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Summary: Only the best!
Review: I was amazed with this book. Knowing the Bible well, it tied in with it but in a different way and made the characters very real and very human. Relgion was not emphasized but touched upon. The times came to life with sights and sounds. The author was able to evoke all of those sensations so smoothly and effortlessly. I felt like I was there and knew the characters. That's how great the book is. I highly recommend it. Read it.
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Summary: Amazing Book
Review: I read this book rather quickly. I was glued to it and could not put it down. I know this is a story about the supposed rape of Jacob's daughter Dinah, however it is my opinion that the truth was a little closer to what Ms. Diamant wrote. I enjoy books like this, Firebrand, and Moon Under her Feet. I think that the Judao/Christian mythology leaves out so much, and the stories we read in the Old/New Testaments are biased. I think the women in Jacob's life, and in Jesus' life were more deserving of a few blurbs, and the men who wrote these books were threatened by the power these women posessed. (Firebrand is not in the bible, it is about the seer Kasandra from ancient Rome, but still an incredible story). This book is eloquent, emotional and realistic to me. I felt as though I were in their tent with them. And yes, the matriarchs and Dinah never do embrace the god of Jacob, but I felt this made the story complete and rich. The god of man killed (or atleast subdued) the ancient goddesses, and I do not see why we should give Abraham, Isaac or Jacob any reverence for their horribly immoral, lewd and violent lifestyles. This story shows the triumph of women, no matter what men can try to do to them, their spirit and connectedness to the great divine will always previal. It is refreshing to read a new perspective on a desperatly shallow story about the "greatness" of Jacob and his pack of wild sons who destroy all the men in a town for their sister's honor. As I said, most likely it happened more like Ms. Diamant portrayed it. This is a beautiful, sad, and fulfilling story that will enrich the lives and perspectives of anyone who reads it.
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Summary: Rich, Romantic, Delicious.... give it 10 Stars!
Review: WOW.... I wept at the end. I was enraptured by this book from the first page to the last. Diamant skillfully weaves a tale of women, from triumph to tragedy and back again. Like "Mists of Avalon," this book dares to suggest that women have had (and continue to have) a powerful role in society. "The Red Tent" brings that heritage to light.. a radiant light.Dinah, the central character, is only given a brief mention in the bible, but here, she shines! For me, its just another example of how women have been sublimated by a religious society that sought power, land, and money. I am not a christian, I do not believe that the bible is the end-all and be-all, and I applaud authors who dare to suggest that another view point is possible. Blessings to Ms Diamant for her courage and wisdom. The prose is delicious, the imagery lush, and the winds of the desert can be felt in our hearts!
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Summary: I didn't want this book to end
Review: I loved this book. Having attended an all girls orthodox yeshiva, this brought our forefathers and foremothers to light. I also have a daughter named Dina, so I found this book very real and personal.
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Summary: An Elixir for the Femine Soul
Review: I absolutely loved this book! This tale spoke to the woman inside of me that longs for the intimate relationship of a close circle of women. I loved the characters of the book - Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, Bilhah, and Meryt. And I disagree with the reader that stated that Dinah herself is a minor character in relation to the others. She is the others. They all were mother to her and therefore helped to create the strong woman that she was. I love the prologue which is imparted by Dinah and gives her motivation for telling her story. Just from reading the prologue I fell in love with Dinah and wanted to know her story. Diamant tells a wonderful tale. Though fiction, the story is well grounded and so rich in detail the reader willingly reads it as gospel. This book is a wonderful journey for a woman. In this transient society of ours, it is difficult, if not impossible, to form and nurture such intimate relationships with other women. Diamant describes a time when women bonded together in ceremony and sympathy during those events that only women can understand. The onset of a girl's first menses was celebrated and served as the reckoning of womanhood. Each month during the time of their blood, the women congregated together in the red tent for three days and doted on one another. They shared stories and goddesses and dreams while they oiled and massaged each other. Diamant brings the reader to this tent and to a time when sisterhood prevailed in the face of many obstacles. It is reasonable that the story was lost for as Dinah says in the prologue "The chain connecting mother to daughter was broken and the word passed to the keeping of men, who had no way of knowing." Whether the reader simply wants to feel revivified as a woman or is on a quest (such as myself) for her own spirituality, this book is a must read. It is an elixir for the feminine soul.
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Summary: Sisterhood: The Same in Any Century
Review: I read THE RED TENT in a purely historical context, and I was well pleased. I did not read it for Biblical accuracy, but rather for the story of a community of women from another time and culture. Anita Diamant's lyrical writing immediately dropped me back into the time of red tents, seemingly the only place where women could speak frankly about their lives. Here is a story of love and hate, betrayal and loyalty, prejudice and hardship, sorrow and joy. These emotions are valid in any time period; it is simply the women's reactions to them based on their circumstances which are different. Diamant's writing style is easy to read, and her portrayal of this community of women, this sisterhood, is almost archetypal in its tone. I honor the women of the red tents for their strength and courage, for they are ancestors to all women. After all, their dreams are not that different from our own.
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Summary: Captivating and well researched!
Review: There are those who are offended that their cherished Biblical Matriarchs aren't portrayed like they were in Sunday School, but they are missing the point! The ancient Hebrews were moon worshipping matriarchal people and they really were not "Jews" until centuries after the Exodus. Why do you think we refer to the Sabbath as a Queen? The Holy Temple was filled with symbols and sacred objects our current rabbis would have fits about. Leah practiced sympathetic magic with mandrake root to assure fertility, and I could go on. The woman who was upset by this need only look up the part in Genesis where Rachel steals the household gods and hides them under where she sits, claiming she has her period. Anita Diament uses Midrashic details which lend further veracity to the story. I found this book well written and deeply moving. I actually feel the Matriarchs are more precious to me now that I had ever thought before. These are mothers I am proud to descend from, and although it is very much a work of fiction, Anita Diament makes them very real.
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Summary: Anita Diamant has written an excellent story!
Review: "The Red Tent" is a wonderfully written story about the lives of women through all time. Dinah's story is told with the honesty of women who have suffered and triumphed. Anita Diamant's storytelling pulls the reader into the story, so that when she speaks to us in the voice of her characters, we are moved by a message of survival. I hope Ms. Diamant continues to write these stories for women of all time.
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Summary: The New Perspective
Review: This book brought the ancient times in to an entirely new perpsective for me. I found myself completely immersed in the people, the customs, the places and the feel of all that was surrounding me. Ms. Diamant brought forth the true feel of how life must have been for a woman at the time of Dinah. I thank her for this book. This is the one book that I truly did not want to end.
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Summary: What Can I Say?
Review: I read some of the other reviews and I think there is no reason why this book should be loathed by so many! I think the way the story was told is wonderful and although there were some Paganistic tendencies we must remember that this IS a work of FICTION! Its not completely true to the bible story, which I personally think made it a lot better, and how can you expect it to be so? If you would like a book that holds your interest well, this one's great! I loved it!
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