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Title: Moving, powerful, lyrical
Review: This is, first of all, a richly drawn portrayal of tribal life in the ancient Near East -- a vastly different world, woven with such loving detail and lushness as to be wholly persuasive. The lives of the women of the red tent, all but neglected by history, are brought to life here. Their voices are rich and lyrical and perceptive of the nuances of life. Powerful and moving. After reviewing the relevant chapters of the Old Testament, I had even more appreciation for The Red Tent. Passing comments left unexplained in the biblical account are fleshed out with rich human emotion and personality. Seen within Diamant's tapestry, the scene of Jacob crying out upon kissing Rachel is deeply felt by the reader. Other passages so vital to the biblical account are, appropriately, completely peripheral to the story told here. Diamant's interpretations of biblical events and people are novel, controversial, and compellingly real and believable.
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