Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis that are about her father, Jacob, and his dozen sons. Told in Dinah’s voice, this novel reveals the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood-the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of her mothers-Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah-the … Bilhah-the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that are to sustain her through a damaged youth, 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, immediate connection.
Deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable achievement in modern fiction: a new view of Biblical women’s society.
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My favorite book of all time.
I keep a copy to lend out and a copy for only me. I reread it every couple of years.
One of the best books I have ever read!
This is us in the Book of Genesis when we were tribal, nomadic and pastoral. It’s the Old Testament with the begats, the killings, and the pagan gods. Biblical characters come to life. The red tent was where the women went to get away from the men. It was taboo so the men didn’t go near it. Women worked twice as hard as the men and there was polygamy and slavery. Only the very fit survived in this rigidly patriarchal society.
Life wasn’t too bad for a woman if she was of good family, hardworking, healthy, very beautiful, a fabulous cook, never tired and able to survive childbirth. If she didn’t have these attributes and abilities, then it wasn’t so great. It also helped if she could tolerate the occasional beating.
My favorite book of all time.
My first ‘biblical’ fiction book. It got me hooked. I thought this book was so good I read it twice — and other than ‘Animal, Vegetable, Miracle’, I don’t think I’ve read any other books more than once. 🙂
What a wonderful story that brings the life of women during the biblical period to life.
This book was a glimpse of women in the Bible & what they did.
Such wonderful characters all the way through. I learned so much about the culture of that time, too. I read it decades ago and I still think about the woman, the times, the lessons she learned, the culture.
Ive read this multiple. Times, one of my favorite books!
Love this book!
This is one of my all time favorite books authors
This book is informative, awe-inspiring, biblical, and wondrous all at once! The tale of Dinah, Jacob’s daughter is told in a way that captures the imagination. Readers will feel as though they are growing up and coming of age right beside her. This book also exalts the essence of being a woman in a frank yet poetically way. This book will have readers reading and re-reading while enjoying every minute of it.