The Red Tent, Tenth Anniversary Edition: A Novel
by Anita Diamant
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Book Summary Information
Author: Anita DiamantEdition: Paperback
Published: 2007-08-21
ISBN: 0312427298
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Picador
Book Reviews of The Red Tent, Tenth Anniversary Edition: A Novel
Book Review: Quite Good
Summary: 4 Stars
The Red Tent / 0-312-19551-6
I'm not usually a big fan of Biblical novels, because a slavish devotion to the source material usually results in a poor story, paper thin characters, and unlikely plot propulsion. However, Diamat manages to avoid all this by filling her the gaps in the Biblical story of Leah, Rachel, and Dinah with a rich history and mythology that rings plausibly true.
Diamat's biggest success is by discarding as male propaganda much of the portrayals of the women central to the narrative. She reasons that Leah and Rachel do not hate each other so much as they have a (relatively, given the polygamist circumstances) normal sibling rivalry relationship. Leah, especially, comes across as very sympathetic - a much stronger character than in the Bible, where she hopefully moons after Jacob and then quietly submits to the 'trade' proposed by her father. Here she is determined, strong, a good cook, and an able mother. Jacob is more too blame for the acceptance of the switch - Diamat emphasizes the unlikelihood that Jacob wouldn't realize his Rachel had been substituted for Leah. Jacob, in this acceptance, effectively purchases two good wives (and then four, with their servants), for the 'price' of steady employment.
Diamat also discards, again as propaganda, the idea that the women meekly discarded their life-long idols for this new god brought to them by their outlander husband. This much seems to be rooted in fact - it is clear that the 'queen of heaven' was worshipped by Hebrew women for centuries, and even mention of it (and condemnation of it, of course) is made in the Bible. The women make a good show of pretense to their new husband, but see no reason to discard their family's theology and social values just because the men say so. Hence, the value of the feminine divine, the discarding of the 'sacred hymen' theology (which has value only to men, as proof that a girl cannot be pregnant with another man's child, but has no value to women, as it increases the pain of the wedding night).
And, lastly, Diamat discards the idea that Dinah's lover was her rapist and, instead, maintains that the story was a ploy to allow her brothers to slaughter the men in the city. This is nicely handled, as well as the fact that Dinah is never mentioned in the Bible again - she has left her family and emigrated. This is where the novel sort of breaks down, though, as the abuse and abandonment Dinah suffers at the hands of her adopted mother-in-law seems to be handled unnaturally. It is unfair that Dinah is hated so much by the woman - in this culture of men and brutality, it seems likely that this woman would realize that this was no more Dinah's fault than her own (she had encouraged her son to 'take' Dinah without marriage). It's marginally realistic, of course - people are rarely 100% logical - but it feels more like a plot device than a natural response. In the end, the novel is intriguing and far better than most Biblical novels, but the ending does ring a bit hollow.
Summary of The Red Tent, Tenth Anniversary Edition: A Novel
The red tent is the place where women gathered during their cycles of birthing, menses, and even illness. Like the conversations and mysteries held within this feminine tent, this sweeping piece of fiction offers an insider's look at the daily life of a biblical sorority of mothers and wives and their one and only daughter, Dinah. Told in the voice of Jacob's daughter Dinah (who only received a glimpse of recognition in the Book of Genesis), we are privy to the fascinating feminine characters who bled within the red tent. In a confiding and poetic voice, Dinah whispers stories of her four mothers, Rachel, Leah, Zilpah, and Bilhah--all wives to Jacob, and each one embodying unique feminine traits. As she reveals these sensual and emotionally charged stories we learn of birthing miracles, slaves, artisans, household gods, and sisterhood secrets. Eventually Dinah delves into her own saga of betrayals, grief, and a call to midwifery."Like any sisters who live together and share a husband, my mother and aunties spun a sticky web of loyalties and grudges," Anita Diamant writes in the voice of Dinah. "They traded secrets like bracelets, and these were handed down to me the only surviving girl. They told me things I was too young to hear. They held my face between their hands and made me swear to remember." Remembering women's earthy stories and passionate history is indeed the theme of this magnificent book. In fact, it's been said that The Red Tent is what the Bible might have been had it been written by God's daughters, instead of her sons. --Gail Hudson
A New York Times Bestseller
A decade after the publication of this hugely popular international bestseller, Picador releases the tenth anniversary edition of The Red Tent.
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 tell of her father, Jacob, and his twelve sons.
Told in Dinah's voice, Anita Diamant imagines the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood--the world of the red tent. It 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 with a valuable achievement in modern fiction: a new view of biblical women's lives.
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