Rating: 
Summary: Loved It!
Review: I didn't read this book as a biblical history lesson, though I feel confident that Diamant explored these women more than anyone else ever has. But I read it as a novel, and as such, it was phenomenal. It made me feel blessed to be born a woman, and renewed my appreciation of our special powers to bring life, nurture life, and sustain life. And, most importantly, it made me realize the importance of women sharing wisdom with one another.
Rating: 
Summary: Very successful first novel--a good choice for book groups!
Review: The highly distilled accounts from the Bible often leave the reader wanting much more, and Diamant's novel told from a female perspective satisfies that desire. What is lacking from the biblical version are details, characterization, and the feminine voice. We get all three in "The Red Tent," providing plenty of fodder for discussion.Some of the enigmas in the original text include the relationship between Jacob and Leah. How did Jacob react to his first wife after being duped by Laban? What possessed Rachel to steal her father's images? Those and others are answered by Diamant. While some of the characters rang true to their biblical personas in my mind, such as Laban (right on!), others seemed so divergent as to be almost unrecognizable. I particularly had trouble with Rebecca. A complex character, to be sure, who used subterfuge to see that Jacob received Isaac's blessing over Esau, she is portrayed as a charismatic prima donna with the power to heal. She is all but unapproachable by the other female members of her clan. It was hard to imagine the warm and gracious young maiden portrayed in the Bible could become such an aloof matriarch. I look forward to reading Orson Scott Card's "Rebecca," (Women of Genesis series) for a comparison. The weaknesses of the male characters are emphasized in "The Red Tent," which should not come as a surprise, since the focus is female. The virtues of the prophets, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, are challenged by Diamant. It was disheartening (and in direct contradiction to the Bible) to think of their characters being so flawed. It is interesting to compare this book with Orson Scott Card's "Sarah." Idolatry and pagan rites played such a significant role in each of these novels, particularly for the women. Surely both of these authors researched the period, and their agreement on the pervasiveness and practice of idolatry is confirming. Card points out that Asherath, the mother goddess, was a corruption of Mother Eve. It appears that there was a struggle for monotheism even within the tents of the Hebrew prophets.
Rating: 
Summary: You Have Got To Be Kidding!
Review: I found the book The Red Tent to be boring beyond belief. I had been told it was interesting from a biblical history veiwpoint and was disappointed with the treatment Anita gave the history of that time. Her telling of the story of Jacob was lose enough I found myself wondering if this was the Jacob I thought I knew from the Bible. I simply wasn't sure I was thinking of the same man she was writing about.
I did not intend to read a book that had as its' main focus the monthly cycle of women. I found it simply boring. This is not a subject conducive to excellant fiction!
Rating:
Summary: The Red Tent
Review: This novel was a great read. I always hated the thought of men having more than one wife, but now I have an understanding of why and how women could make it work years ago. The Red Tent was hard to put down and I couldn't wait to discuss it with a friend. Superior writing with an excellent story to tell.
Rating:
Summary: Scripture, Tradition and Reason
Review: In this telling of Dinah's story, he hear the story of all women in this time. Even though it is not a parallell story to the scriptures, any student of the bible will see the relationship and pick up on the nuances that make this a compelling story. Such as the rivalary between Rachael and Leah. The Red Tent is the story of women bonding through the ages.
Rating:
Summary: Why all the fuss?
Review: I read "The Red Tent" several months ago and wondered "why all the fuss". I was reluctant to recommend it to my book club, but, someone else mentioned they had heard good things about the book, so, read we did. After the second time, I feel exactly the same way - why bother? - the rest of my group were even less enthusiastic.
Rating:
Summary: beautiful story
Review: I try to guard my 5 star ratings, so this one isn't quite up to that, but it's really higher than a 4. It's a beautiful story that is also gorgeously written, and I loved every page. It's also a neat perspective on several biblical characters whom the Bible merely mentions and then brushes past and forgets. As a child, I always wanted to know more about these women. Anita Diamant answered that prayer. There is very little truly historical information on the women themselves, but their times have been studied extensively, and Diamant has done her research well to present a novel that practically breathes on its own.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: I thought this book was amazing! I have bought additional copies for friends and family. It was not only enjoyable, but moving as well. I have recommended this to everyone, especially women. It seems we are disconnected from ourselves and each other in this modern world. This book reminds us of the beauty of motherhood, nature and the circle of life. Very well done!
Rating: 
Summary: Anti-feminist, anti-woman, violent, desolate
Review: I gave up on The Red Tent, although I was supposed to read it for a book club meeting. Despite the beautiful style, I found it desolate. The womens' plight always seemed so hopeless. I tried, but could not find anything to appreciate about women depicted as property and second-class citizens, lying on soiled straw during one's period, taking a girl's viginity with a piece of wood or vague descriptions of "pleasuring" "animal noises" describing sex, and "his sex" and "her sex." Worst of all, after we suffer through two-thirds of the book with Dinah, her mate is slaughtered in the most horrible way. This book has a problem--it's trying to be an imaginative account of the Bible, and that may be a contradiction in terms. The author's style and imagination just don't cut it here.
Rating:
Summary: Overwrought sentimentality
Review: While it was a great idea to write about a Biblical event from women's point of view, Diamant is obsessed with California-mystical sexuality. How many descriptions of oiled hair and bloody childbirth can you read?
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