The Red Tent - Page 2

[KaraBoo]

I agree with momx2 in that I felt the book fell apart in the second half.

I think the author didn't care as much about the second part of her story as she did the first. I got the feeling that the book was written just so she could tell the first part...the second was added so it would be "complete," when in fact, it didn't feel complete to me at all. Hope that makes sense.

[Awaken]

Originally Posted by Kidzaplenty

I have been meaning to ask this, so I hope it is ok to ask here. I was wondering how it compaired to the Jewish account of the story. Although I found it quite interesting, I could not overcome the discrepancies between it's story and the Biblical story. I know that the Jewish scriptures are sometimes translated differently than the Christian scriptures, so I was wondering how they compaired to this story.

I love reading Biblical fiction, but found that this one was just too far off.

I felt like it was fleshing out the biblical account, rather than being different from it. After I read the book the 1st time, I re-read the biblical account just to compare and see how close the book was. It has been a couple years since then, but at the time I felt like what the author did was put in a lot more detail about what life must have been like for the women at that time.

I, too, would be very interested to know how the jewish scriptures compare.

[redhotmama]

OK I read this book a couple of years ago and recently picked it up at a garage sale thinking I might want to read it again someday. Your thread inspired me and I was up till midnight reading last night. I dreamt about birthing all night! Do you think this book could induce labor?

[kerikadi]

Originally Posted by arismommy

why did their periods only last 3 days??

My period only lasts three days and it has been like that most of my life.

I think *maybe* if women were able to flow freely as they were then your body would get rid of your shedding in a more efficient mannor. Also, some believe that the super absorbent tampons and pads most women use causes them to bleed longer. I know when I use Mama cloth it seems my periods are even shorter than normal and friends that use the Diva cup report the same thing.

I almost threw the book out the window when the masacre happened I was so upset and mad.
I think the biggest difference is that in the Bible Dinah is raped, not in love with this man so I guess to me in the Bible it made sense because it seemed they were avenging her rape. Whereas in the book it didn't really make sense.

I recently went to a Blessingway where one of my friends read to our celebrated pregnant Mama friend out of The Red Tent and it really made me want to pick it up and read it again.
I sent my Mom my copy hoping she would read it and we could discuss it but she couldn't get past all the weird names in the beginning and she had a hard time remember who was who which I understand but was able to get past. I guess I'll have to stop by 1/2 price books and see if they have one in stock.

Keri

[terrordactyl]

in the book her father and brother believe she was raped because she wasn't married when she first slept with him. what this book is trying to do is show the part in the bible from the womans point of view. and in the bible the massacre happened

[Kidzaplenty]

Actually, the Bible does not respond one way or another about how Dinah felt.

Genesis 34:2-4 And when Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and humbled her. And his soul clung to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke to the heart of the girl. And Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, Get me this girl for a wife.

It COULD be read as rape, but it could just have likely been more along the lines of seduced or wooed. The problem that the males in the family had was that she was not married to him and it was unacceptable for a man and a woman, especially their sister/daughter, to sleep with someone outside of marriage. She would no longer be "pure and unspoiled" for a future marriage.

I never actually got to that part of the book. I could not get past the discrepancies of the first part with Laban and Leah & Rachel.

[KiwiZ]

I hope you don't mind me bringing up an old topic here; my sister gave me this book to read and it is mesmerizing.

Originally Posted by Kidzaplenty

I could not get past the discrepancies of the first part with Laban and Leah & Rachel.

I'm curious about this too -when I read the Bible stories on Jacob/Rachel/Leah,Dinah,etc they are so different than what the novel is saying. I understand taking artistic license, but why such a difference? I remember when I was watching Braveheart, it started with the narrator saying:

"I shall tell you of William Wallace. Historians from England will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes."

do you think the author was trying to say that maybe parts of the Bible might be like this? Curious what you all think!

