To Know a Woman

Rating:
Summary: Great introduction to Oz's works
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Classic World Literature
Review: It's amazing that Oz is able to make a novel out of some of the content in this book, such as the gardening details. Oz has written a story that focuses on the truer, less glamourous aspects of Yoel's life and succeeds in painting an ultimately genuine and touching picture of life in general. It's also surprising that the novel is so enjoyable considering that none of the characters are really likeable. Duby is one of the most likeable, but his role is limited. Netta, Ivria, the Krantzes, and the grandmothers are all charcters that are easy to detest. Yoel ends up being the heroic character even though the reader is never sure if he is just as flawed as the other characters, and as the other characters believe him to be. Oz has several very interesting techniques, the most interesting be his recycling of images and ideas throughout the novel. It's refreshing and clearly points out the unity of the story. It is definitely a psychological work, and sometimes borders on mystical. All of the international city references and Hebrew Poets that Netta reads lends it sophistication. The short chapters again keep the pace up, which the novel needs in order to not become mundane. On the whole, it's definitely a good piece of world literature and a nice opening to Oz in general. Or so says the legend...

Rating:
Summary: Classic World Literature
Review: It's amazing that Oz is able to make a novel out of some of the content in this book, such as the gardening details. Oz has written a story that focuses on the truer, less glamourous aspects of Yoel's life and succeeds in painting an ultimately genuine and touching picture of life in general. It's also surprising that the novel is so enjoyable considering that none of the characters are really likeable. Duby is one of the most likeable, but his role is limited. Netta, Ivria, the Krantzes, and the grandmothers are all charcters that are easy to detest. Yoel ends up being the heroic character even though the reader is never sure if he is just as flawed as the other characters, and as the other characters believe him to be. Oz has several very interesting techniques, the most interesting be his recycling of images and ideas throughout the novel. It's refreshing and clearly points out the unity of the story. It is definitely a psychological work, and sometimes borders on mystical. All of the international city references and Hebrew Poets that Netta reads lends it sophistication. The short chapters again keep the pace up, which the novel needs in order to not become mundane. On the whole, it's definitely a good piece of world literature and a nice opening to Oz in general. Or so says the legend...

Rating:
Summary: A Joy to Read
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: To Know A Man
Review: 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