The Red Tent - Anita Diamant

The Red Tent is a beautifully written novel about Dinah, the daughter of the Biblical Patriarch Jacob. There is only a brief mention of Dinah in the Bible, a traumatic story of rape and vengeance but Anita Diamant has taken this and filled in the gaps. She has carefully woven silk into the rough wool that is the biblical story and created a rich luxurious tapestry of the life of the women. In the prologue Dinah addresses us - the women of today: "And now you come to me - women with hand and feet as soft as a queen's, with more cooking pots than you need, so safe in childbed and so free with your tongues. You come hungry for the story that was lost. ...  Read the complete review

Every so often you read a book that takes you out of yourself to such an extent that you literally lose all sense of your surroundings. You can be sitting on a bus, or sunbathing by a crowded hotel pool, with tears running down your face, occasionally punching your fist in the air in triumph for characters that have completely stolen your soul. This is how 'The Red Tent' affected me. I was moved, staggered and overwhelmed by the strength of the world Anita Diamant introduced me to, the world of the Old Testament, the familiar characters of Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, and the women. Oh yes, the women. Sidelined and silenced up to this point, they have ...  Read the complete review

"Yes, but what of the women?" Over the centuries, this plea has been uttered by countless women who have sought a reflection of themselves in the sacred texts of Judaism and Christianity. Because these texts were almost universally written, interpreted, and canonized by men, little of the spiritual history of women was preserved. Still, despite patriarchal control, hints of the power and wisdom of women survived: The Mosaic tradition that created the Torah left us with the astonishing portrait of the prophetess Devorah (meaning "Oracle"), who served as the political and religious leader of her people. And whereas the misogynistic Paul of ...  Read the complete review

The Red Tent is an amazing work of historical fiction by Anita Diamont. It follows the life of Dinah, the sister of Joseph (of technicolor dreamcoat fame). The book can be largely divided into 3 stages, Dinah's life as a child, Dinah's life in the palace, and Dinah as an independent adult. By far the longest and most detailed of these sections is Dinah's life as a child. Her life is amongst the women in the camp, and I found the historical detail provided about how women lived in these times absolutely fascinating. Dinah is daughter to the first of Jacob's wives, and so is the true sister of Joseph. The title 'The Red Tent' comes from the name of the tent the women go to ...  Read the complete review