She even suggests that the significant, divine naming of Israel (a true milestone in the Jewish story) was nothing more than Jacob's cowardly choice to change his name so as not to be associated with the slaughter in Schechem. The author unnecessarily, I believe, alters some segments of the Biblical narrative. Although Diamant seems to be developing something interesting in the nature of Judah, she quickly drops the matter. The narrator states that Jacob was devastated by Joseph's reported death, but we have no reason to believe it, since the author has neither developed nor depicted any love or affection between them. We never get any sense that they are worth caring about, that there is any emotion within in them that we, as readers, can relate to. In Diamant’s novel, we largely see only one side to these men-the downside. In the Bible, the characters of Jacob and Joseph are more well-rounded they are humans with both faults and virtues, moments of greatness and of pettiness. The author does a fairly decent job of developing her female characters, but her male characters are largely flat, stereotypical, and unnecessarily negative.

Dinah's tale is one that deserves fleshing out in the Bible it is an interesting though undeveloped and uncertain chronicle. The Red Tent is (very) loosely based on the story of Dinah in Genesis, and it is a book that is very easy to read. PITCHING MY TENT, a collection personal essays, is drawn from twenty years worth of newspaper and magazine columns.

She is also the author of six non-fiction guides to contemporary Jewish life, which have become classic reference books: THE JEWISH WEDDING NOW, THE JEWISH BABY BOOK, LIVING A JEWISH LIFE, CHOOSING A JEWISH LIFE, HOW TO RAISE A JEWISH CHILD, and SAYING KADDISH.Īn award-winning journalist, Diamant's articles have appeared in the Boston Globe, Real Simple, Parenting Magazine, Hadassah, Boston Magazine and Yankee Magazine. A NEW CHAPTER IN THE FIGHT FOR MENSTRUAL JUSTICE will be published in May 2021., As different as they are, this book returns to some of the themes of THE RED TENT - including the meaning and experience of menstruation.Īnita has written four other novels: GOOD HARBOR, THE LAST DAYS OF DOGTOWN, DAY AFTER NIGHT, and THE BOSTON GIRL. Based on the biblical story of Dinah, THE RED TENT became a word-of-mouth bestseller in the US and around the world, where it has been published in more than 25 countries.

Anita Diamant is the author of thirteen books - including THE RED TENT.

The red tent novel