The Red Tent

Rating:
Summary: Excellent:: we lost something when we took down the red tent
Review: I loved this book! It took an all but forgotten character from the bible, and made her real. Better still, it made the time in which she (allegedly) lived real.

I love the red tent -- the concept. I wish there were a red tent for me to go into once a month. The opportunity for connection and rest is one all too many of us lack. --

Rating:
Summary: Strength, myth, and women
Review: This book is an incredible reweaving of a biblical myth. Although it is fiction and some dislike facts being changed, they benefit the story that is being told. It offers a wonderful perspective. As a pagan woman I was engrossed from start to finish. I picked it up and did not put it down once until I finished it. I thought this story was brilliant and masterfully told. Highly recommended!!!

Rating:
Summary: INSULT TO INJURY
Review: I cannot even begin to list all the errors this books is filled with that insult and malign the honest, Godly people discussed in this book! I think it is a supreme insult to women for the cover of the book to suggest that, "...this is how a woman would have written the Bible," because it is SO full of errors. First of all, Sarai (Sarah), Rebecca,Rachel, Leah --- and probably most of the women in this book worshipped the GOD (check the Bible yourself!), not goddesses. It was Laban that tricked Josheph into marrying Leah, and he noticed the first day, not the seventh. Jacob also served Laban 7 years for each wife, not months as the book suggests. The fact is, Rachel WAS loved MORE than Leah, that is why God granted Leah more children, because she was NOT loved. And the order of children is all wrong, Jacob did not have 2 sets of twins. The story of Dinah's rape borders on accurate, but the injustice that was incurred by her and her family was grossly overlooked for the romance effect, I guess??? One of the worst errors in the book is the fact that the author actually tries to portray Joseph, a very honest and Godly man, first as an adulterer and later as a homosexual. How on earth did she come up with that one,I will never know?? It plainly states in the Bible that Joseph refused Potifar's wife because she was married. She hit on him! Please, if you are truly interested in learning about the people, including the women, of the Bible, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. IT IS FULL OF TRASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Bible is much more informative and best of all, without error :)!!! If you do decide to get this book, check the facts against your Bible so that you do know what is truth and what is not.

Rating:
Summary: Simply Awful
Review: The author clearly betrays her lack of familiarity with the times and customs of places she describes. The characters are caricatures of the persons from the Bible. The prose is also awkward. The fact that some of the plot contradicts the biblical text is,I suppose, poetic license. Too bad Diamant is no poet. How can anybody like this book?
If you want good and well written novels on biblical themes, try Paulo Cuelho's "Fifth Mountain" or Lion Feuchtwanger's "Jafteh and his daughter".
Mann's "Joseph and his brothers" is a much better treatment of the Jacob's family saga than "the red tent"

Rating:
Summary: An Eye Opener
Review: I don't think I have ever been more proud to be a woman than after reading The Red Tent. Diamant depicts her women with such strength and richness of soul thatI caught a glimpse of something I think I have always longed for.

Rating:
Summary: A Surprising Biblical Gem!
Review: I first heard of this book when I heard that the Rabbi at our synagogue would be conducting a discussion on Ms. Diamante's novel. My first thought was to mentally prepare myself of some dry account of Biblical times. Boy was I ever wrong!

This was a totally entertaining first-person narrative of the life of Dinah, Jacob's only and basically forgotten daughter - she is only mentioned in the Bible in terms of being a victim. Her story, as much influenced by her mother(s)and the women of the red tent as it was by her famous brothers and father, begins when Jacob first entered the world of Laban and his daughters and follows Dinah through her life, through her joys and tribulations. This sudden interest in women in the Bible in literature is refreshing since women are generally absent from the Bible!

I have to admit that this was one of the best books I had read in a long time and I found that I didn't want it to end! A must read for all (except if you are pregnant with your first child, in which case you may want to wait - a part of the narrative describes Dinah's experiences in midwifery and therefore there are many graphic descriptions of childbirth during Biblical times)

Rating:
Summary: hmmmm
Review: I'm interested in Judaism and historical fiction, but I found The Red Tent rather dull and a bit too much of a bodice-ripper for my tastes. Gave up after a chapter or so.

Rating:
Summary: The Red Tent
Review: This book really brought the biblical characters to life!! It was facinating to read about how life would have been for Joseph's sister. I cried a few times- both happy and sad tears!

I wish that the author would write more books in this historical/non-fiction - fiction mix!! I would love to learn more about the people written about in the bible and this is a much more interesting way to do it then just reading the bible. But one does need to remember that it is a mix of fiction and non-fiction and not to take it all as "gospel". Hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

Rating:
Summary: a modern classic
Review: I read this book during my pregnancy. It left me with a feeling that birthing and motherhood are great events and rights of passage. Though this may not stricktly follow the Bible's orriginal story, it is an excellent read. I could not put it down. I laughed and cried my way throught it. Books like this, told in first person, with an ever unfolding events make me want more from the same author.
Well done Anita D!!

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Prospective on Life - But not as good as expectd
Review: I did appreciate the perspecptive that this book gives on the womens lives of the time - but I really expected more then I got. Good Read just not an awesome read.