By Anita Diamant
As it says on the cover, the oldest love story never told, this is the tale of Dinah, daughter of Jacob - he of the twelve sons including Joseph of multi-coloured coat fame. The bible tells us little of Dinah but the author has created a wonderful story out of those meagre details. Loads of dramatic licence and imagination involved, and indeed, contradiction of the bible, but that all helps to tell a gripping tale. In telling Dinah's story the author has re-told other histories from a very different viewpoint, which brings it all to life.
The story may not be factual but the author has done her research into Jewish history and studied the way lives were lived way back when, and that is probably the most interesting bit. The Red Tent is where the women go at the time of the new moon, when all the women menstruate, and the coming of womanhood to a girl is ritually celebrated.
I am not too hot on the Old Testament and there are lots of names flying around but that doesn't matter. It's the story that counts. ****
4 comments:
I read The Red Tent years ago and remember it being a really good book. I still have it, so perhaps it's time to revisit it.
This book has been on my "to read" list for 15 years because a friend of My Rare One and me was reading it on a trip to Mexico we took together then. She said it was a really good read. It was also made into a four-hour miniseries maybe 5 years ago and I have that recorded on my DVR but have not watched it yet. Sheesh, talk about procrastination, eh? Just not enough hours in the day to do everything!
Recommended, Mary. Helpful to have the family tree at the start as well so i could keep going back to remind myself who was whom.
I noticed Amazon had a film or series, Debra. But you're right, not enough hours in the day to procrastinate effectively.
Women's stories in the bible are like those in history and literature (think, Shakespeare) - rare! (There's a reason it's called "his story".)
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