The Red Tent by Anita Diamant Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Red Tent
Book Review: A Breath-taking story!
Summary: 5 Stars
I didn't expect as wonderful a story as I found in The Red Tent. I always wondered how women lived during early biblical times, and Diamant presented a plausible story of how these tribal women lived and relied on each other. The characters are well developed and their stories sweep you into their lives and experiences. The reader must remember that the book is fiction, and not meant to be taken as a literal interpretation of the Bible.Book Review: A Brilliant Read
Summary: 5 Stars
Ms. Diamant has brilliantly brought to life historical men and women of the Bible. Her colorful personification of the characters makes these men and women as interesting as if they were alive in the present day. Once the characters are clarified in the reader's mind and the relationships between them are understood, these men and women come to life and the reader begins to understand the thread that binds them together.Ms. Diamant is accurate in her portrayal of the characters and their stories as told in the Bible. It is a wonderfully written story of Dinah and her history as well as her voyage into womanhood and beyond. It was an interesting read and it was over far too soon.
Book Review: A CAPTIVATING TAPESTRY OF FILIAL TIES, TOO EXPLICIT AT TIMES
Summary: 4 Stars
This staggering work veering around Red Tents (the tents where women of yore huddled during their "times of the month") is actually two books interwoven into one. First, it details the imagined lives of Rachel and Leah, two wives of Jacob (both true biblical figures.) This runs for about 70 pages in length and is somewhat less charming I believe. Diamant has written nonfiction books previously, The Red Tent being her first novel, and her documentary-style factual musings show through in this first part of the novel -- I felt I was reading a detailed history of childbirthing, not a novel.
But that changes with the second part of the book, the life of Leah's daughter, Dinah. This is where I felt the true story takes off.
Dinah, still young, meets Shalem, a handsome Egyptian man of wealth and status and falls in love with him. This infatuation is reciprocated, and for a time the two engage in merry lovemaking. But these joys of communion quickly run dry as a "Romeo and Juliet"-esque drama ensues when their families do not necessarily see eye-to-eye on the proposed union.
It's a long novel, and a bit melodramatic if you will. Some descriptions of sexual relations are a bit too explicit for comfort, and made me wonder how they contributed to the novel. But the other bits in the book make it all worthwhile, particularly the female camaraderie -- we get a vivid picture of such bonds among wives, concubines, and the children they raised in concert. The ultimate denouement lends a simple but effective lesson to accept life and its pleasures/travails for what they are.
I guess anyone interested in either religious or social history would find this book fascinating. Even for the rest of us, this is an evocative read that I'd recommend in a blink!
Book Review: A Celebration of femininity
Summary: 5 Stars
I would have never picked this book up if it had not been a selection of my book club. The mention of the Bible and the cover art would have scared me away, but I am glad I had the opportunity to read it. This is the story of Dinah. Apparently, the Book of Genesis suggests that Dinah was raped although it does not say this outright. I don't know much more about what the Bible has to say on the subject, but I found that you do not need to know the Biblical history to get involved in this book. Diamant has taken that small mention of Dinah and expounded on it. What results is a wonderful celebration of femininity.
The women of "The Red Tent" rejoiced when they had their first menses. They saw this as an exciting time and they were elated to be able to give life.
I enjoyed the fact that Diamant allowed the women to find pleasure in their own bodies as well as their lover's. I don't know how realistic that would be in those times, but it's nice to think that it could have happened.
Book Review: A Chick book!
Summary: 5 Stars
I really loved this book. I am not much a bible reader but this felt like such a believable story. I was transformed to biblical times and even sort of wished I could experience the Red Tent myself. It was such a lovely way to see women in the past and to take pride in our womanly ways.