The Red Tent

A Novel

By: Anita Diamant

Narrated by: Carol Bilger

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.

Critic reviews

“By giving a voice to Dinah...the novel has struck a chord with women who may have felt left out of biblical history.” —Los Angeles Times

“With stirring scenery and a narrative of force and color, a readable tale marked by hortatory fulminations and voluptuous lamentations.” —Kirkus Reviews

“After several nonfiction works on Judaism, Diamant's fiction debut links the passions of the early Israelites to the ongoing traditions of modern Jews, while the red tent of her title (where women retreat for menstruation, childbirth and illness) becomes a resonant symbol of womanly strength, love and wisdom....Diamant succeeds admirably in depicting the lives of women in the age that engendered our civilization and our most enduring values.” —Publishers Weekly

“By giving a voice to Dinah...the novel has struck a chord with women who may have felt left out of biblical history.” —Los Angeles Times

“With stirring scenery and a narrative of force and color, a readable tale marked by hortatory fulminations and voluptuous lamentations.” —Kirkus Reviews

“After several nonfiction works on Judaism, Diamant's fiction debut links the passions of the early Israelites to the ongoing traditions of modern Jews, while the red tent of her title (where women retreat for menstruation, childbirth and illness) becomes a resonant symbol of womanly strength, love and wisdom....Diamant succeeds admirably in depicting the lives of women in the age that engendered our civilization and our most enduring values. ” —Publishers Weekly

The key word is 'fiction'

First, I found this book to be a very enjoyable listen, and I thought the narrator did a fine job, especially with pronunciations and emoting. I'm always unpleasantly surprised by reviewers who rate a book low because it wasn't what they 'expected.' Listening to a book with an open mind and heart can bring a lot of unexpected pleasure. There is nothing offensive or blasphemous about this work of FICTION. It is not a Bible story nor does it claim to be. It is written and narrated in a lovely and poetic fashion, and paints a picture of what life MIGHT have been like for Dinah and her families in a time we know very little about. It is slow moving at times, heart-wrenching on occasion, but, in my opinion, it is beautifully written and a touching story. Open minds in search of an interesting listen might very well enjoy this.

The Red Tent

?The Red Tent? was masterfully written by Ms. Diamant. She wove a superb story using biblical characters in such a way that if you grew up reading the scriptures or knew anything about the Bible you would know the only things close to the truth in her story are the historical locations she mentions (hence, the word fiction). You would be spellbound by the visions she creates and thoroughly entertained. Anita has fictionally answered some questions that might have been asked about Isaac. What, if any would be the effect of being offered as a sacrifice? We know that Isaac along with his father, Abraham knew that God would provide. In our human state without faith in God that sort of trauma might leave a lasting scar on a child such as stuttering speech. Did Joseph run all of Egypt? Of course he did because he was blessed by God, but in this fiction Joseph is given Diana's son's creditof being a skilled manager.

If you can separate what you know about the Bible and enjoy the story you could see that this is not a recount of history but a story about people you may have heard or read about in the Bible. If we accept fictional work about the Bible that could be proven possible by scripture, why is it so hard to accept fictional work about Bible characters that is proven as false by the scriptures?

If you think Anita is writing about something she believes to be real and your faith will be shaken don't read this book. If you have an open mind enjoy this book you will not be disappointed.

Listened to the Book More Than Once

At first, I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this book, compared to what other reviewers had to say. But, I ended up enjoying it so much, I have listened 3 times now. And, everytime I do, I discover new themes and meanings I didn't catch before. Well done!

Lyrical

I haven't been this transported by a book in years. I listened to it three times! Beautiful, Brava!

A good story, not a women's movement

A very interesting interpretation of the times from a woman's point of view. I didn't find the story as uplifting as many others have, nor was I offended by it in any way whatsoever.

The story is well read by Carol Bilger. The characters are well-developed and I found myself caring quite a bit what happened to them.