I've had this book sitting on my bookshelf for years. I bought it from the bargain priced bin at a local bookstore. At this point, I didn't really know what the story was about but the cover was captivating and the reviews made it seem worth reading. Plus, I loved buying all.the.books at the time so I brought the book home and gave it a new home on the shelf.

Overall, I really enjoyed the first person narrative. The Red Tent was told by Dinah, and she shared her story and the stories of those around her. I enjoyed the story from a female perspective. It was a story of love, friendship, coming to womanhood, forgiveness, identity, loss and survival. I didn't connect with Dinah as much as I did with Leah and Rachel. I enjoyed reading about the challenges and triumphs of being a midwife in those days.

The men were presented in a one-dimension, shallow manner, and the Bible [from what parts I have read] portrayed the men with more compassion, etc. For me personally, this isn't a deal breaker because from what I understand, the woman spent most of their time together so how would they be able to share many intimate details and experiences from a mans perspective? I will say this.. when Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah did spend time with Jacob/their sons, I did feel like the mens/boys thoughts and ideas WERE SHALLOW and LACKING DEPTH ... so I do agree with many of the critics on this piece. I finished the book feeling a lack of connection, empathy/sympathy for the men of the story because of the way their side of the story was handled.

The overall details and descriptions of what went down in the actual "Red Tent" were very interesting. I can not speak to historical accuracy on how much of it was an accurate portrayal. I will say that as I become older, my instinct has been to embrace my womanhood and not view it as a monthly annoyance. I have begun to practice relaxing more and taking it easier during this time, just as the woman did in The Red Tent. I've also read from many, many sources about the new/full moon cycles. How about that!

I can't say if it was the midnight hour, the ending, or nearing my time of the month, but when I got to this quote, the floodgates opened and I couldn't stop crying. I was an emotional wreck and I just put the book down and felt so much love as I looked at my son sleeping next to me, and gave thanks for being alive, gave thanks for being blessed to become a mother, and finally prayed for the chance to welcome another soul into existence after 1.5 years of trying unsuccessfully.

n  “Egypt loved the lotus because it never dies. It is the same for people who are loved. Thus can something as insignificant as a name-two syllables, one high, one sweet- summon up the innumerable smiles, tears, sighs and dreams of a human life.”n

This is exactly the type of book that leads me down my "rabbit hole" of adventures. I have inherited several copies of the Bible from relatives, so I'm going to go back and read the stories again from the Bible since The Red Tent is fresh in my mind. I'd like to learn the differences, and hopefully some similarities between the two.

A little disclaimer. I was raised Catholic however I have only read pieces of the Bible, and I can only recall the overall summary of some of the major figures. My thoughts and feelings on The Red Tent are based on my overall interest in Historical Fiction and the time period, and my previous knowledge base of these figures in the Bible.

An interesting read.

I struggled to get into this, but once I did (when Dinah's adult life began) it was much better and easily held my attention.

This is a historical fiction that takes place in biblical times. I don't think I've ever read anything like this before. Some parts were fascinating. Some were just odd. The story of Dinah was one I probably will not forget.

Overall, I'm glad to have read this book. I liked it but didn't love it. I would give 2 stars for the first half and 4 stars for the second half, so I will settle on 3 stars.

If you like historical fiction, give this a try.

One of my favorite books. After I read it, I began taking "Red Tent Days." I live in a household of men (one husband, three sons), but one day a month I go to my room and drink tea and read and tune out the testosterone.

The red tent is the place where women gathered during their cycles of birthing, menses, and even illness. Like the conversations and mysteries held within this feminine tent, this sweeping piece of fiction offers an insider's look at the daily life of a biblical sorority of mothers and wives and their one and only daughter, Dinah. Told in the voice of Jacob's daughter Dinah (who only received a glimpse of recognition in the Book of Genesis), we are privy to the fascinating feminine characters who bled within the red tent. In a confiding and poetic voice, Dinah whispers stories of her four mothers, Rachel, Leah, Zilpah, and Bilhah--all wives to Jacob, and each one embodying unique feminine traits. As she reveals these sensual and emotionally charged stories we learn of birthing miracles, slaves, artisans, household gods, and sisterhood secrets. Eventually Dinah delves into her own saga of betrayals, grief, and a call to midwifery.
"Like any sisters who live together and share a husband, my mother and aunties spun a sticky web of loyalties and grudges," Anita Diamant writes in the voice of Dinah. "They traded secrets like bracelets, and these were handed down to me the only surviving girl. They told me things I was too young to hear. They held my face between their hands and made me swear to remember." Remembering women's earthy stories and passionate history is indeed the theme of this magnificent book. In fact, it's been said that The Red Tent is what the Bible might have been had it been written by God's daughters, instead of her sons. --Gail Hudson

