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Summary: Intriguing book that made me want to read the Bible more.
Review: I enjoyed the story a great deal and read it quickly wanting to know what would happen next. I've read it twice already and now would like to review the Bible itself to get a better understanding of the story.
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Summary: Fantastic, Intelligent, Imaginative
Review: Anita Diamant has managed to create a fascinating character with a fascinating life. Of great interest are the rituals of "the red tent". Dinah is a woman with an amazing story to tell. The women are intelligent and witty. Romance, revenge, deceit, this book has it all. I could not put it down.
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Summary: One of the best novels I've read in recent years
Review: The Red Tent is compelling and riveting. I felt as if I was living Dinah's life with her as she recounted the story handed down from generation to generation, of her family from a woman's perspective. Anita Diamant has done her homework and created a wondrous tale that will inspire and enlighten. A must read for women, and an education for men. I simply couldn't put it down. Betty Kirkland
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Summary: A wonderfully evocative historical novel.
Review: THE RED TENT is a wonderfully evocative novel set in an underused period of history. Diamant's story of Dinah (a Biblical character who gets very little 'screen' time in the Bible itself) recalls the engrossing historical extrapolations of Mary Renault and Miranda Seymour. I give it a 9 rather than a 10 only because as an Extremely Fussy Person, I quibbled at a Biblical-period character's use of the word 'petite' to describe someone. Let's all hope Ms. Diamant continues working her way through female biblical characters; I'd love to see her novel about Queen Esther!
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Summary: Fascinating tale of one the bible's lessor known characters
Review: Anita's Diamant's previous books on Jewish life showed a wonderful writing style. Now, her first novel shows that biblical characters can be brought to life in a fascinating tale of sisterhood, love, deceit and revenge. Looking at the biblical story from a woman's point of view makes the story strong.
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Summary: Publishers Weekly review
Review: A minor character from the book of Genesis tells her life story in this vivid evocation of the world of Old Testament women. The only surviving daughter of Jacob and Leah, Dinah occupies a far different world from the flocks and business deals of her brothers. She learns from her Aunt Sarah the mysteries of midwifery and from her other aunts the art of homemaking. Most important, Dinah learns and preserves the stories and traditions of her family, which she shares with the reader in touchingly intimate detail. Familiar passages from the Bible come alive as Dinah fills in what the Bible leaves out concerning Jacob's courtship of Rachel and Leah, her own ill-fated sojourn in the city of Sechem and her half-brother Joseph's rise to fame and fortune in Egypt. After several nonfiction works on Judaism, Diamant's fiction debut links the passions of the early Israelites to the ongoing traditions of modern Jews, while the red tent of her title (where women retreat for menstruation, childbirth and illness) becomes a resonant symbol of womanly strength, love and wisdom. Despite a few unprofitable digressions, Diamant succeeds admirably in depictingthe lives of women in the age that engendered our civilization and our most enduring values
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Summary: Library Journal review
Review: *(starred review) Skillfully interweaving bibical tales with characters of her own invention, Diamant's (Living a Jewish Life, HarperCollins, 1991) sweeping first novel re-creates the life of Dinah, daughter of Leah and Jacob, from her birth and happy childhood in Mesopotamia through her years in Canaan and death in Egypt. When Dinah reaches puberty and enters the Red Tent (the place women visit to give birth or have their monthly periods), her mother and Jacob's three other wives initiate her into the religious and sexual practices of the tribe. Diamant sympathetically describes Dinah's doomed relationship with Shalem, son of a ruler of Schechem, and his brutal death at the hands of her brothers . Following the events in Canaan, a pregnant Dinah travels to Egypt, where she becomes a noted midwife. Diaimant has written a thoroughly enjoyable and illuminating portrait of a fascinating woman and the life she might have lived. . . "
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Summary: Fufilling Read for Women
Review: Our book club read "The Red Tent" and thoroughly enjoyed it. We are made up of Christian women, and while "El" the God of Jacob doesn't act as a character in the book, we found the Jewish and pagan perspectives insightful. Most of us hadn't thought about the harsh life women during Dinah's time would have endured and were especially pleased with the fortifying relationships the women had with one another. I liked the romance between Jacob and his wives and relished the birthing stories. Dinah's encouraging relationship with four mothers inspired me to be more positive with my own daughter. Diamant definitely brings the passions of Dinah to life in a way that the Bible totally leaves out. We found the ending satisfying as well. I've recommended it as a very good read to my friends. Don't expect the typical Biblical characterizations here - Diamant reads deep into the character's circumstances and creates motivations and dialog based on them. A worthwhile read and purchase!
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Summary: Read this book!!!!
Review: I have three young kids so I hardly ever get to read. Well, my kids were on their own as soon as I read the first page! This is the most incredible book that I have ever read and I COULD NOT put it down. To me it truly captures the magical bond between mothers and daughters. I have re-read this book so many times I am going to have to buy a new copy soon. I can open it to any page and I am immediatly engrossed.
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Summary: Very unique and captivating
Review: I loved this book for all the same reasons everyone else did, but I must add that it was very refreshing to read a book with such a unique format. The format of most stories and novels goes: 1. introduction 2. rising action 3. climax 4. falling action 5. resolutionHowever, "The Red Tent" has no rising action, so the climax hits you like a ton of bricks making for a very unpredictable story. Then, the story continues to rise and fall in very atypical undulations. I love this completely unpredictable format. One last remark I must make is that I appreciate how Diamant makes no bones about this book being "based on" or having a direct correlation to the stories in the bible. On the very first page of the book she cautions the reader that the stories and names in "The Red Tent" may be similar to those of the Bible, but she is in no way implying that they are true or should be believed.
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