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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This retelling of the Biblical story of Dinah was a beautiful story of womanhood, motherhood, and returned dignity and agency to a story originally framed as victimhood. This story of Dinah felt so familiar and warm, providing comfort from her purpose in the teachings of the women who raised her.
a beautiful story about womanhood and rewriting our personal narratives. i loved loved looooved this book
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
I forgot that the Bible is filled with murder and rape. I think I forgot this amidst all the book banning and censorship. This audible is absolutely lyrical and beautiful. It is centered around the tale of Deliah and her 14+ brothers who were born from one of her four mothers married to Jacob. At first, all the names were overwhelming but I was able to understand the story once I understood who the main characters. This is such a wonderful book and I am sorry it took so long for me to finally read it.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A very interesting fictional tale about an untold Bible story. Visual. Emotional. I quite enjoyed it.
0/5 Stars. Would not recommend.
As a book with markets itself as “a new view of BIBLICAL women’s lives,” I was shocked to discover numerous anti-Biblical teachings and focus points.
While there was a large population back then who were worshippers of pagan gods/goddesses, and this may have had some bearing on the spiritual lives of Jacob’s wives, the lack of worship to the God of the Bible, Jacobs’s own God, was a red flag for me. Beyond this omission, there are large sections of the story dedicated to clearly anti-Biblical themes (such as inferring that shepherds practice bestiality while out in the fields with the flock, Jacob included. And Jacob being fully ware that Leah was the first wife presented to him the entire time, and being content/happy this was the case).
So much of the male character development (if there was any at all) paints every male in the story as nothing less than sex-crazed, lustful brutes. They are driven by their own sexual desires, and while Rachel was a kind/warm woman, and Leah was a capable businesswomen, Jacob picked them for wives because of Rachels beauty and Leah’s sexual appeal. There are many scenes which portray Dinah as nothing but a hormonal girl as well, large paragraphs and pages telling of her sitting outside her brothers tents listening to the her family members having sex.
At the end of the story (spoiler alert if you still want to read this book), Dinah reconnects with Joseph. Dinah and Joseph both feel nothing but hatred towards their old lives. Dinah because of her brothers murder spree against the her first husband and his city, and Joseph because of his brothers hatred towards him.
For those who wonder was actually happened in the Bible, see Genesis 29 through 50.
- Jacob works hard for Rachels hand in marriage, but Laban switched Leah for Rachel on the night of the wedding. Jacob has no knowledge of this and was furious with Laban the next morning. Laban pleads with Jacob to finish the marriage week and then being to work again for Rachels hand. (In the Red Tent, Zilpah is the one who came up with this trickery, Jacob doesn’t confront Laban for a full week, and Jacob is perfectly ok with Leah instead of Rachel.)
- Leah is hated by Jacob. Rachel is clearly the favorite, and Jacob spends more time attending to Rachel. God (the God of the Bible, the God of Jacob) sees Leahs circumstances and grants her children. Each of her sons name is a reflection on how God has heard her and helped her. Rachel is fiercely jealous of Leah’s motherhood, and when God grants Rachel children, Rachel praises God. (In the Red Tent, the gift and blessing of children come from the pagan gods/goddesses. Leah is welcomed not hated, and while there is a rivalry between Leahs and Rachel, its more of a petty jealousy.)
- Joseph reconciles with his brothers and father. He pities his brothers and even though he teases them for a while – accusing them of being thieves, holding Benjamin while they go fetch their father, etc. – Joseph eventually forgives his brothers and provides them opportunity and fortune in Egypt.
There are more differences, but rather than laying it all out here, I would recommend going and reading Genesis, Chapter 29 starts with Jacobs meeting of Rachel, Chapter 34 details the story of Dinah and the Prince of Shechem, 37 through 41 is Josephs rise in Egypt, 42 through 46 is Josephs reconciliation with his brothers.
While I understand that because Dinah is a minor character in the Bible, and as such her story requires some creative liberties to flesh out, I did not appreciate that a book written about Biblical characters, using the Biblical timeline, and being marketed/sold as a kind of Biblical Fiction or Bible-adjacent story had such an utter lack of regard for the actual Bible and its teachings.
As a book with markets itself as “a new view of BIBLICAL women’s lives,” I was shocked to discover numerous anti-Biblical teachings and focus points.
While there was a large population back then who were worshippers of pagan gods/goddesses, and this may have had some bearing on the spiritual lives of Jacob’s wives, the lack of worship to the God of the Bible, Jacobs’s own God, was a red flag for me. Beyond this omission, there are large sections of the story dedicated to clearly anti-Biblical themes (such as inferring that shepherds practice bestiality while out in the fields with the flock, Jacob included. And Jacob being fully ware that Leah was the first wife presented to him the entire time, and being content/happy this was the case).
So much of the male character development (if there was any at all) paints every male in the story as nothing less than sex-crazed, lustful brutes. They are driven by their own sexual desires, and while Rachel was a kind/warm woman, and Leah was a capable businesswomen, Jacob picked them for wives because of Rachels beauty and Leah’s sexual appeal. There are many scenes which portray Dinah as nothing but a hormonal girl as well, large paragraphs and pages telling of her sitting outside her brothers tents listening to the her family members having sex.
At the end of the story (spoiler alert if you still want to read this book), Dinah reconnects with Joseph. Dinah and Joseph both feel nothing but hatred towards their old lives. Dinah because of her brothers murder spree against the her first husband and his city, and Joseph because of his brothers hatred towards him.
For those who wonder was actually happened in the Bible, see Genesis 29 through 50.
- Jacob works hard for Rachels hand in marriage, but Laban switched Leah for Rachel on the night of the wedding. Jacob has no knowledge of this and was furious with Laban the next morning. Laban pleads with Jacob to finish the marriage week and then being to work again for Rachels hand. (In the Red Tent, Zilpah is the one who came up with this trickery, Jacob doesn’t confront Laban for a full week, and Jacob is perfectly ok with Leah instead of Rachel.)
- Leah is hated by Jacob. Rachel is clearly the favorite, and Jacob spends more time attending to Rachel. God (the God of the Bible, the God of Jacob) sees Leahs circumstances and grants her children. Each of her sons name is a reflection on how God has heard her and helped her. Rachel is fiercely jealous of Leah’s motherhood, and when God grants Rachel children, Rachel praises God. (In the Red Tent, the gift and blessing of children come from the pagan gods/goddesses. Leah is welcomed not hated, and while there is a rivalry between Leahs and Rachel, its more of a petty jealousy.)
- Joseph reconciles with his brothers and father. He pities his brothers and even though he teases them for a while – accusing them of being thieves, holding Benjamin while they go fetch their father, etc. – Joseph eventually forgives his brothers and provides them opportunity and fortune in Egypt.
There are more differences, but rather than laying it all out here, I would recommend going and reading Genesis, Chapter 29 starts with Jacobs meeting of Rachel, Chapter 34 details the story of Dinah and the Prince of Shechem, 37 through 41 is Josephs rise in Egypt, 42 through 46 is Josephs reconciliation with his brothers.
While I understand that because Dinah is a minor character in the Bible, and as such her story requires some creative liberties to flesh out, I did not appreciate that a book written about Biblical characters, using the Biblical timeline, and being marketed/sold as a kind of Biblical Fiction or Bible-adjacent story had such an utter lack of regard for the actual Bible and its teachings.