I was hoping to like this book. I thought it would flesh out more possibilities in the story in interesting ways. I was disappointed. Instead of reading about pastoral Middle Eastern women of 1700 B.C., I found myself reading about liberal and enlightened 20th-century Western women, who just happen to be herding sheep in 1700 B.C. The men, of course, are timeless two-dimensional caricatures of ape-like males who molest children, have sex with the sheep in the fields every night, lead poorly, stink horribly and eat everything. (Except for the one hero-man in each generation who looks gorgeous, treats women like equals, falls head-over-heels in love, and is amazing in bed the first time, and every time) The book is heavy-handed from beginning to end, making sure you know exactly how the author feels about male-female relationships and god-worship and not letting go at any point. By the time the women get together to rape the 12-year-old girl with a goddess statue in a disturbing coming-of-age ceremony (her best friend had earlier been banished from the community for not taking part in the ceremony) and it is treated as a “beautiful moment”, I’d had more than enough.

I always finish books. At the very least, I figure that I have to do the book justice in a negative review, so I read every word until the bitter end. But I had to speed-read this book after page 200, something I probably do no more than once every 100 books I read. It was just that agonizing. I’m usually considered a liberal and even a feminist, but this book was so heavy-handed it became unbearable, and the lack of historical accuracy in favor of preaching 20th century values took away the one thing that could have made it interesting. If you really really like feminism, Goddess-worship, and the mocking of men and want to see those three things shoehorned into every chapter of your book, then this is a great read for you. Otherwise, I really, really wouldn’t recommend it.

n  Are you ready to go into the Red Tent?n


n  JACOB’S DINASTY: THE REALITY SHOWn

n  We have been lost to each other for so long. My name means nothing to you. My memory is dust. This is not your fault, or mine. The chain connecting mother to daughter was broken and the word passed to the keeping of men, who had no way of knowing.n

Disfunctional family falls short to describe Jacob’s household.

Nowadays, it would be easily a high-rating TV reality show!

Jacob, a weak man put into the stressing place of being a patriarch of his race, manipulated by his scheming mother and later by his insidious sons.

Leah, mostly a good woman BUT willingly played her role in a mean scheme to marry her sister’s boyfriend.

Zilpah and Bilhah, with a image of “not killing a fly” but they make surgical comments with the sharp edge of a knife, whenever they can.

Simeon and Levi, a couple of homicidal psychos, which they don’t hesitate to kill every single man in a settlement when those men were even unable to defend themselves or even selling one of their own brothers to slave traders.

Rebekah, a mother who doesn’t hesitate to favor a son of hers over the other or throwing out a granddaughter from her tribe.

Good thing that God already did a flood to rid of all the bad people! Geez!


n  THE FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME FOR DINAHn

n  If you want to understand any woman you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully. Stories about food show a strong connection. Wistful silences demonstrate unfinished business. The more a daughter knows about the details of her mother's life - without flinching or whining - the stronger the daughter.n

It’s odd that in many descriptions about the book, The Red Tent, it’s mentioned that one of the intentions is to denote a different scenario for the “rape” of Dinah, and while obviously I am not a Bible Scholar, one thing that I did was to read what my Bible says about the brief mention of Dinah on it. And as I understood, indeed Dinah was a fleeting line in the middle of the huge recollection of stories in the Bible, but it was clear (at least to me) that she wasn’t raped, and clearly her brothers were a bunch of psychos (with the exception of Joseph, of course).

Besides, Dinah's brothers were clearly psychos but also men of short vision, since if they were so greedy, they could take the "rape" of Dinah into their own economical benefit, and therefore, instead of asking a massive circumcision, they could ask for better lands, with water's supply and a real potential to farm and to pasture, so they could gain something tangible out of their "ruined honor".

What they gained killing every single man in that fortress? Nothing!

Psychos and stupid! Very bad combination!

Clearly, there are several versions of the Bible and all of them are subject to translations and interpretations. My bible is the MacArthur Study Bible, basically since I wanted to have a bible with footnotes and additional info to give a deeper understanding about what’s shown in the Bible.

So, I don’t discard the scenario that my Bible’s version isn’t as many others. But taking is account that the Bible (any version) has been subjected to editions, censorships, exclusions, translations, etc... so who can say what really happened?

It’s amazing the vision of Anita Diamant, the author, of choosing Dinah, an ephemera, easy-to-forget Biblical character and to develop such rich and complex story around her, to expand her original Bible’s fifteen minutes of fame to her deserved epic legend about her.

Because it’s really unfair to see how the twelve male offspring of Jacob became nothing less than THE patriarchs of the Twelve Tribes of Israel...

...and Dinah? Oh, just the daughter who was raped, having barely a paragraph and disappears from Bible’s records.

When you think about Dinah’s role in the middle of Jacob’s direct offspring, it’s clearly odd that the Bible didn’t give her a better position, since she was the only girl between several boys, it was obvious that if God would think in somebody as special in that generation, it has to be Dinah and not the boys.

