Rating: 
Summary: One of the best books I have ever read!
Review: I finished reading this book at 2:45 am this morning. Being a woman, a mother, a sister, a wife, a person who has wondered aloud about all those silent women in the Bible- this book arrived like a huge white bird and landed right in my living room.
It's sad to read reviews that poo-poo the "feminist" point of view. It's also ironic, as you can easily see how the mental, emotional and physical chains of a male dominated society in the time of Joseph and Jacob lead entire societies to commit heinous crimes against each other because some man's gods told him to do so. Today we would recognize their behavior as narcissistic, sociopathic and ego maniacal. Or do we?? In the days of Dinah, the woman who tells this rich and lucious story, women only stood up and spoke their truth in the secrecy of the red tent. It is a bold lesson for "religious" women who blindly follow the lead of men. Contemporary women are forming their own "red tents" through discussion groups, gatherings and the renewal of valuable female friendships. Read this book. Be enlightened. Be enveloped. Be engrossed. Be outraged. But read this book. Anita Dimant is a writer with the awesome power bring us into her worlds and to send us home with the smell of lotus in our nostrils and dust from the desert roads on our shoes. Thank you Anita!
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Summary: Vividly Fresh Life for a tired, old, and mundane story!
Review: If you are one of those people who tries to take the Old Testament literally, you won't want to read this book. But if you seek to find more meaning, more human qualities to this religious classic, this is definitely the novel for you! Throughout the Bible, women are rarely mentioned (except for being the mother of this or that male character). For most women, the question arises -- what really happended in the lives of these biblical women? And I think for people everywhere -- were the lives of these people really so colorless? The Red Tent explores the lives of the wives and daughters of the Bible's Jacob. Told from the vantage point of Jacob's only daughter, Dinah (pronounced Dee-nah), this book brings the last half of the book of Genesis to life. During the first half of this novel, the author draws you into the intimate details of the lives of 5 women - Dinah, and her four mothers. (As was common in the time, Jacob has 4 wives - all the daughters of his uncle, Laban.) The women struggle through the full range of emotions for one another, from love to jealousy, and back to loyalty once more. Mid-book, the tone of the book completely changes as the events of the story tear these women's lives apart. As Dinah suffers and becomes distant to the world, so the author makes you distant to the characters. This makes the last half of the book less enjoyable than the first, but without it, the reader would never find closure and would always be asking - but what about Joseph and is Dinah ever reconciled with her family? After reading this story, my curiousity was piqued and I felt the need to refresh my memory of the Biblical version. It is interesting to note how the author took the basic details and expounded into an amazing narrative of what might have happened. The next time I pick up my NIV, I will strain to see new meaning between the lines of these age old stories. (I am also curious to know how Ms. Diamont got her ideas for this story -- this is never revealed in the book!!)
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Story in Poor Faith
Review: As a fictional story, _The Red Tent_ is vivid, rich and beautiful. It is feminist in what I consider the very best sense of that word: valuing female-ness, in all its aspects (sisterhood, menstruation, sex, pregnancy, birth and motherhood), for its own sake, and not making any attempt to make women be like men. It gives the impression, unlike so much of the Biblical fiction I've read, of being utterly true to the times it records. But therein, unfortunately, lies the problem. As a fantasy story or mere historical fiction, with completely "invented" characters, this book would not disturb me. But instead it takes the female characters of the Bible, the wives and mothers and daughters of the Patriarchs, and portrays them as truly pagan women, with little or no interest in or respect for the God of Abraham, whose worship even by the men of the family seems tenuous at best. To see, for instance, Rebecca portrayed as a pagan oracle, insistent on perpetuating pagan rites among the females of her family, is profoundly troubling to me. I don't doubt that the Patriarchs' families were influenced by the paganism of the world surrounding them, but to envision these women as pagan priestesses seems to go too far--at the least the idea saddens me greatly. And I'm perplexed, since the author appears to be Jewish and has written several works of non-fiction about how to live as a Jew. Why such a woman would write a book that has more in common with neo-paganism than the Biblical narrative is a mystery to me. Because for all this book *has* (and it has much), the one really crucial thing it *lacks* is any hint of faith in the God of Israel. I imagine for a lot of readers that absence wouldn't be felt at all, but I felt it, and for me it spoiled what was otherwise a profoundly good book about what it is (or should be) like to be a woman.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best reads ever!
Review: This book is so compelling,it grabs you from page one and dares you to put it down! Definately a 'woman's book'. If you are a mother, you will have a new appreciation for your life after reading this book. I recommend it to all women, but to mothers especially.
