“The other reason women wanted daughters was to keep their memories alive.”

The Red Tent tells the story of the family of Jacob of Israel from the perspective of his only mentioned daughter, Dinah. As I learned from other reviews, Dinah is only mentioned once in the Old Testament, so obviously this book takes a lot of artistic liberties. But regardless of whether it is the true story of Jacob’s family or merely a true story that could have happened in this ancient culture, The Red Tent is a powerful glimpse into ancient womanhood.

In case it isn’t clear yet, this book is not a light read. It addresses many difficult topics, and I was frequently infuriated by the way that people treated each other, whether because of their gender or because of their beliefs. So it may not exactly be an entertaining read, but it’s a book that will expand your perspective on humanity and culture. Basically, it’s good for you. The two themes in this book that I was most affected by were these: (1) the role of women and their relationship with men, and (2) the role of family beliefs and traditions—and how the stubborn belief that one’s family customs are better than another’s can lead to harm and destruction.

Now, I wanted to discuss a couple of the most common critiques that I’ve seen in other reviews for this book:

(1)tYes, this book is female-centric. But please don’t tell me that this book isn’t intended for you because you’re a man. Just think how many women read the Bible—one of the most male-centric books ever written. It's FILLED with man after man doing important things and then the occasional mention of a woman’s name, usually in regards to who she marries or gives birth to. Saying that this book isn’t for men is like saying that the books Uncle Tom's Cabin and Roots: The Saga of an American Family aren’t for white people. The point of reading is to learn about the world through a new lens. I’m a straight white female, but I like to read books about men or women, about straight or LGBTQ+ characters, and about characters of all different races. Why? Because I want to learn. I don’t understand the circumstances of every person on this planet, but I’d like to expand my worldview as much as I can. (Really, it's fine if you didn't enjoy the book. It's a tough one to get through. But it's NOT because it's a "woman" book.)

(2)tYes, the men in this book are underdeveloped and flat. However, I don’t consider that a narrative weakness. Dinah hardly knows her father at all; in fact, at one point near the middle of the book, it’s stated that Jacob couldn’t quite conjure up what Dinah’s face looked like. The separation between the affairs of men and women were so strong that, just as the men in the Bible have close to nothing to say about the few women who they mention, the women in The Red Tent don’t have a deep and layered view of their men.

The main point of this book, I’d say, is to give voice to the ancient women who have been silent for millennia—the women who were forgotten, except by each other. I highly recommend this book to everyone; because, regardless of how historically accurate the small details are, this book is something we can all learn from.

My mom got me this book for Christmas mainly because she wanted to read it. I read the summary on the back and I was intrigued, but wasn't intending to pick it up right away until my mom demanded that I read it as soon as possible so she could read it. So I did. I read it in a day.

I'm a fast reader no matter what, but give me a good book, I'll finish it faster than usual. This book was good. Excellent. I was drawn in with the first word. There were stories within stories and I was able to follow each and every one of them and become absorbed.

Diamant's writing took me back to this time period, and instead of pointing out all that was bad and raw in a time we often look back on as savage and uncivilized, she points out and embraces everything that was wonderful. Or at least she writes in such a way you look at it as completely normal and okay. I was also surprised how much these people embraced womanhood, when often when you hear about those times it's all about how women were submissive and cursed, born only to be slaves to men. But the women in nearly every culture Dinah passed through were respected for the most part, and held some sort of power. This is not the time when men began stepping on the women. Something happened between then and now that changed the view of womanhood to be ugly and wrong.

Speaking of the women, the one problem I had was that the women the first third of the book was dedicated to, just ended up disappearing. We were lead to fall in love with these women, only to have them later have them fall off the radar. It's not a huge flaw, because Dinah has to lose them as well, and they fall of her radar as well and we do learn what happened to them in the end, but still...

Other than that one small, but understandable flaw, this book was fantastic. Dinah goes on an amazing journey and it is told beautifully in her voice. Diamant has a wonderful gift as a storyteller. Do yourself a favor and sit down with this book, you will hear Dinah speak and you will feel the gritty, dirty, wonderful world she lives in. Don't let the fact that it was taken from the Bible deterr you. Diamant writes in such a way that if you are familiar with the Bible things come up and you're like, "Hey!" But, if you're not religious at all, she writes so that you aren't shut out from a special world, you are welcomed and embraced and the story is still just as wonderful.

