The red tent ebook

Remember that Leah gave to Dinah via Judah Rachael's lapis ring. Furthermore, it was not only Dinah but also Benia who understood the significance of this act. Many readers disparage Diamant's characterizations of the men in the novel. Some say the men characters are "flat". I think this is wrong because she gives them insight and tenderness too. Men and women do see things differently. We do act differently, but that is not to say one is weaker or less capable or less worthy than the other.

I also loved how different characters were allowed to be different. From birth people are just plain different. What a bore if we were all the same! I loved the book because it taught me a bit about biblical times and it gave me a lot to ponder. I want to read more about biblical times and customs.

That is what a good book will do. View all 20 comments. Mar 12, Heather rated it it was ok. While I enjoyed the parts about midwifery and wish that a place like the Red Tent really did exist, I think that the author got the story all wrong.

She turned all the men in the book, including men like Jacob and Joseph, into sex crazed, egotistical, superstitious bigots. In some part she didn't even try to be historically accurate with what the bible says.

For example, she says that Joseph and Potifar While I enjoyed the parts about midwifery and wish that a place like the Red Tent really did exist, I think that the author got the story all wrong. For example, she says that Joseph and Potifar's wife were lovers for a long time till he got caught, when in the bible it clearly says that Joseph ran away!

Also, much of her focus is on Goddess worship, which many of the people would have practiced in that time. But I think it does a great injustice to Jacob to say that he wouldn't have taught his wives about Jehovah, and a greater injustice to think that Rachel and Leah would have continued to worship idols even after they had learned about the one true God.

Anyway, while I didn't like the author's take on the story I did really love idea of the Red Tent and the birth stories. It made me wish that we had more rituals in our culture that celebrated a woman's coming of age. I LOVED the way a girl was initiated into womanhood when she got her period, and how bleeding each month and being pregnant were looked upon as a great privilege rather than an embarrassment and hassle.

It is sad how we as women don't treat our bodies as the amazing gifts that they are. View all 8 comments. I did enjoy the book, I know that. View all 4 comments. Mar 01, Erin rated it really liked it Shelves: books-i-own. What of me? Did he mention me? Did he repent of what he did to me?

He said nothing of you. Dinah is forgotten in the house of Jacob. Like any good reader that has read a book years before a screen version and Goodread appears, I wanted to see how my memory has held up and if this book still has that "wow" factor that I recall.

Although I still would consider this bib What of me? Although I still would consider this biblical fiction one of my favorites, I have to be true to my profile criteria and re-adjust a 5 star to the 4 star it deserves.

Translation: While it won't be placed in my casket, I definitely would still recommend to other readers. We have been lost to each other for so long. That is why I became a footnote, my story a brief detour between the well known history of my father, Jacob, and the celebrated chronicle of Joseph, my brother. On those rare occasions when I was remembered, it was as a victim. Near the beginning of your holy book, there is a passage that seems to say I was raped and continues with the bloody tale of how my honor was avenged.

But what happened to Dinah? Well, that was where I do notice the second time The storyline really accelerated, but still I felt satisfied with the ending. As per the series, well it kept the core, added a few dramatic moments and didn't add quite so much genealogy of Jacob's family.

View all 17 comments. Jun 07, Kelly and the Book Boar rated it it was ok Shelves: book-clubby , cluck-cluck-mothafucka , read-it-to-win-a-major-award , the-great-white-hype , daddy-issues , read-in , everyone-loved-it-but-me , crunken-love , or-just-watch-the-movie , own-it-spent-my-food-money-on-it. Being a not-so-religious type of gal, I actively avoided it knowing it would most likely not be my cuppa, as well as to keep the peace. It confirms the theory that if you put a group of females together long enough, they will all surf the crimson wave at the same time each month.

It also is a great example of how we should maintain the sanctity of marriage between and a man and a woman FOUR women. Feel free to worship false idols as well. I know, I know, I know. Save your breath. The one thing this book did was prove that all the religious zealots are just as fucking nutty as I always thought they were.

Try reading more than Leviticus before becoming morally outraged. If you like world building, this is a winner. Like slicing the throats of every man in an entire city. Because, what kind of flatbread they had for dinner is definitely more important than genocide.

