Genre: Historical Fiction
Length: 352 pages
Audiobook Length: 11 hours and 50 minutes
First Published: 1997
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Publisher’s Description
In the Bible, Dinah’s 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.
The Red Tent 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 and the valuable achievement of presenting a new view of biblical women’s lives.
Quotes from The Red Tent
The painful things seemed like knots on a beautiful necklace, necessary for keeping the beads in place.
Of all life’s pleasures, only love owes no debt to death.
If you want to understand any woman, you must first ask about her mother and then listen carefully.
The other reason women wanted daughters was to keep their memories alive.
About Anita Diamant
Anita Diamant is a journalist and the author of the novels The Boston Girl, The Red Tent, Good Harbor, The Last Days of Dogtown, and Day After Night, and the collection of essays, Pitching My Tent. She currently lives in Massachusetts. Visit the author’s website →
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