The Red Tent, Anita Diamant. Covers the pre-founding history, nation of Israel. Anita Diamant has written the story of Dinah, sister of Joseph, daughter of Jacob from the Bible book Genesis. I agree this story so thought provoking and profound. I'm a big softie sometimes lol. It's an incredible possible depiction of life as seen from a women's point of view. Its easily read through its entirety. But it's real purpose I believe is to create the "thing " inside yourself, be it teach, learn, have wonderment, agree to disagree, fantasize, create self reflection and discussion in depth, love lost, love found, it ticks boxes I like, has secrets, hatred, unforgivable atrocities, murder, arts and craft, laughter, animal husbandry oh mustn't forget birth apon birth and birth again and again... just wow what a lot of birth and midwifery, and finally my favorite which is always my favorite to be lost in a book completely for a brief time at least. Last but not least spend a few hours writing what I thought, it did all these things for me and that's what I loved about it. Anita has told it in a way that is modern and ancient at the same time, but leaves you with hope for endless possibilities of redemption for the present and future generations. I have passed book along to another human, maybe be moved as I was, hopefully...maybe...hmmm...nah...give my book back.... fark off....kidding....
... no I'm not.

While I enjoyed the parts about midwifery and wish that a place like the Red Tent really did exist, I think that the author got the story all wrong. She turned all the men in the book, including men like Jacob and Joseph, into sex crazed, egotistical, superstitious bigots. I think she took WAY TOO much creative license and basically re-wrote the bible to her liking. In some part she didn't even try to be historically accurate with what the bible says.For example, she says that Joseph and Potifar's wife were lovers for a long time till he got caught, when in the bible it clearly says that Joseph ran away!
Also, much of her focus is on Goddess worship, which many of the people would have practiced in that time. But I think it does a great injustice to Jacob to say that he wouldn't have taught his wives about Jehovah, and a greater injustice to think that Rachel and Leah would have continued to worship idols even after they had learned about the one true God.
Anyway, while I didn't like the author's take on the story I did really love idea of the Red Tent and the birth stories. It made me wish that we had more rituals in our culture that celebrated a woman's coming of age. I LOVED the way a girl was initiated into womanhood when she got her period, and how bleeding each month and being pregnant were looked upon as a great privilege rather than an embarrassment and hassle. It is sad how we as women don't treat our bodies as the amazing gifts that they are.

There was nothing wrong with The Red Tent, however, I wasn't all that moved by it. I put off reading this book for a few months—biblical books or topics of religion just aren't my thing (religion and certain factious groups have been responsible for starting more wars and fighting in this world than anything, but that's my opinion and a topic for another day).

The writing is sound. The biblical facts seem accurate—not that I'd know much about it. I've only read bits n pieces of the Bible (shhh, that will be our little secret).

I didn't enjoy it, so I'm not recommending it, however, that doesn't mean don't read it. I'm just one little reader in a world of readers.

The first time I read this book years ago my frustration stemmed from primarily the depiction of the various characters. And I mean ALOT of characters.
However, this time I decided to read it slowly so that I could focus and absorb the characters and the story.
I loved the celebration of a strong female character and heroine. I loved Dinah's quiet strength, her confidence and her self-awareness.
Anita Diamant was able to sweep me up and carry me away to another time and place.
A place where there is a "Red Tent" that I wish was here.

I just....couldn't get into it. I didn't form an emotional connection with any of these characters and I simply got bored and stayed bored for the rest of it. I really wanted to like it because it's been so highly recommended from multiple people in my life! I'm disappointed that I didn't but moving on!

I disagree with those who don't think it matters whether the content is truth or fiction. Historical fiction influences contemporary thinking about the past, and for that reason it does matter whether it is accurate or not.

While this novel is careful to show much negative about being a woman in the Biblical times portrayed, it casts an overall positive light on the sharing and caring that occurs in “the red tent,” whether this place is real or only imaginary. I think this novel creates a mirage of the beauty existing inside the “red tent.” It’s a beautiful image, but it’s not reality.

Yes, it feels good to imagine the power that women within their sphere had in the times portrayed. But women with their periods and when pregnant and while giving birth were viewed as “unclean.” By whom were they viewed as unclean? By men, by the authors and creators of the Bible.

