The Red Tent
by Anita Diamant
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Book Reviews of The Red Tent
Book Review: Provocative, insightful, yet somewhat disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars
Diamant takes a bare-boned Biblical tale and gives it flesh, blood, color, and skin. It doesn't matter if it's accurate or not; accuracy would be impossible to prove anyway. And besides, she's not trying to fool anyone: she does call it a novel, which is by definition a work of fiction. The result is an interesting tale and an appreciation for and closeness with the female characters of the book. Often when reading the Bible, we're too lazy or busy to take the time to imagine what it meant to pack up and move with flocks of sheep and goats and food and belongings. I am thankful for Diamant's efforts in having elucidated aspects such as these for us.
From a literary point of view, however, I was disappointed. Contrary to other reviewers, I do not feel that Diamant is talented in "turning a phrase" or that she has "poetic language." In fact, I found her language frustrating at best, mixing modern expressions with forced Biblical language... which is only called "Biblical language" because we have become accustomed to old translations. I found her style dry and, ironically, not particularly feminine. I also tired of her repeated adjectives, such as "mortified," which was always too extreme a word for the situation.
Diamant's purpose is never entirely clear--I disagree that she is male-bashing, since Dinah has appreciation for several of her brothers and a strong admiration for Jacob in his younger days. It is only after the murders that she turns against him.
The plot is vague until about 2/3 of the way through, at which time it becomes simultaneously evident and predictable. Nonetheless, the details of female life during this time period and the relationships being established carry the reader through all this.
Sometimes the characters seem forced to be so different; Diamant's efforts become transparent especially when characterizing Jacob's wives. Other characterizations are simply hard to believe: are 13-year-old girls really capable of such profound romantic relationships and gratifying sexual experiences in their wedding beds?
Many of the actions seem unjustified or out of character. Diamant fails to sufficiently prepare her characters in certain situations. For example, why would a good and honorable man like Jacob, who took the time to walk equally with each wife and show tenderness in ways that shows he understands their different personalities, suddenly be so cruel with Dinah's fiancé? Does he agree with the action, or does he become suddenly spineless?
Furthermore, many doors are opened which are never closed or passed through. What do Joseph and Dinah experience that they swear to secrecy, and what effect does that have on the story? What attacks Jacob, and again, what effect does that have on the story? Why would the old midwife make the strong prophecy that Dinah would be at peace near a river, which could have been the beginning of a plot, only to be proven wrong as a sort of afterthought near the end of the book? Why would Diamant name Dinah's second husband "Benia," the same name as Joseph's youngest brother, and then have Joseph comment on the coincidence, without having any reason for it? Why does Dinah check in the pond to see her aging reflection, when she asked for a mirror during the birth of her son? Why can't she forgive Joseph, who is also treated horribly by their brothers and who had not agreed to the murders in Shechem?
Nevertheless, despite these criticisms, the novel works because in the end, a good story has been told, and it has the fine quality of tying up a lot of (but not all) loose ends in a clever way.
I'm sure I didn't appreciate her suggestion that Joseph was a homosexual anymore than anyone else did, or any other of her "Biblical inaccuracies," if we can call them that--because they destroy happy images we created for ourselves in Sunday School (among other reasons). But it is the author's creative license to do what she wants with her characters, and if anything else, it challenges us to defend our beliefs even more strongly or to read the Bible with a more critical eye, which are the kinds of things which lead to better understanding and truth. An artist who can have this sort of effect on her audience certainly can not be considered unsuccessful. Her art has accomplished its goal through its provocative read.
