Eshet Chayil - Woman of Valor. Hebrew Novel by Lihi Lapid

Eshet Hayil (Woman of Valor) By Lihi Lapid Kinneret, Zmora-Bitan, Dvir 222 pages; NIS 88 Writer Lihi Lapid's second novel, Woman of Valor, puts women characters front and center. Taking the title of her book from the passage in the Book of Proverbs, Lapid writes about a woman's greatest job in life - motherhood. The traditional poem describes the woman of valor as one who is energetic, righteous and capable. Lapid questions beliefs about a woman's role in modern society, probes stereotypes and examines the lies parents tell their daughters. Through her own story, and that of others, she tells a tale of everyday battles a woman goes through. She writes from different viewpoints including that of a 30-plus woman dying to get married, a woman who relies on advice columns before doing something for herself, and a young woman who decides getting married at 22 is the proper thing to do. This novel is not meant to be a feministic battle cry but rather a book about a day in the life of a woman in contemporary Israel