A review by webtheweeb
The Red Tent - 20th Anniversary Edition by Anita Diamant
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
This book was recommended to me years ago, and I was always intrigued by its premise - but I never could have imagined what was actually held between these pages. This story is blindingly beautiful and devastatingly sad. It is both up close and far away. It is a retelling and it is something all its own. And I’m so grateful I finally decided to dive in.
As a person obsessed with genealogy and generational storytelling (yes, I’m a girlie who raises entire family trees in the Sims) this book was right up my alley. To write a story that takes place over the course of nearly a century that gracefully passes time between its fingers, knowing when to hold fast and when to let it slip through like so many grains of sand? That is a beautiful and rare thing. This book walks hand in hand with time, greeting it and kneading it and embracing it wholly. Its characters are complex and many, but they are all alive. Diamant’s writing puts you both directly in the mind of Dinah and at her feet, listening. I’m struggling to find words to live up to what this book feels like, but all I can say is I’m so glad I read it.
For lovers of complicated retellings of old stories (Paradise Lost girlies, assemble) and rich, expansive narratives. 5/5
As a person obsessed with genealogy and generational storytelling (yes, I’m a girlie who raises entire family trees in the Sims) this book was right up my alley. To write a story that takes place over the course of nearly a century that gracefully passes time between its fingers, knowing when to hold fast and when to let it slip through like so many grains of sand? That is a beautiful and rare thing. This book walks hand in hand with time, greeting it and kneading it and embracing it wholly. Its characters are complex and many, but they are all alive. Diamant’s writing puts you both directly in the mind of Dinah and at her feet, listening. I’m struggling to find words to live up to what this book feels like, but all I can say is I’m so glad I read it.
For lovers of complicated retellings of old stories (Paradise Lost girlies, assemble) and rich, expansive narratives. 5/5