The Red Tent

by Anita Diamant

Book Overview

In this modern classic interpretation of the biblical story of Dinah, Anita Diamant imagines the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood--the world of The Red Tent, a New York Times bestseller... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312169787
• ISBN13: 9780312169787
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

I loved this book

Ms Diamant's writings were very enjoyable. I traveled back in time, based on her discriptions, to Invision life of long ago and be a part of the female world. Diana's world, as the only female child in the large family, was one based on teachings from the Tora. Although not a part of the biblical stories, a fictional account of what could be. Love, loved the fast page turner.

Engaging, and interesting!

Wonderful story! Very well written and it kept me engaged from the very beginning. A time I’m history that I thought I knew about especially because it’s a story of women and I am a woman. However, I was so surprised by what I learned about that period of time, that place , and how women lived their lives, and passed on their stories and history’s . I wish I could read it again for the first time!

Not accurate to Biblical characters.

It gives Biblical characters a bases of being vulgar without any bible back up. I realize it's fiction but it does not even try to portray them well. Knowing the bible, it left me feeling wronged and deceived. If looking for a book to build your faith, this is not it.

Amazing reminder!

This is an incredible book! It sparks this great remembering of what life for woman was when our moon blood and bleeding, along with the priestess arts, we’re sacred. Highly HIGHLY recommend, as all women should feel pride (never shame) over their sacred bleeding time.

Great read for young female minds.

This is not a retelling of a religious story, so don't be mistaken. It is a glimpse into the world not often talked about. Stories of beautiful customs and how the lives of woman begin and ended. It is inspiring and will openly a passion for cultand understanding you might not have understood before.

A story of Jacob's only daughter.

I love this book. I have read many times. The author is one of my favorites. Well written. I would recommend to anyone that loves bible stories.

Powerful story, beautifully-written

I wasn’t sure how well I would like this book, but I ended up absolutely loving it. The story is beautiful and heartbreaking and real. Hearing some of the familiar Bible tales from Dinah’s perspective was super interesting and eye-opening. It makes me mourn for the women of the past who never got a chance to tell their side of the story. Although this is fiction, Diamant clearly put a lot of work into studying the original Bible stories and the history/culture of the time. If you like historical fiction with female narratives, and aren’t easily offended by things not completely matching up with the Bible, I highly recommend this book.

Not biblical based

I normally really enjoy historical fiction books, but this one really isn’t biblical based, it speaks more about goddess or gods rather then God himself, I actually got so irritated with Jacobs character in the first few chapter it dosnt portray him as a godly man at all, I stopped reading it... I don’t think this book is appropriate or even close to the Bible. I would not recommend it for anyone in fact I’d be very weary and cautious in what the author is really trying to say.. who she’s trying to guide the reader too.

This is a must read for anyone intersted in a historical look of biblical times

This was one of the best reads I have ever picked up. I am a man, but even so, it was very insightful about what life must have been like during biblical times. I have bought several copies and given them to my lady friends, and this one is for my teenage daughter. Very well written, tantalizing, and hard to put down.

Multi layered

Complicated but excellent book thoroughly enjoyed the red tent Definitely recommend

Proud to be a woman.

This book opened your eyes to biblical life as a woman, before Jesus that is. It brings back the importance of the pride and power women should take in their bodies. When the novel ended, I was moved to tears, I’ve never been so proud to be a Middle Eastern woman.

One of my absolute favorites

Great read

Beautiful read!! Highly recommend to add to your collection!

Even though I don't think it is Bible based as it could have been, it is a beautiful and passionate book that at the end you flip back to the front and start reading it over again!! My new favorite book !!

mundane writing

I wanted to like this book. It read more like a teen's novel peppered with graphic scenes. The author changed many details from the Biblical story and each time she did so it disrupted the flow of the narrative. I enjoy being engrossed in a tale; not frequently being reminded that I am reading a book. Character development was mostly absent. Many love this book--but I was not one of them.

Beautiful narrative

My parents bought this for me years ago simply because it was based off the bible, but I fell in love with it. It's an absolutely beautiful narrative about sisters and womanhood. I don't want to spoil it, but it was lovely.

Get this book and read it!

I adored this book, it was incredible and stirred so many emotions in me while reading. Anita Diamant did an amazing job, I felt connected with the women in this book, and it was so beautifully written that it moved me to tears (joy, sadness, even frustration).

Vividly Fresh Life for a tired, old, and mundane story!

