Rating: 
Summary: Good story, but average read...
Review: I have to admit that I had to read this book only because my book club chose it. It's like one of those movies that you have heard so much about that, by the time you get around to see it, it's almost impossible for it to live to expectations.As a man, it's also a little more difficult to relate to a book that targets a female audience (by the author's own admission). I'm not that well-versed in the Bible and made the same mistake a lot readers have made: to assume that most of the events described "took place" in the Bible and that the author just wrote around them. This is not the case and the author is on record saying that it was not her intention to base her story on "actual" biblical events. However, had it not been for our club discussion, I would have gone along thinking I just learned some things about the Bible. As a story itself, I thought it was entertaining enough and pretty-well written. But the author's style doesn't grab me enough to read another book by her.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fascinating Look into Another Time and Place
Review: Anita Diamant's The Red Tent is based on a name just briefly mentioned in Genesis. Her name is Dinah, and her story is told in first-person narrative. Much of the beginning is her mothers' tales, and its purpose is to set the scene and tone of the novel. About halfway through an event occurs that sets this novel rolling. It is an absolutely fascinating departure from other novels out there. Diamant's choice to tell the female viewpoint from a minor character is brilliant. I am no biblical scholar, either. You don't even have to be familiar with any of the names in order to enjoy this historical yarn. I Can't wait to see what else Diamant might have in the works.
Rating:
Summary: You don't need to know stories in the bible to read it...
Review: I was a little hesitant to read it, simply because I kept hearing it was a "woman's book" surrounding "menstruating in a tent". The beginning was a little dull, but stick with it, once you get to know the women, you will live with them throughout this religious era and come to get a perspective of what it would have been like to live in those times. I didn't have any biblical background and was able to follow the story. It is not a "light" read though, if you are a Bridgette Jones/Love story reader, this is not for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Dreadful--deserves a negative star rating!
Review: I read this book after being told that it was a wonderful feminist story (I'm a women's studies professor). Please! It was dreadful---so poorly written that I could not bring myself to finish it.
I also found myself incredibly annoyed with Diamant's obsession with menstruation and birthing (and I say this as a specialist in the history of gynecology!). Diamant seems to feel that menstruation and birthing define women. How anti-feminist can you get?! Lots of women don't have menstrual cycles and never reproduce---does this mean they aren't really women? As an historian, I also found it inaccurate (I realize it's a novel and so it shouldn't matter that Diamant doesn't seem to have any understanding of women's lives in the biblical period but the book was so poorly written, the characters so lacking in definition that I found myself overly critical of her historical ignorance).
I find myself wondering why this book receieved so much attention. I would never recommend it!
Rating: 
Summary: A Brilliant Read
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, even for the biblically ignorant :)
Review: I'm certain that there are tons of well-written reviews of this novel already. However, I wanted to add that this novel holds interest for those who are unfamiliar with biblical text. The lives of women in Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Levant are detailed exquisitely. The difficult transition that women had in giving up some of the power and status granted them by indigenous beliefs for the new monotheistic beginnings of Judaism would make for heated discussion.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome insight into biblical times
Review: What a fascinating read. Not an arresting page-turner, but very compelling, and a great view into what life was like during Ruth's time. I recall it vividly 1-year-later, which is an amazing feat for me -- and I would recommend it to anyone curious about life "back then" or rusty (and interested) in Bible stories.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome, empowering new look at ancient women
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed The Red Tent. I've not grown up with religion, so my enjoyment of the book was not at all hindered by feeling that it was sacrilege. I thought this novel was a very moving, creative, and empowering attempt to tell the story of what life might have been like for women caught in the fold between pagansim and judaism. This is a great book for people who are interested in learning more about positive female rituals and becoming more comfortable with women's natural bodily rhythms and functions. This book celebrates the beauty of the goddess in every woman, while also appreciating the strong, wise, and competent aspect of our natures. Read this book and create your own Red Tent and celebrate the first moon blood of every girl in your life.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read!
Review: An intricate and intriguing tale of one family's history. Left me skeptical but left me in awe of human exsistence. The tale of this family's life could never sound more true. It was very fufilling more and I had tears rolling down my face as I was finishing the last pages.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful!
Review: i must admit to being agnostic and shamefully ignorant of the bible, and was afraid this novel would be beyond me. not so. this is a novel i would recommend to anyone, and have already! it is breathtaking. thank you, ms. diamant!
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