I Wanted to Be Wonderful - by Lihi Lapid (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Instant National Bestseller

This book begins where most love stories leave off: at the beginning of real life.

I WANTED TO BE WONDERFUL follows the lives of two women in their first years of marriage and motherhood. One is a fictional character trying to live the happily-ever-after many imagine for themselves, and the second woman is inspired by the author herself, relating the most intimate moments of her life.

Both couples start their marriages full of idyllic happiness, but as the stressors of everyday life seep into their daily lives, that spark of young love begins to dim.

In trenchant, thoughtful prose, Lihi Lapid tells a braided story of women struggling to live up to modern pressures; about shattered dreams; and about finding the strength to gather up the pieces and to learn to smile again.

Review Quotes

"A poignant and relatable exploration of adjusting to motherhood."
--Kirkus

"Gut-wrenching, powerful, lyrical, achingly raw . . . Lihi Lapid's I Wanted to Be Wonderful will make every woman feel seen, even when she is hiding. Following the lives of two women in the early years of motherhood (one is the author herself), Lapid doesn't miss a beat in her deeply honest, provocative exploration of motherhood, parenthood, womanhood, and marriage. Ultimately, Lapid teaches women that when we finally let go of all we've been carrying--we stop leaving pieces of ourselves behind. Brava!"
--Lisa Barr, author of The Goddess of Warsaw

"Lihi Lapid's new novel, I Wanted To Be Wonderful, is, quite simply, wonderful. Sharply observed, deeply felt, subterraneanly witty, and scrupulously told, it tracks in fine detail, sometimes painfully, the lives of two charming and prickly heroines, as they navigate life with small children. Riven by guilt and held (by whom?) to superhuman standards, the women find themselves at crosshairs with their husbands, ships passing in the night. They want the men to help without being asked. Their men for their part, would help if their wives asked. The killer line: 'And their bed is more full of children than sex.' This book deserves a wide audience but I recommend it particularly to new parents, fathers as well as mothers, so they might see how the other half lives."
--Susan Rieger, author of Like Mother, Like Mother

"A propulsive, vulnerable look at motherhood which dispels the notion of happily ever after and strips away the dishonesty of illusory worlds. Lapid, wrestling with life's curveballs, reveals that little islands of beauty can be found in the landscape of disappointment and loss--if one looks within, rather than towards the horizon. An aching look at the heartbreakingly heart-filling role of becoming and being a mother."
--Rachelle Unreich, author of A Brilliant Life

"Lihi Lapid devastatingly describes the unraveling, and ultimate rebuilding, of a woman in the throes of early motherhood. In her reflection of that exhausting time when joy is often tinged with sadness from the burden of everyday life (compounded by a child with special needs), she realizes that in giving so much to others, she lost her sense of self. Her book is an important reminder that while we want to be wonderful, being good enough is all that matters."
--Rebecca Wolf, author of Alive and Beating

"Unflinching, remarkable, and deeply human. A clear-eyed portrait of marriage, motherhood, and what it means to love. I couldn't put it down."
--Lauren Aliza Green, author of The World After Alice

"[An] insightful and poignant novel. Individuals of all faiths will relate to the challenges inherent in marriage and raising children, and will certainly benefit from Lapid's wake-up call to choose real-life happiness in a world of fairy-tale expectations."
--Publishers Weekly

"An unflinching account of the challenges, so quotidian yet so momentous, faced by anyone who makes the radical transition from the promise and freedom of a childless life into the overwhelming responsibilities of parenthood."
--The Jerusalem Report

"Refreshingly, daringly honest."
--The Jerusalem Post

"Unabashedly describes modern motherhood and all its foibles."
--Haaretz

About the Author

Lihi Lapid is one of Israel's most beloved voices--a bestselling novelist, acclaimed journalist, and passionate speaker on contemporary women's issues and inclusion. She is the author of the novels On Her Own and Secrets from Within, as well as a cookbook, a children's book, and an essay collection. She lives with her husband, Yair Lapid, the former Prime Minister of Israel. They and their children live in Tel Aviv.