I picked this up on the recommendation of LunacyBleeding and also because I’d seen it on the reading list of some of my favourite creative women.

The blurb says “Women Who Run with the Wolves is a seminal work on the inner life of women.” It is a work based on Jungian psychology, which the author weaves in with her training as cantadora or keeper of stories in the Latina tradition. She examines myths and fairytales to see what they reveal about life and the choices women make. At it’s heart, it is a book about how to live life with passion, creativity, wisdom and confidence.

The author freely admits it is a book that has to be studied and I found that to be very true. There were a few chapters that seemed particularly relevant to me, but throughout the whole thing I had a sense that it was full of wisdom. Nevertheless, it was a bit like looking into the mist—I could see what it was saying but I felt like in order to make it substantial I needed to sit down and work out what it meant to me on a personal level, to internalise it. The afterword and addendum make it clear that that is how the book is meant to be used. This is not a quick read, but something that must be returned to over and over.

I also found that the afterword is particularly relevant for storytellers and well worth reading.

All in all, I felt it to be a very valuable book and one whose worth will only increase with contemplation.