The Red Tent: The bestselling classic - a feminist retelling of the story of Dinah

by Anita Diamant

In The Red Tent Anita Diamant brings the fascinating biblical character of Dinah to vivid life.

‘Intensely moving . . . feminist . . . a riveting tale of love’ – Observer

Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her fate is merely hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the verses of the Book of Genesis that recount the life of Jacob and his infamous dozen sons. Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent is an extraordinary and engrossing tale of ancient womanhood and family honour. Told in Dinah’s voice, it opens with the story of her mothers – the four wives of Jacob – each of whom embodies unique feminine traits, and concludes with Dinah’s own startling and unforgettable story of betrayal, grief and love.

Deeply affecting and intimate, The Red Tent is a feminist classic which combines outstandingly rich storytelling with an original insight into women’s society in a fascinating period of early history. Such is its warmth and candour, it is guaranteed to win the hearts and minds of women across the world.

'I genuinely fell into this rich and colourful world and Dinah and Leah have stayed with me as ancestors and sisters brought to life by Anita Diamant's imaginative novel' - Maureen Lipman.

Adapted as a TV mini series starring Rebecca Ferguson and Minnie Driver.

• ISBN10: 0330487965
• ISBN13: 9780330487962
• Publish Date: 8 March 2002 (first published 15 September 1997)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 15 February 2024
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Imprint: Pan Books
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[katie-wordsforworms]

I love this book! But poor Dinah. She needs a t-shirt that says "My Brother Got an Award-Winning Musical and All I Got Was This (Awesome) Book"

http://wordsforworms.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/badass-biblical-the-red-tent/

[ladygrey]

I got to page 50 and quit because I despised this book. One star is too good for it. 0 stars would be too good - because that's a neutral rating. It earned a place on my black-star bookshelf because it needs an actively negative rating.

I was interested in the premise. The idea of taking a closer at the lives of women in the Bible, of what they felt and experienced, was intriguing to me. But this book wasn't about that. It was about sex and blood and didn't say anythig interesting or insightful about either of those.

Also, you don't get to change Biblical characters or their motivations. I enjoy novelizations of Biblical characters - authors who delve into and expound on Biblical accounts, but without deviating from the story in the Bible. But she alters Biblical characters and the nature of Biblical stories and I'm not ok with that. If she balanced it with dynamic characters, I might give her a little leeway. But everything and everyone in this book is undeveloped and one dimensional.

ugh.

[mitabird]

The Red Tent was an engrossing tale of a girl's life during biblical times. This story was so richly spoken, that I felt immersed in Dinah's life. It was as if I was there too. Every emotion she felt, I felt. Everything she experienced, the good and the bad, I experienced. This book was deeply moving and will remain with me for some time. I highly recommend it for every woman to read. 4.5 stars

[Eve1972]

Amazing read!