Book #6

The Red Tent

By: Anita Diamant

Yes, yes...I have read this one before, but like all great novels it deserves to be read OVER and OVER and OVER again! This was my third reading, and I fall in love with the story and the concept of this novel every time! There is such a quiet strength and power in the women who weave and shape the life of Dinah--the only daughter of Jacob (Isreal) in the Bible. Diamant tells the story of the life of Dinah as it "really" happened. She grows up in the shadow of the red tent where women bond together monthly and give birth and become sisters and friends. She carries this power with her as she loses her true love to her brother's murdering hands. She carries it with her as she gives birth to a son destined to be a great man in Egypt but not destined to remain her son. She carries it with her as she follows in her mother-aunt's footsteps and becomes a great midwife. She carries it with her as she finds love again and learns to forgive and to let go.

If you are at all interested in a historical fiction novel that weaves messages of feminism and the power of the female spirit, then read this book!