Author: Anita Diamont
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 321
Description: Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis that are about her father, Jacob, and his dozen sons. Told in Dinah's voice, this novel reveals the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood--the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of her mothers--Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah--the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that sustain her through a hard-working youth, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah's story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history and creates an intimate connection with the past. Deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable achievement in modern fiction: a new view of biblical women's society.
Amazon Reviews:
Average Customer Review
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Purchase Information: http://www.amazon.com/Red-Tent-Anita-Diamant/dp/0312195516
My Grade: B
My Thoughts: First and foremost, I learned something about myself after going to the play The Mountaintop (depiction of MLK Jr) and reading this book, I have a really hard time reading non-fiction books about fictional people. It's hard for me to get into the author's imagination about a real person - I am constantly thinking about the facts. I am just not for the "loosely based" thing - unless it's a lifetime movie about someone or something that I don't know anything about. I tell you this, because this story is very well researched, but very loosely based on a bible figure. And although Dinah was a very "minor" figure in the bible, her brother Joseph is one of my biblical heroes. I know their story very well - so to read this I was slightly thrown off my Ms. Diamont's interpretation of events.
All that said, it was a great book. It's obvious that Ms. Diamont knows her biblical history (as far as the culture, food, etc.) and took the time necessary to research. In the beginning the book starts off slow, but heats up big time by the middle. Once Dinah becomes a "woman" (gets her period) - you are on an inspirational roller coaster. This book is the first book that made me proud to have a period - that's for sure. It really awakened my imagination to a world without antibiotics, Advil (medication), tampoons, pain killers, and doctors. Although I was in no way envious or nostalgic of the women's lives in this book, there was a bit of intrigue and yearning...and wanting to...I dunno...be a Genesis kind of woman. It's hard to explain, but I will say that it is a book that I will definitely recommend. But be ready for
Pairing: This book pairs well with a glass of red wine or black tea. It's best suited for winter or fall. A big blanket either outside at night or on the couch curled up.
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