Joining the growing roster of historical fiction that aspires to give voice to Jewish women of eras past, The Fruit of Her Hands: The Story of Shira of Ashkenaz a debut novel by Michelle Cameron (Pocket Books/Simon and Schuster, $25), narrates the life of the imagined spouse of renowned 13th century authority Rabbi Meir ben Barukh of Rothenburg. Following Shira from childhood to old age and from France to Germany, to England, and back again, the author has created a portrait of medieval life, and of medieval Jewish womanhood in particular, that is both exotic and surprisingly familiar.