Book 3 in my quest for new free crap. Go me! View all 42 comments. Jul 13, Vanessa rated it it was ok. I had to read "The Red Tent" for a book club I was in a few years ago.

I agree with an earlier post that decribes it as chick-lit masquerading as historical fiction. It also seemed to be two different books - one set in the desert with Jacob, biblical super-stud, and his wives; and the other one set in ancient Egypt.

There were all sorts of things that irritated me about this book, including: 1. Descriptions like how everyone loves Rachel because she smells like water. What kind of water - pond water? Bilgewater - like this book? The ritual stuff with the onset of menstruation - perhaps my memory is playing tricks with me, but I seem to recall a weird segment that sounded like some Tantric-drumming-circle workshop in the mountains that a co-worker described to me years ago, which included a dildo carved out of stone the bit in the book, not the drumming circle the co-worker attended.

If this segment was historically accurate, well then all I can say is: "Them was the bad ol' days. The episiotomy scene. The latter portion of the book, where the main character Dinah? Overall, this book felt a bit like "Daughter of Fortune", set in some historial period where the women suffer, suffer, and suffer some more until the end, when tempered by their miserable experiences, they live happily ever after delivering babies or healing people with Chinese medicine.

View all 14 comments. Dec 06, Joe Krakovsky rated it did not like it Shelves: ancient , history-fiction , this-totally-sucked , never-again , losers.

I did not finish reading this book because on a personal level I found it too disgusting. It doesn't even deserve the 1 star rating, but being as the author seemed to have done a lot of research I will give her some credit for that. To use a phrase so much in vogue right now, I found it very offensive on various levels. To begin with, it seemed that the book centered around the menstrual period of women.

Yes, I know it is a fact of life, but come on, do you have to be so uncouth? I lose a lot of I did not finish reading this book because on a personal level I found it too disgusting. I lose a lot of respect for authors who feel that by writing about such basic human things that they are somehow being truthful and honest.

Can I deal with life? Sure, but that isn't the point. When I was in Basic Training in the Army we still had the old wooden barracks with the row of toilets with no privacy between them. In high school we had swimming in PE were we swam nude. However I'm not going to write about the guy who digs in his nose and eats snot!

On another level of disgust was the treatment of the men. Boy, if I wrote about women like that I would have militants threatening to burn down my house. But I guess double standards are ok if you are politically correct.

Probably the most offensive of all to me was the degrading portrayal of holy men of the Bible as being 'human' like you and me. Well, you know what? Not everybody is a pervert, just like not everybody is a murderer, or a thief. The story line was utter nonsense. Ignoring the atheist viewpoints for the moment, the holy men were different and that was what set them apart. If being a sinner like everybody else was ok, why were they chosen or singled out for blessings?

Because they were cool? Attacking or poking fun at the ancient prophets of several of the world's religions is never a good thing, especially in this day and age. View all 45 comments. Shelves: read-in , bookcrossing-books , almost-chick-lit. This book is my exception to the rule book. Generally I will be tying on my sneakers good and secure, and heading for the hills at great speed if anyone threatens recommends me with a tale of female bonding, sisterhood and lovey-dovey fuzziness.

At first glance I would have interpreted this as a sort of biblical version of the First Wives club or some other story where all the ladies band together in order to achieve some sense of self and self worth and to high five each other and sing songs This book is my exception to the rule book. At first glance I would have interpreted this as a sort of biblical version of the First Wives club or some other story where all the ladies band together in order to achieve some sense of self and self worth and to high five each other and sing songs and shout like Annie Lennox about how sisters are doing it for themselves.

This book however broke through my carefully constructed and partly naturally acquired barrier of cynicism, vitriol, bitterness and scoffing.

I even stopped squishing kittens and stealing candy from small children in order to sit down and read it. I've given it five stars and I mean it sincerely.

I don't know if it is the combination of female trials and tribulations, a reminder to treasure our mothers and to remember our past that made me love this, against my will, but something about this book broke the barrier and it has been on my shelf for a good ten years and it has been read at least three times since it arrived. The story, whilst loosely based on the biblical tale of Dinah and the formation of the tribe of Israel is liberally adapted to shape Diamant's requirements and woman's perspective if not a feminist one.

