shelf resident that I finally decided to pick up. I enjoyed this exploration of fairy tales, but I caution that this is not for the feint of heart. The text is very dry and academic. The analysis of each fairy tale is deep and very long. And yet, I really did like the insights I gleamed from the text. If you really like fairy tales and literary analysis, pick this one up.

Next up on the TBR pile: