THE RED TENT

By Ann Diamant

Anita Diamont, an award-winning journalist, has authored thirteen books.  The Red Tent, an historical novel published in 1997, became an instant best seller in this country and around the world solely on the basis of word-of-mouth.

I relish listening to audio books as companions on my daily walks around the Esplanade. I discovered The Red Tent by accident as I scrolled through the available audio books on the library app, Libby. The Red Tent is Ms. Diamant’s fictional account of the life of women in biblical times, depicted by her gripping story of Dinah, the daughter of Leah and Jacob. The book opens as Dinah reminisces about life with her mothers, Leah (her birth mother), Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah, all of whom were the wives of Jacob. 

The actual biblical account of Dinah’s life is brief, but violent.  Diamant expands the tale to weave her version of daily life and feminine customs in the world of the red tent. When Dinah reaches the threshold of womanhood she falls in love with a prince of Shechem. Dinah tells the tragic story of this first love in tender, yet vivid detail.  Overcome by the resulting emotional torment,  Dinah escapes to Egypt where she gives birth to the son, fathered by the prince.   I shall leave the resolution of this engrossing account for you to discover, should you choose to embark on a journey to ancient times – a journey which, to my mind is well worth the trip.

Susan Barron