I'll overlook any potential biblical inaccuracies as I'm not exactly a staunch believer, what with archaeological excavations general disproving a tranche of the contents anyway. Apparently Dinah is mentioned only once in the bible.

This bit of information features in a number of reviews and has now become a proto fact in its own right although admittedly I am too lazy to open my much under-thumbed copy of the good book and check to see if this in fact true. Dinah is the only daughter of Leah, a child of Jacob, suckled by her mother aunts, Zilpah, Bilhah and Rachel. Her life is one of quiet anonymity amongst her male counterparts until she visits the city of Shechem and becomes the wife of Shalem.

A bloody feud ensues between the sons of Jacob and the men of Shechem and Dinah is robbed of happiness, status and eventually the son she carries as she flees to Egypt. The male characters are under developed, flattened out and distant; this is clearly something that a number of people picked up on, but isn't that how many of the contemporary female characters would have seen their menfolk during the Early Bronze Age in the Near East? Distant authority figures who visited their women's pallets for the procurement of pleasure and children and who visited the kitchens for sustenance.

These people were not engaging in erudite conversation or political banter. Women were possessions, men possessors. Because of this it might be assumed that women would have created their own tight knit and highly dependent society. This is a book about women and probably will mainly appeal to women- I'm not saying men can't or won't read it but rare is the gentleman who wants long descriptions of menstruation or child birth, unless of course he is a gynaecologist.

I think generally though this book made me think about my own relationships with other women. Do I take my mother for granted? How well do I know her story? What will my legacy be? And most importantly should I now wonder what my legacy as a woman will be or in the 21st century should I discount this and think only of my legacy and story as a person?

This is an epic tale based on the Biblical character Dinah and her life. I found the story very moving, and much credit goes to the author, Anita Diamant. I think she is a great storyteller, a la Barbara Kingsolver and John Irving. Although I was familiar with Dinah and what happened to her from having read her story in the Bible, Ms. Diamant's story is much richer and complex. Though I should add that some religious people, especially those who believe Bible to be literally true, may be offende This is an epic tale based on the Biblical character Dinah and her life.

Though I should add that some religious people, especially those who believe Bible to be literally true, may be offended and I can see them accusing Ms Diamant of distorting the "truth. I was surprised how much I was taken in by Dinah and felt emotionally connected to her, e,g. I think the credit goes to Ms. Diamant for developing her characters, especially, but not only, Dinah, in a manner that I totally found believable and it transported me from my world to that of Dinah.

Even more surprising to me was that I found myself being envious of the close, nurturing relationship that the women share in the book, especially when they are in the red tent birthing or menstruating. It's rather sad that men have nothing equivalent and what passes for "male bonding" is, in my opinion, quite pathetic and immature in comparison beers and football?

Gimme a break! And may be it's even sadder that, as far as I know, now there is nothing remotely like that for women either. There is a strong theme of Goddess worshipping and celebration of the female power in the story. Bottom line: this a story that very much appealed to me on an emotional and intellectual level.

Highly recommended! View 2 comments. Oct 07, Emily May rated it liked it Shelves: historical , feminism , I thought the first half of The Red Tent was very compelling. I liked the focus on the female relationships - a complex web of love, teamwork and jealousies - and enjoyed seeing the story behind the story we know. My favourite parts were near the beginning when we learn about Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah growing up and becoming Jacob's wives, and their subsequent forays into motherhood.

Unlike some readers, I had no problem with the female-centric feel to the novel. In fact, it seems like a fu I thought the first half of The Red Tent was very compelling.

In fact, it seems like a funny and strange criticism when considering that this book sets out to offer a female perspective on a story that pretty much ignored women for centuries. I think The Red Tent might not work for you so much if you're reading as a fan of the biblical story and don't want to explore perspectives that change the way we view certain characters. As a nonreligious reader, though, I really enjoyed it.