Book Review: I didn't want to stop reading it
Summary: 5 Stars
Putting my thoughts about this book into words is quite difficult, but suffice to say that this a riveting, beautifully written story that I did not want to stop reading. Her prose is very compelling, and amazingly economical - I don't know if she normally writes this way, but I found the economy of words to also help transport me to the barreness of the desert in whcih the story takes place. As a book this is just plain wonderful writing that anyone would greatly enjoy experiencing.However, since this is a story of Dinah, a Biblical character, one must also rate this book as a part of the religious tradition, and in that regard, I feel that it works beautifully. Dinah is mentioned but once in the long story of Jacob in Genesis, and her story deserves to be told. Obviously, this is a work of fiction, and is not to be taken as canonical. Dinah's story comes so alive, though, and fills in so much of what is missing from the Bible story (and what is missing in the Bible is the story of the women - interesting how their stories seemingly disappeared over time...). Obviously, also, the religious zealots out there will take issue with this book because they tend to take issue with anything that might challenge their thoughts and cause them to think differently about what might have happened 3500 years ago. While I am sure the Bible is a fairly accurate record of many things that happened, I am sure that in the small details, it has been embellished (or changed through copying errors) in the 3500 years this story has been passed on. Diamant's representation of Jacob and his sons as very human with very human needs/foibles was a welcome take on the typical superman-like representations of these guys. I don' think that Diamant has re-written the Biblical story, but she has taken all those holes and unsaid things, and filled them in with narrative of what might have been, and certainly could have been.
What is so compelling for me in the story, besides my absolute fascination with lives in Canaanite and pre-Canaanite times, is the story of women - not just of the women in the story, but this really becomes a story of what it was like to be a woman in that era, when countless gods were worshiped, when nature was something to pay attention to, when childbirth was more dangerous and natural, in a fairly nomadic and earth-based style of living. In the red tent, the gathering place of Rachel and Leah and the other women for the three days every month, the stories of the women were passed from one generation to the next; the women were free to be truly female, and to talk about their own fears and joys as they celebrate together the constant ebb and flow of life/death/rebirth. Dinah becomes a mid-wife, and a darn good one, and Diamant has gorgeous writing about the delivering of babies - the pain, the mess, the screaming, the joy of new babies, and the sorrow of babies delivered dead, and of mothers who die in childbirth. And yet life goes on, as it always does, and people move on. The red tent, in the book, becomes of the symbol (for us) of what can happen if women have a place to share and be safe, and celebrate their bodies with one another - directly opposed to what we have today, I believe, in which women don't have chance or or not allowed or simply don't feel like sharing, caring, and celebrating the gift of life-giving which they carry in them. I hope this book will serve to drive a new direction, perhaps especially within the chruch, in which women can be free to truly talk about and celebrate and not have to be ashamed about their menstruation, and in which, perhaps, the lives of girls can be celebrated as they enter into womanhood.
I also love all the twists and turns that the plot takes - the book concentrates on Dinah, of course, but after she leaves Jacob's tribe, her life comes into contact with the tribe or peolpe she knew before. So we get Dniah's story for a while, and then a retelling of a situation that is in the Biblical story. I hope that we will have more books about the lives of the women in the Bible. Certainly their stories were told at one time - Phyllis Trible taught us that in seminary - and it would be nice to reclaim them from the male-dominated society that slowly wiped those stories out, or didn't feel them sufficiently important to include.
Book Review: The Red Tent
Summary: 3 Stars
Stories about women written in the Bible do not have great detail about their lives. The Red Tent is a detailed story written about what it means to be female during biblical time, primarily in Egypt. The subject of being female is described through generations of a family. The author of The Red Tent is Anita Diamant. The Red Tent is about various generations of women within a family. The story begins with the grandmother's life, which then goes on to the life of the mother, and then describes the meaning of being female with the main character from being a baby to old age. Significant events are described in each woman's life that are meaningful to her as a female, such as marriage and birthing children.
Young girls anticipate the beginning of their menstrual period because it is an important time of maturity. In this time period girls are honored and celebrated when they reach puberty, signifying that they have become a woman. When women have their menstrual period they go to the red tent and remain there for several days. Women also go to the red tent to have their baby. Within the red tent, women share emotions, stories, and support to one another. This time in a woman's life is very important and special because it is only women. Having children is highly valued during this time. During the biblical time period men were married to one woman, but fathered children with other women also. In The Red Tent there was a major conflict between two sisters. Leah was married to Jacob, but Rachel was also in love with Jacob. Leah had eight children with Jacob, while Rachel always remained jealous of Leah because she was only able to bear two children with Jacob. Inna was the old wise woman who was the midwife and helped women deliver their babies. Inna knew early on that Dinah (Leah's last child) had potential to be a good midwife. As a young child, Dinah accompanied Inna to births and eventually mentored Dinah to be a well -known midwife. Dinah encountered many life crises as a woman, facing the death of her husband killed by her brothers, and forbidden to reveal her identity as the mother of her own son.
