ANITA DIAMANT'S THE RED TENT
Published
in 1997, The Red Tent is based on the biblical story of Jacob and his sons, his
wives, and his only daughter, Dinah, who is the voice of the novel. Biblical Dinah first appears in Genesis 31:21. Then, in Genesis 34, Dinah is said to have
been raped while afterward, her brothers exact revenge. There’s more to it, but Dinah’s entire Biblical story
is only one small chapter of a huge, widely believed and widely circulated
book. Diamant’s novel expands on Dinah’s story,
giving voice to a nearly invisible female character and giving her an
opportunity to tell the world what really happened.
Dinah’s story is so richly realized, at times I find it hard to separate
Biblical Dinah from Novel Dinah. There
is no way, in one small paragraph, I could do this stunningly beautiful novel
true justice. Even if you are not a
Christian believer, this novel is one you should not miss. (Note: This novel was made into a two-part
miniseries of the same title, adapted by Lifetime, which premiered in December
of 2014. I have yet to see it. I may never see it. The book is too wonderful and I can’t believe
the miniseries would be any better than my own vivid imagination.)
TTFN
JMS
JMS
6 comments:
I love this book!!!!!!!
Yeah. Me, too. One of my all-time favorites. Miss you, Reg!
I first read this book in our little book club (remember?) when I still lived in TN. This book really made an impression on me and I have since re-read it twice. I'm thankful for our little book club because I don't think I would have ever found The Red Tent or read it on my own.
Hi Sam - of course I remember! I miss the book club, and especially I miss when you lived in Tennessee! Come back! Glad you love this book, 'cause I sure do!
Surprised by your "Christian believer" comment. Indeed I am not. Dinah, the wonderful woman in this book, is a Jew. As is Anita Diamant, the author of this book. This book is loved by thousands of Jewish women.
Actually, Deborah - yes, I know. It's not that I was in any way saying ONLY Christian believers would appreciate this book, only that I happen to be one. And, because this story is an elaboration on a small chapter in the Christian Bible, this is where my "Christian believer" comment stemmed from. There was no malicious intent in my statement, nor any dismissal of the Jewish faith. I grew up in a predominantly Jewish community, my best friends were Jewish and I spent quite a bit of time going to temple with them rather than to church with my family. If you took my innocuous statement in a way which it was not intended, I apologize.
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