Well, that is, until Dinah moves to Egypt and things became The truth is that, for me, Dinah's character paled in comparison to all the different and interesting personalities I found in the four sisters. I really like first-person narratives that focus on other characters - everything from Wuthering Heights to Tiger Lily - because it offers an up-close account whilst also viewing a number of characters equally.

So I liked this book more when Dinah's narrative was not about her, but about her mothers. The second half grew boring and tiring, and I honestly struggled to finish. It's a shame because I really loved the earlier chapters.

View all 3 comments. Oct 29, K. Shelves: drama , religion , retelling. For me, this is a book that is hard not to like. Last month, I and some friends here in Goodreads agreed to read the Bible for 12 months.

Most of us are now on the seventh book, Judges and so far, my favorite is still Genesis. The reason is that there are just too many interesting events in it and so many unforgettable characters whose stories can be told and retold many times but we will not be tired hearing about them. One of these stories is that of Isaac and Sara who have two sons, Esau and J For me, this is a book that is hard not to like. One of these stories is that of Isaac and Sara who have two sons, Esau and Jacob.

Jacob steals the firstborn title from Esau with the help of Sara. Later Jacob meets Laban, the businessman. All of these become Jacob's wives giving him his 12 sons and only one daughter: Dinah. Diamant took interest on her name and thought of all that could happen to her. She did not change anything in the backdrop story.

She only extended and expanded what she thought could have been the untold story and she did it beautifully. It is an easy read. Something that you can do while in a busy Starbucks outlet listening to rich kids discussing their term papers and school projects. I finished the bulk of this book the other night while waiting for my daughter from her band practice.

This could have earned more stars from me had Diamant been more descriptive in her narration. I also felt that she put too much emphasis on her female characters.

All the male characters were delineated with secondary roles which are all flat and unfeeling. This made the rampaging and horrendous mass murder committed by Simon and Levi in the palace too unbelievable to get any sympathy from me for Dinah.

I thought that the life-long curse and her going back to the palace is too melodramatic that I felt like watching an corny movie hoping to get an Oscar nomination for an overacting aspiring actress.

Overall, I liked it. Not jumping up and down though. View all 13 comments. Nov 24, Matt rated it it was ok. Okay, so I knew before I read this book that it wasn't written for my demographic. I'm an adult male. This is a woman's book through and through. With that disclaimer in place, take what I'm about to say worth a grain of salt: I really didn't care for this book.

It tracks the life of a quaternary character in Genesis, Dinah, from before her birth to after her death. Diamant takes massive, bu Okay, so I knew before I read this book that it wasn't written for my demographic. Diamant takes massive, but necessary, liberties with the story. There simply isn't enough in the initial account to tell a bedtime story, let alone a novel. She expands Dinah's life into an ensign for the lives, loves, and losses of women everywhere. And if that sounds a little melodramatic, that's because the novel itself strikes that melodramatic tone.

Diamant writes in a beautiful voice, and develops stirring and evocative passages describing both the internal and external environs of Dinah's life. She immerses the reader in a very foreign culture and world, and does so without pandering or over-explaining the culture--all the while refraining from the obtuseness or clumsy colloquialism that is often found in this type of novel.

The major themes of the joy of menstruation and child birth, the origin of life in the shedding of blood, drench the pages of this novel if you'll excuse the pun.

As a man, I simply can't identify with this theme. But besides my ability to "sync my cycle," as it were, my biggest problem with this book lies in the story itself. Dinah's one or two verse mention in Genesis is so brief and so vague. Diamant's artistic license creates a story that is just not believable.

Dinah is like Forrest Gump; she's there for every major event, she meets all the important people, and it just seems all a little too convenient. Additionally, Diamant disregards the biblical narrative of the events actually described to such an extent that the very nature of those events is nearly unrecognizable. Diamant also makes mistakes in this novel: first she alternates between an extremely awkward 2nd person voice and a 3rd person voice. Secondly, the book, despite being crammed with drama after drama and event after event, was poorly paced.

Too much description of the unimportant things, not enough of the ones that affect the story. Overall, The Red Tent is not a book for me.

