The Red Tent

Rating:
Summary: Enthralling, Captivating, Educational and Inspirational.
Review: The title of my review may sound overwhelming, but all of the above is true for "The Red Tent". A girlfriend of mine let me borrow it before letting several of her other friends borrow it as well. It was so interesting to read a story that made another era seem so incredibly realistic. Anita Diamant brings you directly into an era that is virtually unknown to us. It was a motivating book, that brought out the bonds between women. Everything is faced in this book, nothing is ignored, and it boldly goes where no book I've read before goes.

Rating:
Summary: A FABULOUS BOOK
Review: IF THE DEPTH OF LIFE CAPTIVATES YOU. IF THE FULLNESS OF WOMEN'S FRIENDSHIPS ARE A ROOT OF TRUTH FOR YOU. IF LOVE MEANS GIVING THE BEST OF WHO YOU ARE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT AND YOU HOPE AT THE END OF YOUR LIFE TO LOOK BACK AND KNOW IN YOUR SOUL IT HAS BEEN A LIFE WELL LIVED..... READ THIS BOOK. IT WILL LIVE FOR YOU. ELLAE ELINWOOD

Rating:
Summary: Not a Religious Novel, but certainly very Spiritual!
Review: Reading the Stories, lessons and Poems of the Hebrew Bible (Also known as The Old Testament) can be rather daunting and at times, unimaginative especially to the non-scholastic reader who may not have a complete grasp of what is behind the writings and narratives. Particularly a read of the book of Genesis one can get lost in all the begetting and begotting. However, thanks to Anita Diamant we can have a better understanding and idea of what life was like for these people we read about in the Bible.

From a mere footnote comes a rich story of a woman living the ancient traditions of a people we know little about but thought about quite often. After reading The Red Tent, it will start to make sense and bring together a new understanding. Unfortunately, One is unable to use this text to gain a complete scholastic understanding of the ancient and historical books but no doubt your tongue will be wetted a bit and you'll begin to thirst for more knowledge and understanding.

Enough has been said already about the themes of women's issues in this book that I don't need to elaborate on them. I invite you to read this story and see for yourself. I read this book in 3 days, which is unusual for me, but I could not put it down. Diamant offers a solid bibliography for further reading and research if one is so inclined. This is not a "religious" story but certainly one of religious understanding and a plus for spiritual growth in gender appreciation.

Rating:
Summary: Tale of love and betrayal
Review: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant is a compelling tale with a biblical setting. The heroine Dinah is a little mention character in the Bible. Dinah is Jacob's daughter and Joseph's sister. In Diamant's version she is greatly valued as the only daughter of Jacob's four wives who are all sisters. Dinah shares the red tent with her mothers and is cocooned in their loving protection. They each give her valuable lessons and gifts of life as they see it. As it turns out she will have need all of their gifts to pursue her life as a woman of these times and the unexpected tragedies which overtake her.

An excellent read with much depth and meaning. Those that take the Bible completely literally may not appreciate it.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!
Review: The first page of this book caught me, and I could not put it down. I didn't sleep, I just read and read. The Red Tent is well written, well researched, well thought out, and fascinating. Diamant's attention to detail is incredible! As a classical studies major I found the setting incredible, as a religious studies minor I loved the exploration of the ceremonies and rites. As a female I loved to find out more about women in antiquity, and as a person looking for entertainment I was not dissapointed! I highly recommend reading this book!

Rating:
Summary: an excellent read
Review: I must admit, this book is not for everyone. However, if you enjoy reading about women's life-stories, coming-of-age tales, or the bible from a "real-person's" point of view...this is an excellent saga of one fairly mysterious figure mentioned only briefly in the old testament as a person of tragedy. We know so little of Dinah from the OT...but Anita Diamant brings her flesh, blood, and soul in a believable manner. I don't believe that the average male would enjoy this book, though, since its main focus is the cycle of women's lives involving the red tent, the place women reside when subject to the consequences of being the sex responsible for bringing forth life. Usually deemed unclean in OT translations, this book shows a special significance and sisterhood that likely bound women together to survive such a gratifying, and often dangerous, existence. However the message is not tedious...the book also follows Dinah's long life after the red tent and her tragedy in the OT.

Rating:
Summary: enjoyable
Review: This was a great book. Everyone in my book club agreed on this one. I really must respond though to the women from Ithaca N.Y. She didn't like the birhting experiences of these women in the book. New York woman gave birth twice at home with out any drugs. Well yippie! Try giving birth without your precious telephone next to you, or midwife or doctor (with all the experience that I'm sure you demanded). Try being a young girl of 13,14, 15 or whatever age and not having all the modern day conveniences. Well, I roll my eyes whenever I hear women like New York woman talk about their birthing experience.Talk about uninformed! This is fiction by the way.

Rating:
Summary: a wonderful biblical adventure
Review: The story is gripping from the very first page. For anyone who is interested in fleshing out the stories of the Bible, especially regarding the lives of women, this is a great book. Diamant, who clearly is well versed in Jewish facts and traditions, makes Dinah a facinating person to follow in her process of growing up in ancient times. All of the familiar names of the Bible become real people that we can relate to and understand. Surely this isn't a factual account but it does give us the flavor of what life might have been like 5000 years ago. A GREAT read!

Rating:
Summary: Satisfying, but...
Review: This book was enchanting, full of stories about people we know and yet we don't. Dinah, who was a footnote, is a complete person, yet there is something missing. In her attempt to tell Dinah's story, Anita Diamant told the story she wished for Dinah. Though Dinah deserves a happy ending, the fact that she gets it in this book makes it hard to digest. Then there is Dinah herself, we get to know her, but not too well. She keeps her secrets, even more from us, and as she does that it ceases to be her story, but Anita Diamant's story. However, this book should be read because it is bold and beautifully written. It is a woman's book, because a man will never be able to understand, just like the men in the story didn't, how women while having a period can bond in the red tent.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: It is the most beautiful story that I have ever read.