The Red Tent

First a critique of the review process. I hate that Amazon insists that I choose one of their descriptive words to "describe the plot of this book." They gave me the choices of "predictable," "some twists," or "full of surprises," none of which are an apt summary of The Red Tent. Many thoughtful reviews have already been posted. I will affirm that it was wonderful to read this story, told from the point of view of the women. In those times, women were treated as chattel and the only power they had was that of producing sons. They claimed that power, and it was fascinating. I also liked the portrayal of the community of women and what they brought to the family economy, I hope that part is "true." I love the historical fiction quality of the book. The alternative perspectives from Biblical literalism is a relief. The alternate perspective on Dinah's "rape" is worthy of contemplation. In today's world, there are "honor killings" that sometimes occur when women have sex outside of marriage, whether it's consensual or rape. We have a modern context for seeing women who don't have self determination, whose marriages are arranged, or consent still only comes with a price. It's not that hard to see the possibility of an alternate reality for Dinah. It certainly makes for a great story. I am fascinated by the tensions and textures created by the encounters with people of differing beliefs, the women practicing the old ways, those who don't, the paganism, those following the God of Abraham, and then the Egyptians. It is interesting to follow how those beliefs color their lives and how they interact with people of differing beliefs. One can also experience that in the reviews here on Amazon! I do not find the story anti-male or anti-Bible. When one recalls that men had all the power, then tragic use of power is on the men. But other aspects of power appear in the encounters between the shepherd and the king, and Dinah amongst the Egyptians, etc. The tensions of religion and culture and social position within the tribe and beyond are part of the story. I've tried to write without spoilers. It's a great book. One can be a person of faith without being insulted by a single syllable in this book. Criticisms from 2000 are interesting, but I think that time is on the side of deep appreciation for The Red Tent.

I started reading 📚The Red Tent in light of watching The Handmaid's Tale. In The Red Tent, we catch a glimpse of how four sisters married to the same man make it work. We see everything through Dinah's eyes and that of her four mothers. Dinah's life is a cautionary tale about the wonder and the awfulness of family. The novel is rich in the life of women. The story reads between the lines and reads like a book of the bible written by a woman. Dinah is the only daughter of Jacob. I've always had a problem with Jacob. Stealing his father's blessing from his brother is not an auspicious start to a story about a good man. Then he claims to love one woman but takes the sister instead. You know he ought to be able to tell one from another. Their father only claimed two of his daughters so he could cut down on dowries for them. He ended up giving the other two daughters as part of the dowries of their sisters. So much of the bible is written from a man's point of view. Then a name of a woman will be thrown in without much backstory. Through Dinah's eyes we see how hazardous the life of a woman was without a decent man at her side. From a wife's point of view, the story of Abraham taking his long awaited son to be sacrificed and the effects on that kid Isaac for the rest of his life must have been. How the dishonorable acts of Jacob and his sons had to affect Dinah's life. This book is a great read it you haven't had the opportunity. It is a cautionary tale in light of the politics of today.

I really enjoyed this book. It's one that's been on my list for years, and I was happy to finally read it. The creativity about the lives of the women in the ancient Jewish tradition was unparalleled. I thought it was all quite believable even though we can't really know. It reads quickly, and the storyline moves quickly. I appreciated the ending and how the author handled the death of the main character. Complex subject. Beautifully done.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant is a novel which caught my eye in a bookshop many moons ago, listed in the back of my mind as a 'To Read' and never actually came to read it until roughly 12 years later, as a result of it slipping in and out of recall. The novel is the story of Dinah, the only daughter born to the famous Jacob of many sons of the Bible (and the musical), his four wives, all apparently siblings and Dinah's entire life story from when her father met her mothers to her eventual death. Though Dinah is a Biblical character, not much was known about her, apart from one main biblical story around which Diamant weaves the most dramatic section of narrative, so in general Diamant was free to build the picture of Dinah she chose. It is beautifully done. In many ways The Red Tent is a very female very feminist novel, The Red Tent itself being the place the women retreated to from the general family camp whilst they bled at the new moon. There is a huge focus on sexual awakening, menstruation, womanhood and the entry into womanhood, and fertility in general. The story follows the Biblical emphasis on the woman providing her husbands legacy, providing him with sons, the joy of being able to do this and the heartbreak of being unable. The book also looks at the secrets of women, their private conversations, feelings, superstitions and rituals, kept sacred from the men in the privacy of the Red Tent, and childbirth itself too, a private process of pain, fear and delight dealt with only by women. In many ways the barriers between men and women's lives are now broken down, and so it is interesting to see this separation of the two, the clear lines between the female world and the male, down to the stories the two genders pass on, the heritage they feel is worth telling. It is another time and in many ways another world. The prose is very beautiful and I connected with it straight away and had read the book in hours, it was poetic and had a hypnotic quality, you really felt like you could picture the characters and their surroundings, the atmosphere was great. Dinah's story is in many ways sad, reflecting the difficult lot of women at the time, the loss of which many, though of course not all, modern women can be thankful for, but it is also somehow sad to see that this private culture and camaraderie between women, also broken with the passage of time. I really enjoyed this book, and read it in one day within a seven hour period. When a book grabs you like this, and doesn't let go, you know it's quite special and this book is surely, particularly for women worth the read 9/10

Une histoire de femmes, aux premiers temps bibliques, dite par une femme. On entend la voix de celles qui sont trop souvent oubliées dans ces récits premiers. Une fille de Jacob raconte son histoire, et on découvre la vie des nomades de l'antiquité et les débuts du monothéisme. Un roman historico- biblique, avec un grand souffle épique. Magnifique.

This stunning and beautiful novel sparkles curiosity, expectation and admiration to the unique character of the novel. It gives a turn around to the main carácter which history has ignored. Present a brave, determined woman who worked in silence, pondering thoughts in her heart. I fell in love with this woman who touched muy heart in different ways making me feeling more proud of being a woman.😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄

I have bought so many copies of this book over time for gifts to my friends and it is just wonderful to read this.

This item was supposed to be new - it arrived stained and was clearly used. Apart from that - arrived in a timely manner.