I can't identify with the themes of the book, and the shortcomings in the writing are substantial enough that I'm unable to bridge that gap. Feb 08, Manybooks rated it really liked it Shelves: favourites-read , book-reviews , historical-fiction , folklore-myth-religion.

Now perhaps I am being a bit hypocritical here, as I do in fact realise that I am more often than not rather majorly pedantic with regard to historical fiction depicting the truth or perhaps more to the point, showing and presenting as much of the truth, as much of historic reality as possible. But come on, considering that Anita Diamant's The Red Tent is primarily based on the Old Testament, one could and likely even should and with my apologies to those of you who actually do consider ALL o Now perhaps I am being a bit hypocritical here, as I do in fact realise that I am more often than not rather majorly pedantic with regard to historical fiction depicting the truth or perhaps more to the point, showing and presenting as much of the truth, as much of historic reality as possible.

But come on, considering that Anita Diamant's The Red Tent is primarily based on the Old Testament, one could and likely even should and with my apologies to those of you who actually do consider ALL of the Bible as somehow being the absolute truth point out that Ms.

Diamant is with The Red Tent actually and also portraying a story that was even in its original Biblical manifestations rather fantastical and at best probably much more fiction than non-fiction, namely the story of Jacob, his sons and his one daughter Dinah who is sadly hardly mentioned at all in the Old Testament stories concerning the former.

And like my GR friend Chrissie, for me as a reading woman, imagining and thinking about a custom like the concept and culture of a red tent , a special women-only place and space for Jacob's wives, concubines and daughters to celebrate their womanhood, their menstruation as a festival of the earth and yes, even in the patriarchal monotheistic household of Jacob, as a celebration of goddess, of female power, that is at least for me personally, an uplifting and strengthening reading experience.

But really and frankly, from where I stand, much of especially the Old Testament actually and often deliberately celebrates and even at times naivily seems to justify murder, mayhem and even genocide as being both acceptable and somehow God-ordained if it is perpetrated against those whom the Israelites consider as enemies and sorry, if that is not at best naive if not disgustingly sinful, I do not know what is.

And also, I furthermore do think that we are pretty darn fortunate to still live in a free generally secular country where reimagined Biblical tales such as The Red Tent are both accepted and permitted, because in a so-called theocracy, like for example, Saudi Arabia, Anita Diamant could have and likely would have been more than simply criticised for The Red Tent. And therefore let us hope and yes let us pray that this kind of religious and philosophical, democratic personal freedom remains and that so-called sacred texts will not suddenly be deemed as officially inappropriate for fiction purposes or for criticism.

For I do not think I am being all that needlessly alarmist here, as there have sadly been increasingly strident calls in especially the United States and Canada from the religiously ignorant and fanatic lunatic fringe, from the Taliban like and at its most fundamentalist very dangerous Religious Right to ban, censor, to not even permit the untouchable and supposedly "God-given" words of the Bible to be used for literature, for any kind of rewritten, retold pieces of work. Four stars and no, not yet five stars, as I have not in fact enjoyed the second part of The Red Tent quite as much as the first part, in other words, that Dinah's experiences in Egypt, while interesting and engaging, are not really as close to my heart and soul as the first part of the novel, as Anita Diamant's brilliant and oh so entrancing descriptions of Dinah's childhood experiences, although I am still going to be gladly placing The Red Tent on my favourites shelf.

I'll have to think about this I may go back and add another star, depending on what stays with me. I think if I wasn't reading this book through a Latter-day Saint lens, I would have given it four stars, because the prose is absolutely gorgeous. You know, the twelve sons of Jacob.

It is written by Anita Diamant, and does a wonderful job of giving motivation to all the things that happen from the ti I'll have to think about this It is written by Anita Diamant, and does a wonderful job of giving motivation to all the things that happen from the time Jacob meets Rachel through where Simeon she calls him Simon and Levi kill Dinah's husband.

She also does a beautiful, heart-tenderizing job of tying each of us as women to the concourse of womanhood from the beginning of time.

My friend gave me this book for Christmas. As I read about the ties of womanhood, I realize what she was thinking of as she gave me this book, for she and I, and she and my mother, and I and her mother are all tied together by many of the red strings that Ms Diamant speaks of. The reason I had to put off reading it for five months is that I've been teaching a class in Old Testament, and since it's been about fifteen years since I've taught the class, or even studied the Old Testament, I've not had discretionary time to read.