But again, it’s no shock that the Bible (or rather the people who manipulated it) gives importance (in the most cases) to men’s stories only and if a woman was ever mentioned, she must be guilty of something and/or playing a discreditable line of work.

It’s amazing that nowadays there are still women in the Catholic’s faith (and to be clear, I am in this religion, but I am open minded and I like to question stuff) since it’s unfair that a woman who goes into the service of God, her highest chance to climb in Catholic Church’s chain of command is to be a Mother Superior, that it’s barely one upper step from being a Nun, BUT a man? Pftt! He can be potentially the Pope!

Certainly one of the best things of Anita Diamant’s approach to Dinah’s story is that while she is clearly a likeable character, she isn’t perfect, with or without justifications, she has a dark side in her soul... but don’t we all? And the story isn’t a blind feminist propaganda or a men-hating pamphlet, since if you are objective in your reading experience, you will find in the book, as many sins made by women as by men, but also great women as great men... as in real life.

And at last...

...Dinah won’t be a forgotten Biblical paragraph anymore!

Now, not only women but also men will be able to get inside of the Red Tent, to learn Dinah’s story, to keep her legacy, to celebrate her life, and to share it with others.

My frustration with this book stemmed primarily from the depiction of the various characters. I liked the writing, I liked the way Diamant addresses the contemporary socio-cultural issues, and I thought the characterization was quite vivid--I just didn't agree with the way the characters were presented. Yes, the people in the Bible were real people with varied flaws and gifts, but I didn't like the portrayal of so many of them as petty and conniving. And I especially didn't like the sexual depictions in this text. While I fully recognize that there's going to be some of that in any story about a man with four wives and 13 children, I really didn't like the way it was handled or presented--it was much more about lust than about love or following the Lord's commandments.

I think it's a stunningly powerful evocation of the largely missing womens' perspective in the biblical saga. It lays bare the barbarity of patriarchal morality.

This was a very compelling read, and I don't have enough words to describe how beautiful the writing is. Anita Diamant wove a very intricate and poignant story that captivated me, and I think I'll be moonstruck for a while!

The "Red Tent" follows the life of Jacob's daughter, Dinah, who's a minor character in the Book of Genesis. Diamant pretty much expanded Dinah's story and it's told from her POV. As her story unfolds, you will get to witness the lives of her mothers: Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah, as well.
For a woman in the times of Genesis, life can be pretty scary. Back then, women had very little power. Their main function in society was to get hitched and produce heirs for their husband. The red tent is the one place where these women have their own world and their own power. You really won't get to see the red tent in the second half of the book, because Dinah is no longer with her mothers. Nevertheless, the memory of the red tent lingers throughout the book. Dinah constantly looks back at the red tent with nostalgia and longing, and so did I.

I don't want to expound on the plot further and trust me, you will be better off reading it. "The Red Tent" is like an acknowledgement for all the untold stories, for the forgotten characters, and for the struggles deemed unnecessary. Most of us do not experience great glories and victories in life, rather, most of us gather our joys and small pleasures where and when we can-- and the rest of the time, we do what is necessary to survive. Dinah, does no less and does so with honor. Even minor characters have a story worth telling-- reminding us of the internal, silent, and unsung glory that can occur inside each of us as we live our lives as best we can.

It was a real struggle to finish this one. I just couldn't get into this one at all. A major disappointment.

This book is an imagined life of an Old Testament female protagonist. I appreciated its embodied feminism and loved considering the rituals of the red tent. Rarely is a book so pro-female. The interesting story takes the main character from childhood to the end of her life, and it takes the reader on a long journey through the Middle East of its time.

However, I never actually felt “right there.” I enjoyed it, but not with a lot of enthusiasm—hence, the three star rating. I was more like a bystander watching the story unfold.

Maybe the format hindered my enjoyment and I should have read a hard copy of this one. There are times when one’s imagination is better than hearing a voice tell the story. I listened to the Audible version of the book. Although the narrator might have been a fine choice for a contemporary novel, she just sounded a little too chipper, too modern and too American for the narrative to seem really authentic. The right format, or at least a different and more sensitive narration, might have pushed this to four stars.

This is the second book I have read this year which have midwives and herbalists as characters, the other book being Lady Tan’s Circle of Ladies. They both take place many centuries ago, although in two different cultures. They would make a good paired reading.

(3.5/5 stars)
Really enjoyed most of this book, sometimes it would just get boring of the same vibe but it was still great.

Historical fiction of the Bible story of Jacob and his wives Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah and their children and their children.

It has a loooooooot to do with getting pregnant, marriage, birthing, taking care of children.

The Red Tent is where the women sit on hay and let their periods out together. It's a time that they cherish in solitude together and embrace each others company.

Sometimes verrrry gruesome, like a horror movie.

Piercing, revealing, and moving. Dinah's narration of the women's culture in Canaan is eye opening. This novel has stuck with me for years and I needed to have the women back in my heart and mind again. -Sara S.

Terrific historical fiction. -Sky L.