Women readers, who are the primary readers of this book, The Red Tent, come away with a positive feeling about the idea of the red tent. Some readers take it as fact that the red tent was historical reality. While I admired Dimant’s writing five-stars worth, I had so many other criticisms that my three-star rating represents an average, a compromise of conflicting views.

My closing thought is this: I don’t want to see women make up historical fiction stories about the Bible that make the Bible more palatable. The Bible was and remains a story written by men, where women had no place really in “their” world. And perhaps, as Diamant suggests here, men had no place in their world, the world of women, but this was a world that had no historical voice. Again, I object to retelling of Biblical tales that make the Bible more palatable to women today.

I liked but didn't love this book, although that might be because I found the last third of it less compelling than I had the first two-thirds. The Red Tent is an imagining of the story of Dinah, sister of Joseph, who is only mentioned briefly in the Old Testament. It has been adopted by the women's spirituality movement, for the community of women that is shown in the book, and their separate religious practices and beliefs.

Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.

In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook

I read this story over Mother's Day weekend so my take on it is the celebration of womanhood. I was absolutely fascinated by this time in history that is so vastly differnt from our modern times. I think if you are overly conservative and only look at the biblical inaccuracies you will miss out on a story with a gorgeous prose. I would caution you to read this as it is a work of "fiction". This is a family saga Diamant loosley wove biblical history into. told thru Jacob's only daughter Dinah and shows her POV from birth to her death. She becomes enemy of her father and his 12 sons so they are not shead in a good light. It shows the workings of her heart from her loneliness, horror, rage, depression, career and bonds with women.
I took from this story to embrace my womanhood because we are shown to celebrate womanhod and coming of age from almost the beginning of time. It did make me wish we had more of a celebration or passage into our own coming of age. We should have a ritual of the changing of girl to womanhood(without the pagan or goddess worship shown in this tale, of course!)

I was intrigued into the early skills of midwifery. They were very detailed and showed the harsh lifestyle of the times. I adored the bonds these women shared in The red tent. They used the tent for a place when they went during menstruation, sickness, nursing and birth of their children. It was a place they could be seperated from the world of men. This is a tale that well linger with me for a very long time and I look forward to reading it again and sharing it with other women I'm close to.

Преди известен брой години много харесах сериала по тази книга. След прочита и, все още го предпочитам - смекчил е острите ръбове на разказа.

Жените от Стария Завет рядко присъстват в литературата, а тези от Новия… Тези от Новия са само изкривена, бегла сянка на послание, насочено предимно към владетелите на онзи стар свят, а те съвсем не са били жени. В Стария Завет има дълбок и примамващ екот от древност, претопена през много епохи, с доста различаващи се възгледи какви трябва да са и са избраният народ и неговият Бог (ту безмилостен, ту милостив, но при всички случаи - всемогъщ). Чисто сюжетно Старият Завет е същински несекващ извор с пищно изобилие на всякакви теми.

Доста художници са рисували как Яков, син на Исаак и внук на Авраам, се е борил с ангел. Е, Анита Диамант е отишла много далеч от буквалното възпроизвеждане на библейския сюжет. Немалко силно религиозни читатели сигурно ще изпаднат в праведно възмущение от нейната версия на събитията. Патриарсите от библейски времена в нейно описание са много, много далеч от понятието “симпатичен”. Не просто защото имат поне по 4 жени, две от които със статут на слугини или направо са робини - нещо нормално за онова време. Не и затова, че имат повече деца, отколкото един трезвомислещ човек може да понесе, поради което - разбираемо - едни са им любимци, а други са им непознати и пасат козите. А заради лицемерието и фанатизма, заради пълната липса на съпричастност към онези, които са им близки и заради липсата на търпение и разбиране към чуждите. Всичката тази жестокост и лицемерие са покрити с маската на божието име, разбира се, като търговска марка за всякакъв вид непогрешимост и пълна, неоспорима власт. Изобличаването на цялото извратено лицемерие на патриархалния строй, оформил Стария завет, е страшно силно послание и е много, много добре поднесено.