However, it was a wonderful segue into this book. The scenes in the King James Version are still fresh in my mind, and I was able to appreciate how she wove them in. However, her treatment of Joseph has left a bad taste in my mouth.

Though she has the tale come from an enemy of Joseph's, the word is that he bedded Potipher's wife, rather than the story we get in Genesis. In that and in other things she paints him as an opportunist and hints that he is gay. But then, that is Dinah talking, and she never has forgiven her brothers. But, listen to one of her final paragraphs: 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 and tears, sighs and dreams of a human life.

Ah, what the heck. I'll give it four stars. That's what will stay with me. Jan 07, Peggy rated it did not like it. Okay, I really struggled through this book. I loved reading from the perspective of a woman in the Old Testament.

That part was great. There were just some disturbing things in there--like Jacob masturbating-- there is worse than that in the book, believe me that I thought were AWFUL. In the end, Jose Okay, I really struggled through this book. In the end, Joseph is portrayed as a selfish, illiterate tyrant who hated his younger brother Benjamin and who willingly slept with Potipher's wife.

So for the most part, I just didn't like it. I did manage to read the whole thing, and enjoyed reading about Dinah making the most of her life and incorporating things she learned from her mothers. I loved getting to know Zilpah and Bilhah better.. If you are at all familiar with the OT, don't read this book! May 09, Wendy rated it really liked it Shelves: books , may The first time I read this book years ago my frustration stemmed from primarily the depiction of the various characters.

However, this time I decided to read it slowly so that I could focus and absorb the characters and the story. I loved the celebration of a strong female character and heroine. I loved Dinah's quiet strength, her confidence and her self-awareness. Anita Diamant was able to sweep me up and carry me away to another time and place. A place where there is The first time I read this book years ago my frustration stemmed from primarily the depiction of the various characters.

A place where there is a "Red Tent" that I wish was here. Sep 22, Books Ring Mah Bell rated it it was ok. My apologies to Anita Diamant. This book is good, in the sense that she takes an interesting concept a bit of the bible and expounds upon it. And, in all fairness, she wrote well. Alas, this was just NOT my cup of tea. No sir. Here I'd like to throw in a disclaimer that I am not one who finds the Bible holy.

If I were and then I read this book, I'm thinking I may have been offended. So, be warned if you think you are getting biblical fiction that is All I can say about this is t My apologies to Anita Diamant.

All I can say about this is there's a whole lot of sheep humping and Jacob jerking off early on in the book.

Then again, there's bestiality in the bible Be warned. Why didn't this book float my boat? The red tent - refers to a place the woman all go when ill, giving birth or menstruating. Dear GOD. Most important, Dinah learns and preserves the stories and traditions of her family, which she shares with the reader in touchingly intimate detail. Diamant succeeds admirably in depicting the lives of women in the age that engendered our civilization and our most enduring values. Diamant has written a thoroughly enjoyable and illuminating portrait of a fascinating woman and the life she might have lived.

How did you do your research? My research focused on the everyday life of women in the ancient Near East. I consulted rabbinic sources very little and concentrated instead on the food, clothing, social organization, architecture, and medicine of the era —ca.

I was the recipient of a library fellowship at Radcliffe College at the Schlesinger Library on the History of American Women, which permitted me access to the entire Harvard Library system. As a visiting scholar of the Brandeis Hadassah Institute, I also had access to the Brandeis library system.

Could you describe the creative challenges of essentially inserting your own chapter into the Bible, and of giving flesh and voice to biblical characters? Did it intimidate you? If you take the time to focus on the words on the page of the Bible, you discover that the language is very sparse. The information that contemporary readers expect of a story — or a myth — are missing: What is the weather like? What time of day it? What do the characters look like and what are their motives, what are they thinking?

I wrote The Red Tent as a novel — not as an extra chapter in the Bible. And writing fiction required me to come up with answers to questions like these. But from the start, I intended to depart from the text to make the story my own. 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.