Rating: 
Summary: Loved it-
Review: While I read this as fiction, I loved the historic references as well. The last few pages are the best, as Dinah sums up her life and death....So good! Sorry critics!
Rating: 
Summary: Please...don't make me look at it again!
Review: Oh my! I don't know how I managed to finish this book. It could have been one of the worst books I have ever read... Believe me, this book isn't for those who have a dedication to religion or bibilical accuracy. I don't have time to really list them all, but here are some of the problems with the book:1. The fact that the women were completely seperated from the men in their lives. This isn't true. Try reading the Bible.
2. The fact that Jacob knew that he was marrying Leah, not Rachel. Try reading the Bible.
3. The fact that the women were oh so huggy friendly despite the fact that in a normal world they should be competing for the attentions of their husband.
4. Writing is horrible... but it's a matter of opinion I suppose.
5. Many other things, but I don't want to explode or break my keyboard. Trust my knowledge of the Bible. I am a religious Jew who plans to be a Rabbi... My point is, don't waste your time on broken tambourines.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating Fiction BUT Not Historically Accurate
Review: This was indeed a well written fiction. The writer did do her homework in Ancient Near Eastern religious practices with regard to cultic practices of fertility cults. However, it is not wholly accurate historically. The cultic relgious practices of the Egyptians, Canaanites and the like did influence the Israelites and later Jews of the Ancient World. BUT it is also important to remember that the Israelites and their ancestors practiced separation, if not isolation from common pagan practices of these other peoples. Religion was regulated by the patriarchs and priests of Israel. The religious practices of the characters in this book would not have been tolerated by the Israelites, and may have even lead to "stoning." However, it is important to say that the Israelites did not operate in a social vacuum. They were influenced by other cultic practices by the peoples around them. This was commonly denounced by their own prophets and priests, as seen in the Prophetic books of the Old Testament. Also it is important to note that "the red tent" is NOT found in the Hebrew Bible, which is the historical source for the religious practices of the Israelites and later Jews.
With that said, approached as FICTION, one can appreciate this book. BUT the condoning attitude toward fertility cults of the Ancient World by the women of the Israelites is NOT ACCURATE.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great, Exciting Read
Review: My favorite aspect of this book was the fact that the book covered the ENTIRE life of Dinah. So many books leave you hanging at the end wondering what happens next...not this one. Anyone who loves their sisters will love this book. It truely rejoices and celebrates the relationships between women in a family. I recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly interesting
Review: This book is excellent because it brings to light a civilization that few of us know very well, and characters that many of us know VERY well. I don't often read retellings of the Bible, but this one was captivating--especially the first part about Dinah's mothers. A very nice snapshot of the area around Israel and Egypt. Dinah is also an excellent narrator. Her ordeals and triumphs are very real, as childbirth, motherhood, and death have not changed much from then to now, regardless how advanced we think we are. The book begins telling the stories of Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilbah, and their marriage(s) to Jacob, their cousin. It is through the eyes of a child--Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob's clan, tells the story of her mothers' marriages to Jacob as she heard it--but still mature, still accurate. Uncovered is Leah and Rachel's constant feud over Jacob's affections; Zilpah's disdain for childbearing and priestess-like behavior; Rachel's troubles in having a child; the feuds between the many brothers, and a perspective on Jacob and Joseph seen through the eyes of a very different narrator. As Dinah grows up the story begins to focus on her and her maturation into a woman; and there I won't let the story spill, but the course of her life takes her to Egypt and beyond. I suggest it to everyone, but I think women would appreciate this story more. It's just that women are most likely to make a stronger connection to the many women in the novel.
Rating:
Summary: Surprising and intriguing
Review: I was very surprised when I chanced upon this title. I have studied, quite briefly, ancient nomadic culture and traditions and when I started reading this title, it became apparent that the author did also. As a Muslim I had some difficulty with the idea that Jacob (A Prophet in Islamic tradition) could have been a real person. I also am not, for the most part, a novel reader. After I made some adjustments I found this book to be compelling and rich in the way the story is told. Since the Qur'an uses the traditions of Israel to illustrate spiritual realities, I didn't find too many obstacles in this narration. There is a very realistic presentation here, and there is also some reality based eroticism as the reader is introduced into the sexual customs of tribal peoples. The book deals with the family life of Jacob, his wives and sons, as told through his daughter Dinah. I had known of the story of Dinah for a long time, but it was never placed in any perspective I could really appreciate until now. Masterfully written.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Book
Review: The author of THE RED TENT has done to parts of Genesis like say Marion Zimmer Bradley has done to the stories of King Arthur and the Trojan War in The Mists of Avalon and The Firebrand (which are two of my favorite books). She has changed the perspective the story from the men's the women's, mainly Dinah, Jacob's daughter and the narrator of the story who is only briefly mentioned in the Bible. I liked this book. I never usually read books thoroly I get at the library but the first line of this book had be hooked. Don't get this book though if you are expecting a religious Christian account of the women in the bible. This book goes along the same line as The Mists of Avalon I have to say with many references to the goddess and pagan beliefs. The complaint I have though as that the author did overdo some things (for example, Jacob doing stuff to himself). These things I could have done without but this book is still worth 5 stars!
Rating:
Summary: A Celebration of femininity
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A must read!
Review: A wonderful, inspiring, and captivating book for all women. It should be "required" reading!
Rating:
Summary: False advertising
Review: I really hated this book. But not necessarily because of the writing style or character development. I think the reason why I just hate this book so much is because it was labelled as religious fiction. So I read it, hoping to feel something spiritual, but it is not really a religious book. At least, not Christian; it's more like the goddess cult. That's fine, but don't sell it as something else.
The author's ability to weave a whole story around this one verse in the Bible is pretty cool, but the story is really just a vehicle to push feminism and the goddess cult along with it. The women in this book don't really believe in God--He's for the men--rather, they believe in female pagan gods and "girl-power". The whole emphasis of the book is on these women and the world they create for themselves; God is thrown in there as kind of an aside. And while all of the men in the book are flawed and mostly selfish, the women are saints, living in harmony with each other. This is, of course, completely unrealistic and absurd. I wish I had known this before paying money for this book because then I wouldn't have been expecting one thing while being sold another. As it is, I feel gypped.
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