The detail and explanation in The Red Tent is very good. The ideas are very well written. Even though the story takes place during the biblical time the words and language are easy to understand. Realism of the characters was pretty good except for the fact that there are so many different characters. With all these characters in the book, it was confusing in the beginning. It was also hard to follow because each character was related to one another in some way. The writer's attitude toward the subject was good. My attention throughout the book wasn't held very well because I had to work hard at keeping track of who the characters were. I liked the subject and theme of the book, but I didn't really like the time period very much. In order to write this book it had to be during the biblical times.
The theme of The Red Tent was the development of becoming a woman. Different stages within the lives of women were told through generations. The major theme relates to me because I am becoming a young woman. I am learning about who I am and thinking about what is my purpose in life. I think that a parallel to the purpose of the red tent is the woman's restroom in today's society. Girls go the restroom in pairs or small groups and usually talk about special feelings or secrets during this time. A major difference is that the sharing of wisdom from older generations doesn't happen. There are two events that happen in my family where there is a sharing between the generations of women. One is the ritual of the Sperstad women spending the day after Thanksgiving shopping together. It begins early evening of Thanksgiving with reviewing the advertisements, making lists and planning out the stops for the next day- with a special site for lunch. Another significant event was when my mom held a ceremony for me when I turned sixteen. She invited significant women of many generations (my grandma, my mom, my godmother, my mom's close friend and my best friend). All the members at the ceremony did activities to honor me- for who I am and for being a woman.
Book Review: (this is not going to be a popular review)
Summary: 1 Stars
I have read hundreds of books. I have started, but not finished, thousands. Almost always it's because I lose interest in the book for one reason or another. This is the first book ever that I have thrown down in disgust and refused to read any more. It wasn't because it's a "woman's book." Most of my favorite authors are women. I can see the value in the repeated awe-filled descriptions of birth and menstruation. I can see how these are mystic experiences, though by the third or fourth or fifth birth, I admit I grew a little weary of the repetition. It did perturb me a bit that, while the women were colorful, complex, well-rendered characters, the men were cardboard brutes. But men have written women in the same manner for centuries, so even if it's an intentional feminist choice instead of the author's weakness, it's understandable, forgiveable. No, that's not why I quit reading.
It wasn't the Biblical inaccuracies. Though they are so plentiful and obvious it seems like it would have just been simpler for Ms. Diamant to change her characters' names and written about a contemporary of Dinah, Leah and Rachel. I don't know enough to judge the accuracy of Ms. Diamant's rendering of the time period, but it is convincing and captivating. Eventually, I stopped thinking, "wait a minute...that's not the way it happened," and just let the author tell her story her way. Actually, I'm kind of glad she did as she did; the people in Genesis are mean and nasty to each other, and wouldn't be much fun to read about. With a few changes, Ms. Diamant takes Rachel and Leah and their horrible rivalry and changes it into something respectable, even admirable.
It wasn't the worshipful adoration of paganism, though it's true that bugged me almost to the point of quitting. I know it's true that Rachel and Leah et al probably worshipped gods other than the God of Jacob. But while Ms. Diamant may have the freedom to change the details of the Genesis account to fit her story, but surely she owes some thematic debt to the original telling - whether you consider it simple literature or a sacred text. If there's one major theme you take away from the history of the people of Israel that's called the Bible, it's that pagan gods are their bane, their major weakness. When they get rid of them, they prosper. When they bring them back, they suffer. To treat this bane with such reverence, awe, and admiration is to mock the original work itself. But while this irked me, I lived with it; perhaps she worships pagan gods herself, and desires to rewrite their role in the history of her people (From the titles of her nonfiction books, I'm pretty sure she's Jewish.) OK, understandable. I'll disagree, but I'll keep reading.