If you are one of those people who tries to take the Old Testament literally, you won't want to read this book. But if you seek to find more meaning, more human qualities to this religious classic, this is definitely the novel for you! Throughout the Bible, women are rarely mentioned (except for being the mother of this or that male character). For most women, the question arises -- what really happended in the lives of these biblical women? And I think for people everywhere -- were the lives of these people really so colorless?The Red Tent explores the lives of the wives and daughters of the Bible's Jacob. Told from the vantage point of Jacob's only daughter, Dinah (pronounced Dee-nah), this book brings the last half of the book of Genesis to life. During the first half of this novel, the author draws you into the intimate details of the lives of 5 women - Dinah, and her four mothers. (As was common in the time, Jacob has 4 wives - all the daughters of his uncle, Laban.) The women struggle through the full range of emotions for one another, from love to jealousy, and back to loyalty once more.Mid-book, the tone of the book completely changes as the events of the story tear these women's lives apart. As Dinah suffers and becomes distant to the world, so the author makes you distant to the characters. This makes the last half of the book less enjoyable than the first, but without it, the reader would never find closure and would always be asking - but what about Joseph and is Dinah ever reconciled with her family?After reading this story, my curiousity was piqued and I felt the need to refresh my memory of the Biblical version. It is interesting to note how the author took the basic details and expounded into an amazing narrative of what might have happened. The next time I pick up my NIV, I will strain to see new meaning between the lines of these age old stories. (I am also curious to know how Ms. Diamont got her ideas for this story -- this is never revealed in the book!!)

A slice of history from biblical times

In spite of four wives and numerous sons, Jacob's only daughter is Dinah, revered and even spoiled by four mothers. The heritage of the Jews is told through the female. Thus, it is Dinah's lot to pass on the stories of her mothers and grandmothers for the next generation to revere.Dinah begins the tales of her four mothers with the appearance of Jacob in the land of Laban. Over the years, Jacob marries Rachel, Leah, Zilpah, and Bilhah. Mostly, in the "red tent" where the women go to have their female cycles, Dinah learns what is expected of a Jewish woman. She explains their trip to Canaan, the strange meeting between Jacob and his estrange brother Esau, and her own rite of passage into Jewish womanhood. Finally, Dinah falls in love, but that leads to tragedy for her and a need to escape from her family. THE RED TENT is a fabulous biblical fiction novel that provides a full life to a footnote character in the Old Testament. Purists will take exception to Anita Diamant's liberties with other persona such as Joseph and Leah (even if her description makes them seem more real and complete). However, that aside, strict believers need simply pass on this fictional account that provides an intriguing look at the role of the Ancient Jewish woman. Anyone who enjoyed the QUEENMAKER by India Edghill will fully relish Ms. Diamont's loose, but seemingly feasible, intelligent and entertaining interpretation of the role of a minor biblical player.Harriet Klausner

I would give it many more than five stars

First of all let me say that I absolutely loved The Red Tent. It's based on a character, Dinah, who is mentioned in passing in the old testament. Diamant has created a wonderful story about the women of biblical times, our fore-mothers Rebecca, Sarah, Rachel, and Leah, from Dinah's point of view.You do not have to be familiar with the bible to enjoy this novel, although if you are, you'll certainly recognize stories and characters. It's about the strength of women, their roles in a male dominated religious society, and their all important relationships.Although I was eager to read this book, I didn't expect it to have such an impact on me, nor did I expect to love it as much as I did. Highly recommended.

The red tent

It would appear that any book about interesting and perhaps unusual women generates much controversy among its readership ("Bitter Grounds" and "The Poisonwood Bible" come to mind). This book is no different. The Red Tent is loosely based on the Biblical story of Dinah, but it is a novel, not fact, even though it may be based in fact. Diamant even takes liberties with the Dinah story as it appears in Genesis in the Bible. However, it does appear to be thoroughly researched -- I found myself equally fascinated by descriptions of life during Biblical times as by the lives of the characters in the book. Unlike some of the other reviewers I didn't find this book to be anti-male. I and many women I know lead very different lives from our men and we too see them in a completely different light than they see themselves. We often laugh at them or paint them in an unflattering light, despite the fact that we love them. We are not, however, anti-male, just human and female. I suspect men amongst themselves discuss women in much the same way. I personally found this book full of thoughts and ideas that touched me deeply, especially since I am 40 years old, have had several children and have lived in foreign countries. Perhaps much younger people would have trouble identifiying some of the "human condition" scenarios in the book -- I don't know. Regardless, I have wholeheartedly recommended this book to several people and recommend it to you.

This is an engrossing story with compelling characters.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant is an engrossing, well-researched story with compelling and believable characters. It is especially gratifying to find a sympathetic, detailed, and believable account of an Old Testament woman's life set in this era and part of the world. The story is told from the point of view of Dinah, daughter of Jacob, a successful nomadic sheep-herder. She is raised by four different women, all wives of Jacob and becomes a midwife. Through an intriguing and dramatic turn of the plot, she ends up in Egypt. The book was a pleasure for even this non-religious feminist to read. The images are riveting. The characters are memorable. I wish I were a screenwriter because the Red Tent would make a wonderful movie.