"The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant

May 2005, Hosted by: Stacy Lenz

"Skillfully interweaving biblical tales with events and characters of her own invention, Diamant's sweeping first novel re-creates the life of Dinah, daughter of Leah and Jacob, from her birth and happy childhood in Mesopotamia through her years in Canaan and death in Egypt. When Dinah reaches puberty and enters the Red Tent (the place women visit to give birth or have their monthly periods), her mother and Jacob's three other wives initiate her into the religious and sexual practices of the tribe. Diamant sympathetically describes Dinah's doomed relationship with Shalem, son of a ruler of Shechem, and his brutal death at the hands of her brothers. Following the events in Canaan, a pregnant Dinah travels to Egypt, where she becomes a noted midwife. Diamant has written a thoroughly enjoyable and illuminating portrait of a fascinating woman and the life she might have lived." (Library Journal)

Hostess Notes:

• Reason Chosen: "Fictional story about females from the bible."
• Hard to get through the first few chapters - lots of unusual biblical names - good story after that.
• Interesting reading a fictional story with details woven in from the biblical stories.
• Making a connection with the various characters.