No, what caused me to throw the book down in disgust was this line in particular:
"...'You serve the God of Jacob' was one of the worst insults one man could hurl at another for many generations."
After making Jacob into a weak, violent coward, after (through her narrator) cursing him and all his children and all their children, after taking every major interaction Jacob has with his God and making it ugly and base, she makes the name of God a vile curse in the mouth of the people of the land.
What if I were to sit down and write a fictional account of Gandhi and make him a murderer, a liar, a coward, make all his actions not motivated by a higher ideal, but by lust, or greed? Would it matter that this book was fiction and didn't claim to be anything else, or would it still be offensive? Would it even be worth reading, or would you write it off as propaganda and reactionism? I have no illusions about Jacob or his sons -- even the Biblical account of them is far from flattering, and they are not my heroes -- but through this telling, Ms. Diamant has managed not only to spit on their names, but also on the name of the God of Jacob whom they serve.
I, too, serve the God of Jacob. And, Ms. Diamant, if you were intending to insult me and my people with this book, you have done so.
I'm just astounded so few have noticed.
Book Review: Thought provoking and entertaining work of fiction
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a fictional account of the Dinah story, which like most concerning women in the Bible, is told very, very briefly. So no matter what Diamant chose to write, much of it would have to be invented.I can understand why some would be upset at the changing of events, such as Joseph's encounter with Potiphar's wife. But I do not understand the hubbub concerning the male characters in the story.
First of all, many of the patriarchs were loved by God because of their faith, not beacuse of any inherent goodness, much like Christians are saved through grace and not because we are qualified. Many of these men were polygamists, something Jesus condemned in the New Testament, and however you look at it, being a 2nd 3rd or 4th wife couldn't have been a holiday for any of these women. Jacob cheated his brother, Abraham prostituted his wife (to Pharoah b/c he was afraid), David used his power as king to sleep with another man's wife and have that man killed. These were great men b/c of their faith in God and their willingness to repent and trust in God over and over again, and ultimately to follow that God whereever he led them. That does not mean that they were perfect (or great) husband or fathers. Look at how David handled the rape of his daughter. One reader didn;t like the way that Diamant changes the circumstances of Dinah's "rape". I find equally disturbing the storyline in "Unspoken" (francine rivers) that has Bathsheba harboring a hidden love for David. The Bible says only that David saw her, wanted her, slept with her, and killed her husband to get her.
Let's not forget that under Jewish law, a married woman who was raped and did not cry out for whateever reason was killed. An unmarried woman in the same circumstances was married off to her rapist.
The Red Tent does not present a particularly endearing portrait of males, but why would it? Women were property - their lives were completely controlled by men. Females slaves cost less than male slaves. Any injury to a woman had to be paid to her male guardian. Men were never barren in the Old Testament (a few were too old), only the women were...The family trees only occasionally mention a woman's name, etc, etc...
Deborah was an exception. Esther, well those of you who know your Bible history also know that the book almost didn't make it into the canon (not b/c it centers on a woman, but in part, b/c it does not appear to focus on God)
The point of all this - in an unequal system, there is going to widespread abuse and of all the characters in the Bible, women were often the most vulnerable and didn't have the rights that they do today. It is unreasonable to suggest that a story told from a woman's point of view would make no mention of their frustrations and difficulties living in such a society. You've got how many women married to one man, and he really only loves one of them. It's not an enviable situation.....
Finally, the Jewish nation was monotheistic, but that is after God called them as a people to serve Him. Before that time, they likely engaged in idol worship. We know for certain that some of them continued to engage in idol worship and hold on to superstitions and unGodly practices throughout the centuries, b/c God continually called them to task for it. How many times was Israel punished for serving other gods?
It's been a while since I read the book, but I really enjoyed it b/c it was about women and it addressed some of the touchy issues that "religious" fiction often fails to touch. Of course, I am familiar with the Old Testament and I have read the Biblical version of this story. I also know that the OT contains many very disturbing and violent stories concerning God's people.
I think that depending on how you read it, The Red Tent can encourage you to really think about the lives of the countless women who lived in Biblical times, but go unnamed or unmentioned.