Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2864 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-08
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Anita Diamant's The Red Tent is an epic celebration of womanhood, written for women everywhere, regardless of their status, creed or colour. It is the story of a woman whose life was blessed by great love and torn by tragedy, of the lessons she learned through her own experiences and those of the women, and men, whose lives she touched. Diamant has chosen as her leading lady a woman whose name alone conjures up echoes of mystery, passion and betrayal. The Red Tent is the fictional tale of Dinah, whose life, like the majority of women in the Old Testament, merits only a passing mention. It is the men in Dinah¹s life that history has remembered: her famous father Jacob, his dozen sons and especially her brother, Joseph and his technicolour dreamcoat. Not religious? Don' t worry, this biblical character and the story Anita Diamant has woven from the merest hints, will appeal to all.

Strangely, even though Dinah lived her life several thousand years ago in a culture far removed from almost all of the women who will read this book, her story is as relevant and fresh as any written in recent years. This novel is as compelling for its female take on the grand themes that transcend time--birth, death, love, hate, betrayal and forgiveness­-as it is for its meticulously researched and hugely fascinating picture of everyday life as an early Jewish woman. The book's title refers to the tent where the women retired each month to pass their menstruation, and the descriptions of their time spent celebrating this fundamental rite of womanhood, and other daily customs make this a most original and inspiring book. In an age when gender and family traditions are becoming more and more diluted, The Red Tent honours women and their many and varied roles in life. Carey Green

Amazon.co.uk Review
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 that 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

Synopsis
Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her fate is merely hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the verses of the "Book of Genesis" that recount the life of Jacob and his infamous dozen sons. The "Red Tent" is an extraordinary and engrossing tale of ancient womanhood and family honour. Told in Dinah's voice, it opens with the story of her mothers - the four wives of Jacob - each of whom embodies unique feminine traits, and concludes with Dinah's own startling and unforgettable story of betrayal, grief and love. Deeply affecting and intimate, "The Red Tent" combines outstandingly rich storytelling with an original insight into women's society in a fascinating period of early history and such is its warmth and candour, it is guaranteed to win the hearts and minds of women across the world. 'If you don't read it you'll be missing out' - Eve. 'I genuinely fell into this rich and colourful world and Dinah and Leah have stayed with me as ancestors and sisters brought to life by Anita Diamant's imaginative novel' - "Maureen Lipman".

Customer Reviews

The Red Tent
I wonderful story that made me cry in a cafe full of people. A wonderful take on a time we rarely hear of through a woman's voice which reveals the extent of the role of women in creating if not taking part in momentous points in history.
I would recommend this book to anyone with an in women's history, midwifery, or just in search of a good read!

Absolutely dreadful earnest drivel
I read this book for my book club; would never have read it otherwise. I knew as soon as I saw the title that The Red Tent would refer to something menstrual, and sure enough, it's where the women gather for their periods, which, mysteriously, they all seem to have at the same time and always on the full moon. I mean, I know women are supposed to have their periods in sync if they live together, but a whole tribe of women?? God, this book was so boring. Endless details of childbirth, menstrual cycles, tedious 'womanly' issues (and I am writing this as a woman). The characters are all two dimensional. The writing is cliched and horribly earnest. I hate this sort of self-consciously 'empowered female' writing, in which women's characters are reduced to their menstrual cycles and hormones. I just cannot see why anyone would give it any stars let alone five stars. I have been forced to give it one star because of the Amazon system, but really it deserves no stars at all. Read the Old Testament instead - the language is so much better and the stories so much more powerful. (And I'm not even a Christian).

pleasantly surprised
Didn't think I would enjoy an historical novel particularly one with a religious background but it was recommended by a friend and I promised to read it. I'm so glad I kept that promise, this was a wonderful story and one I could connect with regardless of the era, well written and engaging. Girly but not fluffy. One to pass on to your friends.