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Ripeness

long-buried family secrets in 1960s Italy from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Summerwater

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Ripeness

By: Sarah Moss
Narrated by: Flora Montgomery
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From 1960s Italy to present-day Ireland, Ripeness is the story of a family secret that rips a teenage girl's world apart, only for her to discover its true meaning decades later.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Summerwater, Sarah Moss.

'Moss makes every moment count' - The Sunday Times
'A book of lasting pleasures' - Eleanor Catton
'Powerful and beautifully written' - The Guardian

Just out of school and teetering on the brink of adulthood, Edith is sent alone to rural Italy. Her task is simple: support her sister Lydia, a brilliant but brittle ballet dancer, through the final weeks of her pregnancy. Once the baby is born, she is to make a phone call that will change all of their lives forever.

Decades later, Edith is living a contented life in Ireland, happily divorced and finally free. But with the arrival of an unexpected message, Edith must face the truth of that long-ago summer, and the secret she has carried for a lifetime.

‘Tender and rueful’ - Emma Donoghue
'A delicious novel' - Literary Review
'Sublime . . . glorious' - Vogue
'Luminous' - Financial Times
'Beautifully crafted . . . absorbing and moving' - Daily Mail

©2025 Sarah Moss Coming of Age Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Heartfelt
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Critic reviews

Sex and childbirth, emigrant and exile, the present and the past: Sarah Moss’s ambidextrous talent is evident on every page of this elegant novel. It is intelligent, but never disembodied; evocative, but never sentimental; honest, but never cruel. Ripeness is a book of tart and lasting pleasures (Eleanor Catton, Booker prize-winning author of The Luminaries and Birnam Wood)
This book felt to me like I was reading the achievement of a lifetime, written by one of the best writers alive. Moving, unexpected, masterful, it is a story of stories, of belonging, of exits and entrances, and everything in between. Moss’s understanding of who her characters are is also her understanding of all of us. A beautiful, powerful read that echoed for me long after (Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist)
Tender and rueful, Ripeness is a tale of being a foreigner that moves between 1960s Italy and 2020s Ireland, finding pain and bliss in both. Working at the height of her mature powers, Sarah Moss is a marvel of insight and eloquence (Emma Donoghue, author of Room)
I devoured Ripeness, thrilling at the world Moss brings to life and the characters who inhabit it. What a delicious novel
The sublime author Sarah Moss returns with Ripeness . . . Glorious
Impressive
A luminous tale about borders, bodies and a sense of belonging (Thomas McMullan, Financial Times)
Sarah Moss is a master of the ticking clock. Her novels thrum with tension . . . as the climax rushes towards us, Moss makes every moment count
Sarah Moss is one of the best writers working today, and this might be her best book yet. A wise and tender novel about birth, ballet and belonging, it captivated me completely (Bobby Palmer, author of Isaac and the Egg)
Beautifully crafted . . . absorbing and moving
An extended meditation on what home or belonging might mean in a period of disruption and displacement . . . Moss perfectly judges the prickly absolutism of the younger Edith . . . unfailingly spare and alert . . . captivating
Evocative . . . Immensely moving - and this story feels very much like life . . . This novel lingers so strongly in the mind
A powerful and beautifully written story of family, friendship and identity
An expansive, expressive tale of family, history and ballet, this is illuminated by pin-sharp imagery and rueful self-awareness
An insightful examination of family ties and belonging
There’s no shortage of gifted writers who have never had a sniff of a major prize. The English novelist Sarah Moss, now based in Dublin, is such an obvious example of this . . . Moss’ new novel, Ripeness, might fix that
All stars
Most relevant
A really pleasant read, beautifully written. The story unfolds in two parallel lines and is a wonderful reflection on life and mothering.

Poetic and beautiful story

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The narrators ability to voice each character is superb and added greatly to the cohesion of each strand of the story . Loved it

Brilliant voicing of a poignant and absorbing tale

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Very relevant to today’s events & loved the 2 narratives of Edith at 17 & again when she is in her 70 s

Wonderful prose very moving story

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This was beautifully written and narrated. It felt really timely in its exploration of identity and what it means to live a meaningful life. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was I felt that the final section was a overly drawn out and I found it implausible that a mother, however traumatised, would delegate the task of supervising her daughter's pregnancy to a 17 year old. Other than that, a very enjoyable read.

Very enjoyable and thought provoking

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I liked it all…… it was so readable. I could hardly stop listening and Edith’s character was so authentic, so brave and so understanding for one so young.

An unusual coming- of -age.

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