Rating: 
Summary: A New Interpretation of An Old Story
Review: Anita Diamant's superb book takes the well known story of Jacob and his 12 sons and gives voice to the women long silent. This work of historical fiction explores the experiences of the women in relation to their men as well as the relationships between the women. The first half of the book is the story of Jacob's four wives: their love for the same man, their conflicts, and the bond between sisters and women. Each month the women join together in the red tent for several days. Rather than a source of disgrace, the book gives a reaffirming message of what it means to be a women and worships the ability to give life, which the mothers pass on to their daughter Dinah . As interesting as the relationships between the characters, the book presents a myriad of the religious practices of the time. Througout the book we see that the women continue to practice their own religious beliefs, until a dramatic conflict with Jacob. In the second half of the book, the reader is able to catch a glimpse of Egyptian gods and godesses. However, these mentions are often brief and may leave one wanting to hear more and explore the level of monotheism that was really practiced. The second half of the book follows Dinah into Egypt after she flees tragedy in Canaan. The second half is less interesting than the first, but the reading is fast and moves quickly. The portrayal of Joseph is a far cry from his broadway persona and there is little in the way of explanation for why he has become the greedy selfish man that he is. Dinah's sotry ends with a bitterswee tone. After seeing her family from afar at her father's death, she receives some sense of reconciliation from the family that remains. After returning to Egypt, Dinah dies surrounded by loved ones and returns to her waiting mothers. The ending offers some conclusion to the divides within her family and we see that life continues on.
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Summary: Great for Bookclubs
Review: I have been enjoying bookclub membership for over 5 years in MD, DC and now OH. For author Anita Diamant, this is the book selection for your group. Guaranteed to spark conversation!
Rating:
Summary: Not at all what I expected
Review: Initially I was unsure of exactly what this book was about. Then, after reading the synopsis, I decided not to buy it. But something kept drawing me back to it. I bought a few other books, yet this one kept rolling around, in the back of my mind. So I decided to give it a chance. While I'm normally one for bestsellers (think "Da Vinci Code" or "Bark of the Dogwood") I decided nevertheless to give this one a chance, and all I can say is "Boy am I glad I did!" Whether or not you're one for biblical stories, be they oblique or not, you'll enjoy "The Red Tent." If nothing else, the style of writing is worthy of five stars. I highly recommend this great new find.
Rating:
Summary: Insight into a little-known chapter of herstory
Review: As other reviews have noted, this book is historical fiction. It takes the portion of Genesis dealing with Jacob and his wives, and later with the rape of Dinah, and rewrites them from the perspective of Jacob's only daughter, Dinah. Through her eyes, we see the cameraderie and jealousies of Jacob's four wives, Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Billah. We get a fully developed sense of their personalities. We are treated to a speculation of what life was like for women in pre-Christian times. Finally, we learn about the life of Dinah, who is barely mentioned in the bible, but who in Diamant's novel leads a full, rich life. This is a wonderfully imagined novel. Diamant speaks with such an air of authority, and her characters are so richly created, that I had to keep reminding myself that this book is, indeed, a novel. Women in the bible are rarely given a voice. Unfortunately, this is true throughout so much of history. Here, however, the women's experiences are in the forefront, and are just as compelling as the men's stories. This is a beautiful tale of mothers and their children set during a time when such stories were never really told. Very original and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Over-rated
Review: This was a fine book... but NOT up to the hype!
Rating:
Summary: Fiction at its best - especially for women.
Review: I really enjoyed this book a lot. I have also read Dinah's story in the Bible. There, she is barely mentioned. The author weaving this story gives a lot more meaning for me. The style of the writing is something I liked a lot. The story moved along and the relationships were easily understood. When I read the same names in Genesis, I had problems keeping everyone straight. Not so with the book. For me, seeing how cultures and areas treated women differently, was fascinating. It would seem that even in ancient times, some were much more progressive than others. In Dinah's tribe, although women were honored and revered, they were still kept separate. Yet in neighboring tribes/areas women were treated with indifference or not to be thought of at all. I found this to be much the same as today. It brought to mind how women in different cultures are allowed freedom and in others, their lot remains the same as thousand of years ago. Dinah's father Jacob seemed to not pay much attention to Dinah at all. It was almost as if he didn't know what to make of her, so ignored her instead. I felt his reaction to her husband was because he thought of her more as property than as his blood. I would rate this book at 4 1/2 stars - between very good and excellent. I would recommend it to be read - but mostly to my female friends. I feel the writing flows and the relationships between all the women make this a particularly good read.
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