The Red Tent

Rating:
Summary: A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing
Review: Anita Diamant's book purports to show the Biblical story of Jacob and his sons through the eyes of Dinah, who is shown exclusively as a victim in Scripture itself. I am very taken with the idea of telling the story from a new point of view, and I find the notion of female bonding in a "red tent" appealing in some ways.
Unfortunately, Diamant shows that sometimes knowing a little is far worse than knowing nothing at all. Diamant is aware that the Jewish tradition of midrash has allowed Biblical stories to be reinterpreted through the ages. However,this should not be interpreted as a license that anything goes. I am shocked that Diamant has made a rapist (Shalem=Shechem) into a hero, that she is openly scornful of the worship of El (i.e.,the Jewish G-d) throughout the book (idolatry is treated with great respect,however), and that she imputes to our ancestor Jacob a dalliance in beastiality. I'm no prude, mind you, but surely there must be some limits indicating respect for the Biblical text. Indeed, the hallmark of midrash is that it ties interpretation to the text, even as it alters the meaning. Diamant never really shows how her reading could be remotely plausible.
The other problem is that Diamant's work just doesn't ring true historically. In Red Tent, the idolatrous wives are scornful of Jacob's G-d. In fact, it is monotheists who are scornful of idolatry - idolaters have great respect for the gods of others, especially those of their husbands. Thus Jacob would have been scornful of the women's idolatry, but they would not have had a problem with his worship of El. Though we can't know for sure, it is likely that women spent time apart from their husband during their menstrual cycles. These had nothing, however, to do with the lunar cycle, and it is inconceivable that it was an opportunity for fun and relaxation, as Diamant imagines. And by the way, shortening Naphtali to Tali is clearly wrong as it destroys the sense of the name (Tali is,in fact, a short form of Avital).
Diamant's book would be fine, I suppose, if you read it without knowing or caring about the Bible story. However, as Diamant herself has put the story front and center, it must ultimatley judged against it. I would love to see a creative, feminist reading of the Dinah story. Sadly, Diamant's work falls far short of this worthy goal.

Rating:
Summary: Periods during the Biblical Period
Review: If you love to read about the woman's cycle -- this book is for you! If you like to read a Biblical story twisted beyond recognition -- you'll also love this book.

Although the author is a talented writer, I hated the subject... Other than the biblical names, almost nothing matches the Biblical stories. I was extremely upset on the author changing the Almighty God to a heathen God...

Rating:
Summary: Well written, but disappointing
Review: This is a well-written, easy to read novel. Because the author's style is not complex, this novel is very good entertainment. All of that being said, I was sorely disappointed in The Red Tent.

I was expecting an historical novel based on the book of Genesis in which the theology was consistent with that expressed in Genesis, and in which the basic cultural aspects of the story were consistent with those put forth by theologians and historians. Instead what I got was a subtle, post-modern mishmash of radical feminism, new-age deism, and animism. It's ironic that the familial relationships portrayed in the story are more akin to 21st century suburban New England than the Canaan that existed 4000 years ago. The plot should in no way be considered to be anything more than a fanciful interpretation of the story of Jacob's tribe from the book of Genesis. In fact, it inspired me to think of a modern equivalent in which President John F. Kennedy was running the USA by taking orders from the Pope. Hmmm, there may be a decent novel there. . .

Of course, this is fiction, and the story is crafted well. But if the reader wants a story that better reflects the message in Genesis (or the Torah), he would be better served by the novels by Francine Rivers about the matriarchs.

Rating:
Summary: The women of the Bible
Review: When I was about thirteen. my mother "Got Religion", and constantly nagged me to read the Bible. So I did. But I don't think I was reading the stuff she wanted me to read. Being a melodramatic teenager, I of course zoomed in on the vast violent soap opera that is the book of Genesis. And my favorite part was the rivalry between Jacob's wives: Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah. They seemed vibrant and alive to me, as if somehow in the few words said about them, their essence had been accidentally preserved.

