St Florence > Home > Clubs & Societies > Book Club > Previously Discussed > The Red Tent

 

July 2005
    
The Red Tent
by Anita Diamant

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.
Find an extract from this book in the FILES section of SFBC ONLINE
 Discussion at 5 Flemish Close on 21 July
This book was a gift from a friend and I would probably not have bought it for myself. However as I read it I grew fascinated by the view of women’s lives in biblical times. It is set about 1750 BCE and the main characters are the family of Jacob whose sons are said to have founded the twelve tribes of Israel. The lives, beliefs and strengths of women at that time are shown to be full of colour, danger and wisdom. It made me realise just how cosseted we now are. Although it is a work of fiction the author has researched her subject well and that shows in her attention to details of life at that time. The main character is Jacob’s daughter and it reads as part autobiography and part love story. This is not a book for the squeamish as it describes the challenges of childbirth in those times in some detail but I found the story fascinating and would recommend it as a great read. Aileen

Have you read this book? To add your comments below, e-mail:

My one criticism of the book comes from the style of the writing. Diamant has only previously written factual books, and I think this shows a little in the narrative style of The Red Tent. The narrative is very simplistic, which makes for easy reading, but to be honest I would have prefered a more descriptive style. The building of the story is pretty basic, with no great suspense or suprises involved. Linz What a beautiful enchanting story. So tragic for so many of the characters but the underlying passions and beauty of each of the women is inspiring. It is an amazing insight into a world of which we know so little and which religious scriptures largely ignore. I was very sad when I saw what was written in the Bible about Dinah and her mothers after this as I so hoped to find out more about this time when women were so nurturing and close. Such bonds and the skills and love of each women made me feel that they were all magic in their own special way.This book really moved me and is now my new favourite. I have encouraged all my female friends to read it and it makes a lovely present. Josy
I found the book confusing to start with as there were so many characters and was glad there was a family tree at the beginning of the book, but the characters soon developed their own personalities, especially the women. The culture of the red tent was fascinating to read about and how attitudes were changing from this old way of life to the new religion of Abraham (Jacob's grandfather). However it is not the best book I have read this year. Anon This book has instantly made it into my top 3 books of all time. This book was so good I had to go back and read my bible and with disappointment find that it was not detailed or half as much fun as this novel. This book moved me, it entertained me, it made me question the bible, it made me understand the tradition of sisterhood is not something Oprah invented but but something far in the history books. Some of the book did make me cross my legs, like when Dina was giving birth, but aside from that I truly loved this book. I can't recommend it enough. EXCELLENT!! Ricardi
This was a compulsory 'Book Club' read - I found it annoying, frustrating and thoroughly depressing - it was a total mission to stay focused on such a pointless and going nowhere read - fairyland without a decent fairytale. Jacquie A beautiful and bittersweet story of womanhood. Birth, death, life and growing, are the text that makes up this rich tapestry. At times you feel as if you are there in the tent too. Tasting the sweet cakes or spiced wine. Read this book if you want to understand something about yourself. You will give it to your Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend, and even Aunt and they in turn pass it on. Simply one of those books that you will not put down till you finish it. Melissa
I didn't like the writing. Diamant isn't a horrible author, but she lacks the word-crafting skill of greater writers. I think this is what made her characters often one-dimensional. She had GREAT ideas...the plot is fantastic, but the pulp of the story is scattered with vague descriptives and flat text. While still a good story, the book could be fantastic with better writing style. As to the mythology; I think Diamant may have missed some important connections in her desire to explicate and extricate the mythology of the time/place she is writing. She should read a little more Joseph Campbell, catch up on her archaeological finds, and investigate goddess myths more fully. Anon
 I finished this book of 400 pages in 4 days, which for me means the book must be good since it takes me months sometimes to finish a novel. Sigrun
Don't let the biblical side to this story put you off. As a non-believer I was totally caught up in the lives of the women in this story which thrills throughout. Anon