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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am a sucker for classic stories told from a different perspective. Lots of really great writing, although I have to say that, stories like "and then Jacob made all the men of this town get circumcised and his sons murdered them anyway" work in he bible where you don't necessarily need explanations and motivations for everything, but I didn't think it translated incredibly well to this novel. Familial and religious tensions in the book didn't mount quite enough for me to understand why this mass circumcision/murder happened.
“The chain connecting mother to daughter was broken and the world passed to the keeping of men, who had no way of knowing.”3/5 stars.
Hardcover, 271 pages.
Read from December 4, 2017 to December 11 2017.
Review at The Pluviophile Writer: https://bit.ly/2GmGfwv
This is one of those books I purposely avoided in my youth. Don't ask me why but I had a thing in wanting to avoid highly feminine literature or anything do with motherhood. I guess I did not think I wanted kids and I was wrapped up in my own "cool girl" persona. There are some powerful moments in this book that spoke to me despite the strong motherhood tone. I should also point out that I was not at all familiar with the original story of Dinah that is referenced in the bible until after I read this book.
Dinah is born as the only daughter of Jacob. She grows up with the other strong women in her family under the presence of the Red Tent. The Red Tent is a place where women gather when they are menstruating or giving birth. It is a strength-giving place where women reset and pass down midwife knowledge to younger generations. However, as Dinah grows these traditions are coming under threat. They make men uncomfortable, this brewing power and community that women have, and Dinah will learn first hand, how a threat of power will cause even men she loves to act out in horrible ways.
“Why did I not know that (child) birth is the pinnacle where women discover the courage to become mothers?...Until you are the woman on the bricks, you have no idea how death stands in the corner, ready to play his part. Until you are the woman on the bricks, you do not know the power that rises from other women.”I can see why this book was an instant hit with so many readers. For any woman that has had a child, this book would validate the beautiful gift of childbirth and motherhood which is something we, as a modern society, have fallen a bit out of touch with. We medicalize birth, view women's menstrual cycles as a nuisance to be stifled and controlled, and have gotten out of touch with raising children in a community setting which, leaves mothers extremely isolated and without the resources or help that other woman and the bond of motherhood can provide. Additionally, I would say that the book made a strong comment on Christianity in that that the community and strength that women had in this book was brought to end by Christianity when women's sexuality and virginity was being controlled by men.
As I do not have children at this point in my life the motherhood theme was a bit overpowering at times, however, this book helped me reconnect with my feminine side and appreciate the strength that comes with being a woman, making it an important read for all women.
reflective
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
challenging
slow-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
This is a book I come back to and read at least once a year - and I still stay up too late to keep reading it every time.
A powerfully written story that looks behind the footnote that is Dinah's story from the Bible. We know from the Bible that Dinah was taken to wife by a prince and that as bride price Jacob demanded that all the men of the city be circumcised. As the men are recovering from this, Jacob's sons descend upon the city killing all the men and taking the women and children as slaves. This is all the Bible tells of of Dinah's story. In fact, most women's stories are mere footnotes and incidental in the Bible.
Diamant takes us into the world of women during biblical times. The Red Tent was the women's private domain, where they went to celebrate the new moon, to relax together, eating, singing, telling stories as they sat in the straw while their courses ran.
We hear the stories of Jacob's wives - Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah. We learn of their joy when there is, finally, a girl who lives to grow and hear her mother's stories. As Dinah grows, the family leaves the valley where they have been for years and returns to reconcile with Esau. This is a time filled with uncertainty and tension - how will they be received? We are witness to they reunion of Jacob with his parents, Rebecca and Isaac.
One day, Dinah travels with Rachel to serve as midwives to a concubine of the local king. Here, the fateful meeting between the prince and Dinah takes place. But what happened to Dinah after the massacre of her husband and all the other men? Diamant has woven a story that imagines a history for Dinah that brings her to that fateful day in history and beyond as she lives out her life.
A powerfully written story that looks behind the footnote that is Dinah's story from the Bible. We know from the Bible that Dinah was taken to wife by a prince and that as bride price Jacob demanded that all the men of the city be circumcised. As the men are recovering from this, Jacob's sons descend upon the city killing all the men and taking the women and children as slaves. This is all the Bible tells of of Dinah's story. In fact, most women's stories are mere footnotes and incidental in the Bible.
Diamant takes us into the world of women during biblical times. The Red Tent was the women's private domain, where they went to celebrate the new moon, to relax together, eating, singing, telling stories as they sat in the straw while their courses ran.
We hear the stories of Jacob's wives - Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah. We learn of their joy when there is, finally, a girl who lives to grow and hear her mother's stories. As Dinah grows, the family leaves the valley where they have been for years and returns to reconcile with Esau. This is a time filled with uncertainty and tension - how will they be received? We are witness to they reunion of Jacob with his parents, Rebecca and Isaac.
One day, Dinah travels with Rachel to serve as midwives to a concubine of the local king. Here, the fateful meeting between the prince and Dinah takes place. But what happened to Dinah after the massacre of her husband and all the other men? Diamant has woven a story that imagines a history for Dinah that brings her to that fateful day in history and beyond as she lives out her life.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I missed the boat on the initial popularity of this book, but it was great to get to it now. Though I’m not suuuper familiar with the biblical stories of Jacob, Leah, Rachel, Dinah, etc, I still found this story really epic and moving, and I absolutely flew through this story.
emotional
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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:
No
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a perfect book. It reminded me very much of Madeline L'Engle's A Swiftly Tilting Planet, as it had the same Old Testament characters. It was an amazing look at the lives of women in a time when women were often overlooked, and at the power that can be drawn from our physical bodies. There was a large cast of characters, and multiple generations, but I never felt lost or overwhelmed. Wonderful!