Though not everyone in our book club agreed, this book, to me, was incredible. The way the author explored the relationships between mothers and daughters, sisters, and all of their relationships with the men in their life was fascinating to me. To read of an era so much different from our own was to transport me to another time! I mourned when this book was over.

This was the first book that our book club tackeld. Since our initial membership was made up of a small group of women it was a perfect book for us.

Philosophical, wretching, dramatic - this book has it all. It's a real page turner and hard to put down. It explores the ancient mysteries of the feminie Divine and draws a clear picture of how close to paganism the first and second generation of Abraham really were. This book celebrates being female in a way that few women today even stop to think about in their hectic, day to day lives.

An incredibly different and challenging novel. The characters, at times, are difficult to distinguish but the pleasure of the story is still there. The novel really kicks in about 2/3 of the way through. I found myself teary-eyed and reflective during the last several pages. This book is challenging but, if you stick with it, I think you will feel well rewarded by the end.

I enjoyed this book because it is very focused on an era I don't know much about. I liked the unique spin on old stories and the idea that women have always cared for each other in the best ways they knew how.

Re-written Biblical account with an obvious vendetta against men (and I am a woman saying this!)

Our newly-formed book discussion group chose this as our first pick. While there were some members who were crazy about the book, there were just as many (if not more) who felt ho-hum about it or simply couldn't make themselves finish it.

It's definitely not a page turner, but it's an interesting story for readers who have the patience to slog through it.

I loved this book for the writing - but I had to continually remind myself it was historical FICTION. I had to check my bible and other sources for accuracy. But as a fun read, it was enticing.

Historical tale of the lives of women and their relationships from the women's perspective. Great fictional novel.

Our group was split on how much each person liked the book overall, but we were all impressed at how well the author created a tale focused on a biblical character that doesn't utter a single word in the Bible text. Opened a lot of cultural questions and comparisons as well as gender issues. Certainly provides a lot to talk about!

Interesting fictional account of the bible from the female perspective.

Although fiction, it was interesting to read about Jacob's family, and how women lived in this era. Very engaging and hard to put down!

This book was one that i cannot forget. It was so insightful and historical and captivating at the same time. A must read.

In Biblical times women didn't have book clubs, bridge clubs, or Ladies Golf day at the country club... but they knew the importance of sisterhood. Fascinating insight into what their relationships "might have been" in an otherwise male-dominated world. Laughed with them, cried with them. I couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed this book. It took the story of Jacob, his wives and Joseph and turned it on edge. While the book started slowly, I really got into it and enjoyed it. The people of the Bible were shown to be real people with weaknesses and failures that real people have. Parts of the Biblical story were interestingly played down, specifically, the episode of Jacob being "mugged" by the river and none of the Jacob's ladder or angelic visitation was given. I think the author did a good job showing how ancient jews lived and the traditions. How the women of the family didn't necessarily believe in the One True God of her husband, and that somehow, the husband didn't care. If you are interested in the Bible story (or not) and would like to know more about biblical women (who are sadly left largely out of history) this is a good, good book.

Not your typical Bible-based story at all. Very mdoern themes, but very good.

Starts off a little confusing with so many characters, but picks up after the first chapter. And although this is fiction, I thought it did a great job informing you of what life was like back in the days of the Bible. Educational It wasn't at all what I expected and I loved the way it was written.

The Red Tent is the feminist perspective of the story of Dinah in the Old Testament. The book tells a wonderful tale of the voices that are missing from the Bible: the voices of Dinah and her mothers. I highly recommend this book to other book clubs. It is full of discussion points and is certainly a page turner. Diamant weaves a beautiful tale of the culture and the oral tradition passed down through women.

Read it twice. Great book.

The concept of this book is a good one: fill in the missing details of a bible story, in this case, the story of Jacob and his family as told by his daughter Dinah. But there were problems with Anita Diamant's retelling that I couldn't stand and so gave up after Part 1 plus two pages of Part 2.

To quote a Goodreads reviewer, Stefani, this book is the "chick flick of biblical revisionism." I don't like chick lit. Those who give this book a high rating apparently do.

Also, as an adult, I don't care for young adult novels. And the writing in this novel seems to aim for the sixth grade reading level.

Again, to quote Stefani, while this book elaborated "on the amazing sisterhood and bonding that happens around the red tent," it implied "all the way that women have all the power, men take all the credit." It irritated me.

Difficult to get into the book due to the so many biblical names but after getting past that, found the history and story line very interesting for the times.

Gave me an insight into the era and a better understanding of the realities of the people.

I would have given it 2.5 stars if that was an option. It was interesting to read how the women lived in the book. The book was to long and and repetitive especialily the first part of the story.