So of course I read _The Red Tent_. It's a novel retelling the story of Leah's daughter, Dinah, who is a footnote in the Bible. According to Scripture, Dinah was raped, and her brothers took bloody revenge. The hypothesis of this book is that it was not a rape but a forbiddden love affair, referred to as rape by Dinah's male relatives because they could not accept what had really happened.

The most interesting part of the book is the beginning, where Dinah recounts the story of her mother and aunts, who were just as vibrant as I wanted them to be. They loved and envied and bonded in their lives as Jacob's spouses. And they worshipped a Goddess. This seems to be the most controversial part of _The Red Tent_. Everyone is falling all over themselves insisting that those women never worshipped any Goddess. Actually, if you look at history and the Bible, the Hebrews of the time were constantly going back and forth between condemning the goddess Asherah and worshipping her alongside Yahweh. It's not at all implausible that the women of the Bible might have worshipped Asherah in secret women's mysteries.

Then Dinah grows up, has the love affair, and blood is shed. This part of the book is also interesting--sexy, sad, and scary--but it is very short.

Then Dinah flees to Egypt. From this point on, my interest lagged. Maybe because this part wasn't in the story I knew, and Diamant was making it all up, or maybe just because it was less dramatic. Dinah recovers from her emotional wounds and meets a Generically Nice Guy. Blah. :(

Four stars for the first third of the book, three for the second, two for the third. Three overall.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This book was excellent. It was completely entertaining and entirely believable. I am madly searching for other books by this author.

Rating:
Summary: Archaeological evidence
Review: Excellent portrayal of the period. Having worked on archaeological sites in Israel for several years, I have been associated with sites where evidence of 'pagen' objects are commonly found right along side of objects associated with judaism...in the same households. This indicates that there was simultaneous worship of idols and "El" contrary to what one reviewer might think. I have also worked on sites rich in matriarchal 'goddess' evidence from pre-hebrew periods. The author did an excellent job of filling in the blanks left by the biblical tale and archaeological evidence. Good book!

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This book was a page turner. I loved it and it tells a story that that is so unlike the story in the Bible depicts. I thought it was powerful and it pulls on all emotions of the heart. The ending was strange and kind of a let down from the heart pounding material throughout the rest of the book. I felt enriched when I finally put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Introduced me to a whole new genre of literature
Review: While I have never been much of a history buff, this book sparked my interest in historical fiction. I was captivated from the first chapter till conclusion. With each introduction of a new character I found myself constantly wondering what would happen to them in their storyline. I became submerged in a whole new world that I had read little about.I found myself often limiting myself to how much I could read a day to prevent myself from finishing it in one sitting.

This is a must read!

Rating:
Summary: not that great
Review: Anita Diamant could have and should have done better research. A lot of the things she puts into the book is not correct. First, she says that Naphtali is Jacob's son with Leah, but in the Bible, Naphtali is the son of Bilhah and Jacob. Second, Diamant [messed] around the story of Joseph in Potiphar's house by saying that Joseph and Potiphar were male lovers and that when Potiphar's wife tried to get Joseph to go to bed with her, Diamant said that Joseph did! These things are not true!
It was interesting to read, save for the historical mistakes made by Diamant

Rating:
Summary: Don't put the book down (though you might be tempted)!
Review: After chapter upon chapter of a very enjoyable and totally believable story, Diamant started to tell a crazy tale in the middle of the book that made no sense. I was very annoyed, but since I enjoyed the book so much in the beginning, I decided to trudge through to the end. Happily, the book got believable and enjoyable again. When I finished it, I got out the Bible to see what in Diamant's book was "real" versus "made up." It was then that I realized that the crazy tale--the one I was so annoyed about--was, indeed, from the Bible itself! It was the stuff that Diamant had fabricated that seemed so believable and real! What an excellent writer!