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I've been hearing from so many about how The Red Tent by Anita Diamant was such a beautiful read (in fact upon checking out the book at my local library, the librarian didn't hesitate to say how to book was a recommended read). While it would have been easy to have the book come up short of my expectations, the book did end up being a well-written, engaging story about an interesting woman whose name is familiar to so many and yet never truly well-known.
I really enjoyed Diamant’s beautiful and lyrical narrative. To me, it carried that certain tone that I can imagine a woman uses to tell a tale of family, love, loss and survival that is difficult to speak of but is important to tell so that others may understand her as a whole person. The narrative carried with it a soft tone, highlighting the focus on the women and the secret world they inhabit full of their own rituals and customs, without diminishing the strength and fortitude of these women. Actually, it just serves to emphasize it even more. Diamant managed to combine distinct details within the beautiful storytelling without letting the pace lag and become stuck. It made for a very easy and engrossing read.
I appreciated how Diamant went beyond what was known about Dinah (i.e. being raped by Shechem). She went beyond and went on to expand on her as a person which includes her family and the rituals and customs of her people and specifically the women. While there are uncertainties regarding the accuracy of the historical details in the story (I for one do not know how accurate they are; I’m no expert although there are discussions abound regarding the “historical integrity” of the book), it is hard to deny that Diamant didn’t create a story that carried with it a strong sense of the plausible in her portrayals of life in Dinah’s time. In any event, the accuracy took a back seat to the compelling nature of the story that is being told. At its heart, it is the story of family bonds especially that between a mother and daughter; it is a story of betrayal and how grief can stay and linger with you until you feel as if you yourself had died; it is a story of forgiveness and learning to live again; it is about how love has no end and you inevitably live on through those that have loved and been touched by you. If you are one who takes “historical integrity” very seriously, you may have some qualms upon reading this book.
Regardless, the emotional impact of Dinah’s story trumps the historical accuracy the book may or may not have. While I do appreciate when an author makes the effort to truly be accurate in his/her books, the story itself takes precedent when all is said and done. The Red Tent had a compelling story that grabbed my attention from beginning to end. Diamant created a great story to attach to a woman that isn’t very well known, one whose notoriety comes from a small passage in the book of Genesis and is associated with rape (which in itself has been debated whether it did/did not happen). I have joined countless others, including the librarian from my local library, in declaring this book to be a highly recommended read.
I really enjoyed Diamant’s beautiful and lyrical narrative. To me, it carried that certain tone that I can imagine a woman uses to tell a tale of family, love, loss and survival that is difficult to speak of but is important to tell so that others may understand her as a whole person. The narrative carried with it a soft tone, highlighting the focus on the women and the secret world they inhabit full of their own rituals and customs, without diminishing the strength and fortitude of these women. Actually, it just serves to emphasize it even more. Diamant managed to combine distinct details within the beautiful storytelling without letting the pace lag and become stuck. It made for a very easy and engrossing read.
I appreciated how Diamant went beyond what was known about Dinah (i.e. being raped by Shechem). She went beyond and went on to expand on her as a person which includes her family and the rituals and customs of her people and specifically the women. While there are uncertainties regarding the accuracy of the historical details in the story (I for one do not know how accurate they are; I’m no expert although there are discussions abound regarding the “historical integrity” of the book), it is hard to deny that Diamant didn’t create a story that carried with it a strong sense of the plausible in her portrayals of life in Dinah’s time. In any event, the accuracy took a back seat to the compelling nature of the story that is being told. At its heart, it is the story of family bonds especially that between a mother and daughter; it is a story of betrayal and how grief can stay and linger with you until you feel as if you yourself had died; it is a story of forgiveness and learning to live again; it is about how love has no end and you inevitably live on through those that have loved and been touched by you. If you are one who takes “historical integrity” very seriously, you may have some qualms upon reading this book.
Regardless, the emotional impact of Dinah’s story trumps the historical accuracy the book may or may not have. While I do appreciate when an author makes the effort to truly be accurate in his/her books, the story itself takes precedent when all is said and done. The Red Tent had a compelling story that grabbed my attention from beginning to end. Diamant created a great story to attach to a woman that isn’t very well known, one whose notoriety comes from a small passage in the book of Genesis and is associated with rape (which in itself has been debated whether it did/did not happen). I have joined countless others, including the librarian from my local library, in declaring this book to be a highly recommended read.
