The Red Tent

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Summary: braziliantraveler
Review: This book was given to me and I could not put the book down. I was sobbing when finishing the book and sad it ended.

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Summary: For everywoman to pass along to her daughter
Review: This was a fascinating tale of fact and fiction. Mostly it was a wonderful weaving of a womens role and point of view we hardly hear or read about in religous books. Anita Diamant explores with vivid detail a women's life in the middle east the beginnings of the 12 tribes and the Mothers of the Hebrew people, Sarai, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel as well as the lesser known mothers. Hearing about Jacob and his son's from a female perspective is understanding who we are today as women and how we helped to create so much in this world. Pick up this book and enjoy.

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Summary: Captivating
Review: One of the best books I read this year and recommended to many friends. Although it is fiction, one learns about the people and times from this author's view. Different perspectives of this subject provides much to think about; this is simply one more. I loved the how this story was told.

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Summary: Historical Fiction At It's Best
Review: This book was reminisent of Memoirs of A Geisha. If you loved that book you'll probably love this one. Although I'd give both books a 5 for the beatiful imagery and exceptional character development, both books disappointed me by taking on an unexpected romance novel flavor about 2/3 of the way into them.
But don't let that deter you. Dinah's voice will move and soothe you. It's a beautifully written book and I'll be anxiously awaiting more wonderous works by this author.

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Summary: Skipable
Review: I found this book to be boring, annoying, two dimentional, and frequently disgusting. I realize that the old customs are important for the story's telling, but every simile (and believe me there are a lot) compares the setting, the person, or the object to blood, the moon, or something an 'auntie' did.
The story drags on and the characters are no more than stereotyes. The action occurs only in what one person said to another. Every sentence is either in past tense, passive, or a descriptive metaphor.
If you want a good version of this story, go for the Bible or Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat. If you want a story about women and religion, read The Mists of Avalon.

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Summary: Interesting mix of history and fiction
Review: I was intrigued by this book, especially since I am an archaeology student currently studying Ashara and goddess relgions in the middle east at the moment. Diamant's exploration of the practice of goddess worship is fascinating, since some archaeologists argue that this did indeed take place at the time, and Ashara was seen as a consort of Yahweh (although other scholars argue that Venus statues found at ancient settlements are simply fetish items or household protectors symbolizing feminitiy or fertility, and not goddesses: if you don't know about this interesting research, I suggest you look into it to help make the book clearer! :) ) However, as a story, I was disappointed in the last third, the section that takes place in Egypt. After reading the stories of the men and women in the first two sections, they seemed real and alive (except perhaps for her whirl wind romance with the prince) but when she hit Egypt, the world seemed to become very flat. All the women became kind goddesses (even the nasty ones!) and the men evil villains who thought only of themselves (save her gracious and kind husband.) Likewise, Dinah at the end became very modern and urban, and so did the other women of Egypt. Evidence would suggest that they were still very confined by gender roles, something that didn't come out in the book. Egypt seemed like a women's paradise, which seemed to fall flat. Unfortuante. But I did enjoy the book for the most part.

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Summary: Couldn't Put it Down!
Review: This book was definitely one of the best books I have ever read. I was lost in the story. I would rank it right up there with Memoirs of the Geisha. You'll love it if you are interested in how people live in different areas of the world and time periods.

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Summary: I can't believe I didn't read this sooner!
Review: Friends recommended this story for quite a while before I picked it up. This is a book worth owning in hardcover. I can't believe I didn't "discover" it sooner. This is another book that both thrilled and haunted me. Dinah stays in my heart, long after finishing the book. Bible-reader or not, I highly recommend this story. Its literary value is far beyond simply "Dinah from the Bible."

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Summary: an excellent story, but overly PC
Review: i read this book for the drama and adventure and history. it's a very enjoyable story with fascinating characters... but all the good characters are women. the male characters are very one-dimensional. the women sometimes seemed to be out of place in time. it doesn't necessarily make the book less interesting or enjoyable to read, but the political correctness made me roll my eyes a few times. the book had three faces: a historical romance, a journey of feminist liberation, and a study of religious sociology. each of those is a worthwhile subject, but i'm not sure that the combination worked very well. the writing is beautiful and the images are vivid and the plot is engaging. it's a wonderful book if you can ignore the distracting political message.

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Summary: A book that women have needed for a long time
Review: I got this book as a present from my mother-in-law, which surprised me because early on, I saw how open the book was about sexuality, menstruation, womanhood, etc. But I really appreciated the book for the relationships between the female characters and for weaving together what little knowledge is available about the era when goddesses were still venerated. I had already read some books describing what is known and to see that dramatized in such vibrant characters made it a satisfying read. Diamant's writing style is also very fluid and I read the book in 2 nights.