Happy Mother's Day / The Red Tent

To all the wonderful women I know - mothers, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, nieces, wives, friends - have a wonderful day and know that you are appreciated, whether you have kids or not.  And a special note of thanks to my mother, because when I come across a new word in anything I'm reading, I can still hear her voice softly encouraging me, "Sound it out..."  I would not be the reader I am today without her, and my love of books is one of countless things I am blessed to share with her!

In the spirit of female strength and unity I'll pass out a recommendation for a great book about women.  The Red Tent by Anita Diamant is a book that I read last year after I lost count of how many people recommended it to me.  It's a historical fiction novel based on figures from the book of Genesis and tells the story of Dinah, daughter of Jacob.  Obviously, Jacob was very famous for his extensive number of sons, so this book was a really interesting look at his sole female offspring who is only briefly mentioned in the Old Testament.

I really liked the historical details in this book and it was a well written account of Jewish lifestyles and traditions of the time - especially the unity among women.  In a male dominated society one might think that the women's stories are not as intriguing, but Diamant proves quite the opposite.

Anyone else have great books about women to recommend?

6 Response to "Happy Mother's Day / The Red Tent"

  1. Ellen aka Ellie says:
    May 9, 2010 at 8:13 AM

    This book was loaned to me the night of my baptism. I am not a historical fiction fan, but I did enjoy reading this one. It's been eclipsed in my brain by so much other reading since then that I'd have to read it again to remember just why I liked it, but I do know I was stunned that I understood it (knowing little about those times to help me imagine the settings) and pleased to admit I liked it.

  2. Melody says:
    May 11, 2010 at 12:06 AM

    For women's role in a book I would recommend the Women's Muder Club series by James Patterson. This was the first series that I actually read that introduced females as crime stoppers lol.

  3. lisa :) says:
    May 11, 2010 at 1:57 PM

    Ellen, I always thought I wasn't a historical fiction fan, but I think it's the genre I've read the most of so far this year!

    Melody, thanks for the rec - I'll add it to my list! I haven't read too much Patterson but I do like his style and I always love a well written mystery and I almost mentioned The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series (great female fic!) but I went with The Red Tent for Mother's day since it's more about a daughter's story.

  4. Lauren Jakubowski Says:
    May 11, 2010 at 10:18 PM

    Mwa ha ha! Comment on your book blog!
    If you haven't read them already, excellent series written by Jaqueline Winspear focused on Maisie Dobbs. It's a historical fiction series set in post-World War I England, about a woman who went from maid to school, to nursing during WWI, then being a psychologist and investigator afterwards. Very interesting and well-written!

  5. Deb K says:
    May 12, 2010 at 11:34 AM

    Hi I am now following you from Book Blogs :-)


    You can find me here~

    http://debshere.blogspot.com/

  6. lisa :) says:
    May 12, 2010 at 2:29 PM

    Hey L-Dawg! (Is that an *evil* comment?) I've heard the Maisie Dobbs books are good! Someone else told me to read the Amelia Peabody mysteries too (can't think of the author...) So many good choices, so little time!!

    Hi Deb - thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear your thoughts on my reviews as well!

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