Scan barcode
A review by amandagstevens
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
Why I stopped reading: The prologue intrigued me. The author's voice is compelling. But the characters are problematic. Everyone is one-track and that track is sex. For the women, it's about the mystical power of childbirth. For the men, it's about lust. The author didn't bother with any layers of humanity beyond this one. There's also a forced permeation of paganism and little inclusion (that I read; granted I did not finish) of the God of Israel, which doesn't make sense if one considers the book of Genesis to be even slightly historically accurate in its depiction of Jewish faith. I was hoping to get an alternate, fictionalized perspective on the Old Testament. This is an alternate reality.
The best way to write strong, true women is to show them holding their own alongside strong, true men. To show a give-and-take between them of supporting and leaning, strengths and flaws. This book instead paints all the men as weak, fearful, faithless, lust-driven ... on the whole, pathetic. A disservice to both the female and male characters, and not worth it for me.
The best way to write strong, true women is to show them holding their own alongside strong, true men. To show a give-and-take between them of supporting and leaning, strengths and flaws. This book instead paints all the men as weak, fearful, faithless, lust-driven ... on the whole, pathetic. A disservice to both the female and male characters, and not worth it for me.