ETA: Oh, you guys were asking about what was diff in the Bible vs the book. Just my take here, but here is what I found diff:

Bible: Jacob is tricked by Laban to marry Leah when he really wanted Rachel
Red Tent: Jacob knew it was Leah he was marrying and was happy. He also wanted to marry Rachel and later did

I've only read the first couple chapters, so I'm not sure about the next part but I think in the book Dinah falls in love/sleeps with a foreigner and her family does not approve and reacts violently. In the Bible story, Dinah is raped (? arguable as per the above post) and her brothers get revenge. Will add other differences as I find them...

[Mama2-4]

I just bought this book today, based on the recommendations here. Planning on reading it while on vacation! I hope I like it, I am in the mood for a really good read!

[Ruthla]

I would have thoroughly enjoyed this book if it was about purely fictional characters. I especially enjoyed the first half, with the sisterhood and the tent and the author's vision of what life might have been like back then.

But because the book deals with actual historical figures, the dramatic liscence really, really irked me. I do NOT particularly appreciate all the idol-worship by women who were supposed to be the Matriarchs of monotheism. It really ruined the book for me.

Again, if the author had changed all the names and made this story about fictional women living around the same time and place as Biblical figures, I would have enjoyed the book immensly.

[Kidzaplenty]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

I would have thoroughly enjoyed this book if it was about purely fictional characters. I especially enjoyed the first half, with the sisterhood and the tent and the author's vision of what life might have been like back then.

But because the book deals with actual historical figures, the dramatic liscence really, really irked me. I do NOT particularly appreciate all the idol-worship by women who were supposed to be the Matriarchs of monotheism. It really ruined the book for me.

Again, if the author had changed all the names and made this story about fictional women living around the same time and place as Biblical figures, I would have enjoyed the book immensly.

:

[Pam_and_Abigail]

I had to come looking for threads on this. I just read it over the weekend. It's been on my 'to-read' llist since I first saw the title on mdc, but I went to a Belly Dance workshop a week and a half ago and the teacher was talking about these 'Red Tent' events they have, and I just had to check out the book (If you're in Portland, Oregon, you can check out Jane Archer's Euphoria Studios for one).

My heart broke at the massacre. I bawled for the rest of the book. Every step after that moment seemed like a tragedy. And I was upset at the fact that Dinah was unable to carry on the traditions of her mothers.

It reminded me a teensy bit of the book by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Priestess of Avalon. The young woman is raised in Feminine divinity and mysteries, ends up leaving it in her youth, raises a son she can't connect to. I feel those losses of the feminine deeply, as someone who wishes to reconstruct what we lost in our spirituality so long ago.

And I feel so lost without that womanly kinship they had in the red tent.

That reminds me of another question: How accurate is it that every woman would menstruate at the new moon? Are we that out of sync with our natural cycles, or is that just a romantic fiction concept. I mean, I understand that women who live close to each other have their periods around the same time, but I don't stay in sync with the moon, I drift around. A year ago, my period came around the new moon, but lately it's been happening at the full, because my cycle is not the exact length of the moon's cycle.

[laralee16]

Originally Posted by Pam_and_Abigail

That reminds me of another question: How accurate is it that every woman would menstruate at the new moon? Are we that out of sync with our natural cycles, or is that just a romantic fiction concept. I mean, I understand that women who live close to each other have their periods around the same time, but I don't stay in sync with the moon, I drift around. A year ago, my period came around the new moon, but lately it's been happening at the full, because my cycle is not the exact length of the moon's cycle.

I think this is along the lines of women who live together get there flows together. That is always how I took it anyway.

[madhavi]

loved this book!
so emotional
definetly made me want to be a midwife
inspired me on so many levels
and yes, i wish i had some sort of sisterhood/support/deep friendship with women.

[alaskaberry]

such a powerful, emotionally investing book. one of my favorites. wish that there were more books like this.

Originally Posted by kerikadi

My period only lasts three days and it has been like that most of my life.

Me too.

[kerikadi]

Originally Posted by alaskaberry

such a powerful, emotionally investing book. one of my favorites. wish that there were more books like this.

I got another book, Good Harbor, by the same author. Definitely NOT what I was looking for. It has to be the most boring book I have ever tried to read

Keri