Яков от книгата е един отначало симпатичен, а после страшно противен лицемер - но винаги харизматичен. За съжаление - и неразкрит докрай. Преки оценки и лозунги липсват, те са предимно между редовете. Не е така с четирите сестри - жените в живота на Яков. Тяхната червена палатка е единственият им пристан на частица свобода от оковите им на законен инвентар (в обслужване на бащи, съпрузи и синове, обречени до живот да не мръднат нито крачка извън лагера или селото). Интересно, че в книгата жените почитат старите богове на плодородния полумесец и двуречието, което е логично. Това е техният бунт срещу страховития Бог на техните бащи и съпрузи, даващ им неограничена власт над всяка жена, роб и животно. Монотеизмът се е налагал в течение на векове из онези земи, а не наведнъж. В тази палатка започва животът на главната героиня - Дина - единствената дъщеря сред многото синове. Но не там ще приключи. Междувременно женските образи са доста по-плътни. Животът не е толкова тежко и непоносимо нещо, когато никога не си имал свобода, знание, простор, и просто не подозираш, че биха били приложими и за теб. Но дори и такъв, пак си има малките бягства и поетика.

Действието тече през очите на Дина. Погледът е свеж, плавно-поетичен, но излишно подробен на места. Хубавото е, че ароматите на ястията гъделичкат на живо апетита, а пустинния прахоляк на Ханаан се затъква в ноздрите. Но много от детайлите от описанието на моменти задушават. Първата половина на книгата е излишно протяжна, а втората - недостатъчно развита, с куп подскоци през времето. Има само един симпатичен мъжки персонаж, който на всичкото отгоре е египтянин, на фона на цялото старозаветно войнство. Чак пък толкова нито един да не имал капка разбиране към другите или проста човечност? Вярно, че едно е да си пастир с труден живот из пустинна земя и египтянин в плодородната делта на Нил с нейната цивилизация. И все пак нито един? Даже старозаветният Йосиф, синът на Яков, продаден в робство в Египет от собствените си братя се мярка в страшно малка част от действието, и не е особено благонамерен към майките и сестра си.

Хареса ми скептичният, критичен, историчен и човечен поглед към епоха и герои.

⭐️3,5 звезди⭐️

П. П. Реших да потърся друг библейски сюжет, и изтръпнах. Списъците тук предлагат някакви американски автори, а коментарите на религиозните американски читатели ми докараха тръпки по гърба… Не са добре, хич не са добре - силата на молитвата, как Бог ползва всеки за свои цели, брррр, бррр, брр.

The Red Tent is (very) loosely based on the story of Dinah in Genesis, and it is a book that is very easy to read. Dinah's tale is one that deserves fleshing out; in the Bible it is an interesting though undeveloped and uncertain chronicle. The author does a fairly decent job of developing her female characters, but her male characters are largely flat, stereotypical, and unnecessarily negative.

In the Bible, the characters of Jacob and Joseph are more well-rounded; they are humans with both faults and virtues, moments of greatness and of pettiness. In Diamant’s novel, we largely see only one side to these men--the downside. We never get any sense that they are worth caring about, that there is any emotion within in them that we, as readers, can relate to. The narrator states that Jacob was devastated by Joseph's reported death, but we have no reason to believe it, since the author has neither developed nor depicted any love or affection between them. Although Diamant seems to be developing something interesting in the nature of Judah, she quickly drops the matter.

The author unnecessarily, I believe, alters some segments of the Biblical narrative. She even suggests that the significant, divine naming of Israel (a true milestone in the Jewish story) was nothing more than Jacob's cowardly choice to change his name so as not to be associated with the slaughter in Schechem. When Rachel steals her father's household idol in the novel, Jacob seems both to know and yet not to care (at least for a long time). In the Bible, however, he thinks no one among him has taken it, and he basically says, "If anyone took it, let him die," in effect unknowingly cursing his beloved wife, who does die later in childbirth. Had Diamant not altered this point, it might have made for some wonderful pathos in the novel.

Despite being written by a Jewish author, The Red Tent is in many ways an expression of a growingly popular modern neo-paganism, which incorporates the myth of the universal, goddess/Mother, feminist ideology, and a sort of body/self worship. I don't complain that Anita Diamant made some of the characters pagan; it is clear from the Bible that many early pre Israelites were, and of course, the Israelites themselves were always sliding back to idol worship. But in The Red Tent, Jacob appears to be the only monotheist in the world (and even his monotheism is on shaky grounds). What is more, polytheism almost seems to be portrayed as a healthy, feminine alternative to the somewhat deranged patriarchal religion of Jacob's fathers (an idea that does not comport too well with the actual historical treatment of women in cultures that embrace polytheism and goddess worship).