The Red Tent - 20th Anniversary Edition

ByAnita Diamant

Release Date: 2010-04-01
Genre: Fiction & Literature

Score: 4.5

4.5

From 862 Ratings

Description

In this modern classic interpretation of the biblical story of Dinah, Anita Diamant imagines the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood--the world of The Red Tent, a New York Times bestseller and the basis of the A&E/Lifetime mini-series.

Twentieth Anniversary Edition

In the Bible, Dinah's life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis that tell of her father, Jacob, and his twelve sons.

The Red Tent begins with the story of the mothers--Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah--the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that sustain her through childhood, 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 and the valuable achievement of presenting a new view of biblical women's lives.

Reviews

Gorgeous
5
By lillinares
There’s something about stories retold from a woman’s perspective that change everything.
Not Christian fiction
1
By Akinlaw20
I thought that because this was based on someone real from the Bible, the story would be more in tune with scripture. I realize this is fiction but it is not Christian fiction. The majority of the book is about the worship of other gods. Just wasn’t for me.
What a surprise
3
By Gamelover34556
I didn’t think I would love this book as much as I did. Dinah is an amazing woman and put up with so much in her lifetime. I highly recommend this
Read this for a class. It’s still one of my favorites.
5
By Devilonurback
I read this book as part of a women’s and gender studies course. I’ve recommended it to many people since. One of my favorites!
End was a bit rushed.
4
By Siobhan Rainey
The latter years of her life seemed a bit rushed, but a powerful read anyhow.
Fantastic Retelling
5
By Purpah Jesus
I read this book for a Judaic literature class and it was great. I don’t normally choose to read books this big in one sitting but I had to finish it for a test, and the only downside was how tired I was. It’s very rare that a story hooks me in to finish a book in one night. Definitely recommend no matter if you are religious or not, or what gender you identify with. Dinah is one tough woman in my opinion.
Connecting Women to God, Heaven and Earth
5
By Bubbimimi5
I can't say enough about this book. It has a wonderful perspective and allows me the opportunity to feel more of a connection to the biblical stories I have heard and read throughout my years. This was shared with me by my daughter and will be passed to my nieces, sisters and friends. Thank you, Anita Diamant, for your time writing and sharing this amazing novel!
Extraordinary
5
By SDWill
Twenty years on this story still resonates with a power few novels possess. I discovered about a quarter way through that by reading it slower, more purposefully - like poetry - that it deepened; like moving from a stream to the ocean. The author has been truly touched by greatness with this story. I want to tell her: THANK YOU!
False story from an imagination
1
By Lzhnyk
The author uses a biblical character Dinah to weave distasteful false stories. Just a story that had the mark of biblical Dinah but the author definitely missed of using Dinah's true story to satisfy a reader. Dinah's entire family were described (character wise) as having dark and evil hearts. Lots of hatred too. The author relied on outer appearance and sexual pleasures. The first 200 pages were all over the place. For example the author portrays Joseph as being prideful, arrogant, with a temper and a possible homosexual with the King and possibly fathered a daughter with the Queen. Another example Dinah wasn't raped but actually wanted sex.
Captivating
5
By justaBrooklynGirl
The story of The Red Tent takes you on a journey of a life. A delightful story full of sights, smells, trials and tribulations of a time that we can only imagine. I was fully absorbed and emotionally charged. Loved this book!