To Know a Woman

by Amos Oz

Book Overview

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

"[To Know a Woman has] the powerful undertow of myth . . . A rich and affecting novel." -- New York Times

Following the accidental death of his wife, Israeli secret service agent Yoel Ravid retires to the suburbs with his daughter, mother, and mother-in-law. After a lifetime of uncovering other people's secrets, he is forced to look back on his own: the desolate enigma of his wife's life and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156906805
• ISBN13: 9780156906807
• Release Date: April 1992
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

To Know a Country

This is a haunting novel that captures both the landscape and the soul of Israel. It is beautifully written, as are all of Amos Oz's novels, but this one has a compelling sense of place and characters so real they breathe the same air we do. The internal journey the protagonist undergoes suggests that life can provide an act two once one learns to forgive oneself.

One of the Best Fiction Books Out There!

Amos Oz might be on the shortlist for the Nobel Prize for Literature. I have never read any of his other books. I picked up the book along others when I shop at public libraries and yard sales. This book was special because it was one of those books where I first got interested immediately. I am not an easy reader. I don't like books that play games with me. I'm not a fan of fiction for today because there seems to be little that I haven't read about yet. Amos Oz's protagonist is a complicated character. He is an Israeli and former spy for his country who spent most of his life away from his wife and daughter, Netta. It was nice to read about a man who loved his wife as much as he did. As if they were one person, rather than two separate individuals, guys, read carefully because women want to be loved spiritually and soulfully as these two people are brought together. Maybe it's given me hope that they are nice men out there for looking for a nice girl like myself. Whatever Amos Oz humanizes his character who must deal with his troubled teenage daughter, his mother and mother-in-law who both live with them. What surprised me is that the politics of the Israeli and middle-east are rarely mentioned as if there are other problems in their lives. It's nice to read that Israelis are not these monsters as portrayed in the media. Amos Oz enlightens readers like myself who never ventured to Israel or ever plan too because of all the problems there. Maybe the problems aren't about politics or differences, maybe the problems are just internal like the protagonist. It's funny how people are not different after all, only if the Israelis and Palestinans can make peace, then maybe there is hope after all. If we can celebrate our similarities rather than argue over differences, we would get along. I became enlightened by this novel because I think Amos Oz wants to bridge the gaps between races, religions, and cultures. We're all human beings after all. We have that in common. Let's celebrate our differences.

To Know A Man

Yoel Ravid, is my kind of man. He was an Israeli secret service agent for most of his life, and had the ability to sense the truth in people. Amos Oz has written an extraordinary novel, "To Know a Woman". However, in Yoel's quest to find the secret of his life and what might have gone wrong; we learn as does Yoel, much more about his life and how to live it. This novel has been misnamed, it should be "To Know a Man"! We meet Yoel as he is exploring his retired life. His wife of many years, Irvia, has died suddenly. He is left with a daughter, Netta, whom he doesn't really know. His mother and his mother-in-law live together in an apartment near by, and Yoel feels the need to bring the family together. He cannot abide to live in the apartment that he lived in with his wife. He finds a house to rent with four bedrooms and everyone moves in together. This is a strange family- rarely do they speak or talk of important matters. They sit at night watching TV and rarely speak. Netta, his daughter has epilepsy and we learn that Irvia could not accept this diagnosis. Netta is a young woman who reads- she eats and sleeps at will, stays up all hours of the night and attends school where she does not fit in. Yoel feels out of place. He is used to being busy all the time, now he has very little to do. He thinks a lot about his life with his wife, how they met and married and their life with Netta. He thinks about his profession. He was rarely at home and his job was his life even though he loved his family. He drives his car at night and thinks. He sleeps little. He visits his next door neighbors who are an interesting couple, brother and sister. And he forms a relationship with his realtor, they go sailing every Saturday, and the realtor tells Yoel all of his secrets. All of this introspection is good for Yoel. His mother and mother-in-law are always arguing. His daughter tells him , "As you wish". for any question he asks her. No one it seems in the family is able to talk freely about what they are really thinking. The process of Yoel's assimilation of life is a joy to behold. It is a quiet coming together, and we are treated to the most wonderful writing . Yoel's daily life is told in such great detail and with such an explicit description that the mundane becomes revered. A life to be lived. This is my first Amos Oz book, and I look forward to reading his entire collection. Highly Recommended. prisrob

A Joy to Read

Mr Oz has taken the simpliest of stories and made it a wonderful book to read. His character development made the people so lifelike. A troubled soul has to come to terms with his life and the relationships he had and has with his wife, his daughter, his mother and mother-in-law. His growing awareness of the importance of just living made this novel a true joy. As the novel progresses, we become more involved with the present, rather than the past. Finally we are left with the feeling that the future will be fine.

Great introduction to Oz's works

I can't claim to be an expert on Amos Oz's oeuvre, having read only three of his novels. This was the first I read, and to my mind the best. It tells the story of an Israeli ex-secret service agent caught up in the sensation that there is a secret pattern or clue underlying his past. Oz's portrayal of the characters' setting and their relationships with one another evoke this sense of mystery. His considerable skills of characterization render lifelike, believable players. Pick this one up!