Rating: 
Summary: Interesting take on an old story.....
Review: This is a fascinating tale that takes the story of the bible and expounds upon the family and time that was originally represented. I am not a strong religious person, so don't let the subject matter turn you off from this terrifc book. I found the liberties Diamant took added so much to this book. I enjoyed the way she wove the stories together and gave voice to Dinah, who was just a few short lines of verse in the bible. This book is a beautiful representation of the complex relationships between sisters, mothers and daughters. This story is often touching, full of sorrow, but also relays the joys of womanhood. Excellent read!
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as expected, but still okay.
Review: After having this book recommended to me by practically every second woman I've talked to recently at my church, I decided to give it a try. I was initially impressed by the concept of reinterpreting a biblical story from a woman's perspective. Though the biblical stories are interesting as written, they often lack a deep look at the motives and thoughts of individuals, particularly the women. So looking at Jacob and his sons from Dinah's perspective is a wonderful idea. Often, Diamont's version of the story is somewhat plausible when compared with the biblical narrative. Even the story of Dinah's "rape" is not completely contradictory because what happened in the book might have been construed as a violation from a certain perspective. She was young, and the coupling with Shechen occured without her father's knowledge. The idea of the women still practicing polytheistic worship also has some scriptural support in that Rachel did steal her father's household gods. These sorts of variations amount to an interesting study of how the same events can be seen differently by different people. Unfortunately, Diamont's attempts to weave depth into her female characters is not always successful, and it is rarely successful with the male characters. She often violates the well-known maxim "show, don't tell" by having Dinah tell us what her brothers, mothers, lovers, etc. are like without always showing us why she saw these people in that way. The story would also have been more compelling had there been some sympathetic men among the Canaanites. As it is, the novel reads at times as simply a diatribe against men and their God. As a result, the story becomes simplistic rather that a richly layered expansion of the scriptural account.
Rating: 
Summary: The Red tent
Review: I thought this book was wonderful. It showed how complex the relationships between the sisters and their families were and just how hard it was to be a strong woman in those days.
Rating:
Summary: Be forewarned: There's a whole lotta bleedin' going on!
Review: This novel was chosen by my bookclub and the overall opinion on this one was that we all enjoyed it. As none of us were terribly familiar with Dinah's story, I did feel compelled to read the chapters in Genesis for the original version. It is obvious that Ms. Diamant's "story" is just that, a fictionalized version of what MAY have happened to Dinah. Just because it is not biblically accurate does not mean it is not a compelling read. We all were impressed by the sisterhood between the woman, it's not often you read about women's cycles with such positive and beautiful prose. Kind of makes you wish for a Red Tent of one's own to hang out in for a few days each month. Now the childbirth issue is another entirely, as someone who had a very difficult delivery it makes you realize how lucky we are to have modern medicine around if we need it during childbirth. In conclusion if you are looking for a historically accurate interpretation of the bible, you will likely be disappointed, however if you are looking for a fascinating and and well written story you will find it here.
Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.
Review: I JUST ABSOLUTELY LOVED AND ENJOYED THIS BOOK. IT MADE ME THINK LONG AND HARD AND I FELT I WAS THERE WITH THESE WOMEN. I FELT LIKE CRYING WHEN I WAS DONE BECAUSE I WANTED TO GO ON WITH THESE WOMEN IN THEIR LIVES. PLEASE READ, YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY.
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC
Review: I adored this book. I could not put it down and when I was done reading I wanted to cry for the loss of having to. I felt like I was alive and there with those women. It was a pure learning experience besides enjoyment. Thank you so much! Don't miss it!
Rating:
Summary: the 13th tribe?
Review: maybe dinah falls to the backround like Jephtha's daughter in the Torah, but here in Diamant's novel, Dinah is very much in the fore ground, narrating the story of Jacob from her point of view. If you have ever wondered about the women of the bible, who are merely glazed over, you will thouroughly enjoy this book. (an extra star if you ever went to Hebrew school, attend Shul on Pesach, or could name the 12 tribes in your sleep)
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: I read this book in 2 days - couldn't put it down. I was completely taken in by the characters and language. This author knows how to weave a tale!
Rating:
Summary: Monotheism Indicted
Review: Perhaps I am bringing to The Red Tent a set of experiences and expectations that is not the norm revealed in these reviews. As a secular feminist, books that explore the way patriarchal monotheism has stunted the lives of millions of Jewish, Christian and Muslim women are interesting to me. I am drawn to narratives that explore the boundary between myth and dogma. In Dinah's story, I found a neo-mythological account of how the capacity of women to create and bear life was diverted onto the one-male-god model. And the novel left me feeling satisfied that Dinah recognized the resulting impoverishment this misdirection among the descendents of Abraham caused. The Red Tent left me with a wistful longing for a re-balanced world in which women control their own fertility, where trinities have mothers instead of ghosts, and plurality in worship is the norm.
Rating:
Summary: Educated storytelling
Review: I love books in which one doesn't notice the actual *writing*, because the story is so well told. This is such a book. The narrative is seamless, despite the fact that the story is told in three parts. When I'd finished the novel, I felt as if I'd just heard the story from a living person's mouth.
In addition, I absolutely loved the way Diamant acknowedges that the Hebrew people were not, originally, a completely monotheistic culture. We tend to obscure this fact, mostly because our religious texts only mention one deity, but most evidence shows that the early Hebrews were just as polytheistic as every other civilization.
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