Rating: 
Summary: A Misconception
Review: I bought this book with the preconception that it was "christian fiction". I was disappointed to find that the storyline does not keep the integrity of the Bible and I would consider it secular fiction. If you are a true Christian fiction reader, I would not reccommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: An Incredible Eye Opener
Review: In the "Red Tent" you will immediately be pulled into the fictional life of Dinah, daughter of Jacob, from the Holy Bible. Dinah starts out by recounting the stories of her mothers. Yes, Mothers, as in plural. Astonishingly, Dinah's mothers were also all sisters.(This is the Holy Bible?)The author, Anita Diament, let's you feel as these sisters felt when Jacob becomes a part of their isolated lives. Dinah's emotions slowly simmer as she tells of her coming of age and adult life. Perhaps like the current situation in Afghan, this was a time when women had very little control over their lives and were mostly pregnant. As the narrative unfolds, you are elated for the occasional joy or accomplishment. Strange customs are a way of life. Beware. The most often discussed setting of the book is the Red Tent, a tent where women sat together alone from men while they menstruated, gave birth, or recovered from childbirth. This book is filled with ironies. Although it seems such a strange and revolting phenomenon, the Red Tent is a not a place of suffering. It is a respite from hard physical labor and marital demands. Experience the sisterly bonding in the Red Tent as they "celebrate the harvest moon" when they all have their periods at the same time each month.(Can that be real?) Revel at how sisters forced to share one man struggle to overcome jealousy.
Though the story is set during seemingly simple times, starring illiterate women who have superstitious beliefs in many gods, Dinah shows us a cynical nature, and we conclude that these women are more sohisticated than most men. Dinah endures, despite brutal events which are, as always, out of her control. In the end, readers feel grateful that Dinah's strange story has been told and may even start to think this is not fiction. Any rock-solid notions about that slice of history being thought of as "holy" are now one huge question mark. This book is like no other.
Rating: 
Summary: Out of step
Review: Boy, am I in a tiny minority of the customer reviewers who gave this book a low rating. To me, Daiman's tale is nothing more than wordy hokum. I struggled through about a fourth of the story, and was so distracted by the stilted writing and the simplistic characters, I just gave up. Maybe it's something at this stage in my life that throws me into the negative camp. Could it be I'm getting old and cranky? (...)
Rating:
Summary: Interesting take on an old story.....
Review: This is a fascinating tale that takes the story of the bible and expounds upon the family and time that was originally represented. I am not a strong religious person, so don't let the subject matter turn you off from this terrifc book. I found the liberties Diamant took added so much to this book. I enjoyed the way she wove the stories together and gave voice to Dinah, who was just a few short lines of verse in the bible. This book is a beautiful representation of the complex relationships between sisters, mothers and daughters. This story is often touching, full of sorrow, but also relays the joys of womanhood. Excellent read!
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as expected, but still okay.
Review: After having this book recommended to me by practically every second woman I've talked to recently at my church, I decided to give it a try. I was initially impressed by the concept of reinterpreting a biblical story from a woman's perspective. Though the biblical stories are interesting as written, they often lack a deep look at the motives and thoughts of individuals, particularly the women. So looking at Jacob and his sons from Dinah's perspective is a wonderful idea. Often, Diamont's version of the story is somewhat plausible when compared with the biblical narrative. Even the story of Dinah's "rape" is not completely contradictory because what happened in the book might have been construed as a violation from a certain perspective. She was young, and the coupling with Shechen occured without her father's knowledge. The idea of the women still practicing polytheistic worship also has some scriptural support in that Rachel did steal her father's household gods. These sorts of variations amount to an interesting study of how the same events can be seen differently by different people. Unfortunately, Diamont's attempts to weave depth into her female characters is not always successful, and it is rarely successful with the male characters. She often violates the well-known maxim "show, don't tell" by having Dinah tell us what her brothers, mothers, lovers, etc. are like without always showing us why she saw these people in that way. The story would also have been more compelling had there been some sympathetic men among the Canaanites. As it is, the novel reads at times as simply a diatribe against men and their God. As a result, the story becomes simplistic rather that a richly layered expansion of the scriptural account.
Rating: 
Summary: The Red tent
Review: I thought this book was wonderful. It showed how complex the relationships between the sisters and their families were and just how hard it was to be a strong woman in those days.
Rating:
Summary: Be forewarned: There's a whole lotta bleedin' going on!
Review: This novel was chosen by my bookclub and the overall opinion on this one was that we all enjoyed it. As none of us were terribly familiar with Dinah's story, I did feel compelled to read the chapters in Genesis for the original version. It is obvious that Ms. Diamant's "story" is just that, a fictionalized version of what MAY have happened to Dinah. Just because it is not biblically accurate does not mean it is not a compelling read. We all were impressed by the sisterhood between the woman, it's not often you read about women's cycles with such positive and beautiful prose. Kind of makes you wish for a Red Tent of one's own to hang out in for a few days each month. Now the childbirth issue is another entirely, as someone who had a very difficult delivery it makes you realize how lucky we are to have modern medicine around if we need it during childbirth. In conclusion if you are looking for a historically accurate interpretation of the bible, you will likely be disappointed, however if you are looking for a fascinating and and well written story you will find it here.
Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.
Review: I JUST ABSOLUTELY LOVED AND ENJOYED THIS BOOK. IT MADE ME THINK LONG AND HARD AND I FELT I WAS THERE WITH THESE WOMEN. I FELT LIKE CRYING WHEN I WAS DONE BECAUSE I WANTED TO GO ON WITH THESE WOMEN IN THEIR LIVES. PLEASE READ, YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY.
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC
Review: I adored this book. I could not put it down and when I was done reading I wanted to cry for the loss of having to. I felt like I was alive and there with those women. It was a pure learning experience besides enjoyment. Thank you so much! Don't miss it!
Rating:
Summary: the 13th tribe?
Review: maybe dinah falls to the backround like Jephtha's daughter in the Torah, but here in Diamant's novel, Dinah is very much in the fore ground, narrating the story of Jacob from her point of view. If you have ever wondered about the women of the bible, who are merely glazed over, you will thouroughly enjoy this book. (an extra star if you ever went to Hebrew school, attend Shul on Pesach, or could name the 12 tribes in your sleep)
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