My historical fiction book club is reading The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. It is a fictionalized account of the life of Dinah, daughter of Jacob and sister to the brothers that became the twelve tribes of Israel. Her story is recounted in the Bible in Genesis 34. Diamant's version is captivating as it tells the story of the Dinah's life as she lives in Canaan and Egypt and the clash of cultures and religion. Diament celebrates women, especially in their hidden lives--hidden in history and in the red tent, a women only refuge used during their period. The Red Tent is at odds with the Biblical narrative and is antagonistic to men: the good men were one-dimensional, the evil men were vile, and few men felt accurately or kindly portrayed, but it is a book centered on telling the story of women. I found it a skillfully told story with Dinah as a worthy, dynamic central character, but a book I didn't enjoy.
This week I spent many solo hours, 20+, driving to visit family and as I sped along I listened to The Red Tent and books three and four in the Penderwick series by Jeanne Birdsall: The Penderwicks at Point Mouette and The Penderwicks in Spring. The adventures of the Penderwick sisters made the miles fly by. Birdsall creates characters that I rooted for as they encountered first love and new responsibility. There is a fifth book in the series that I'm on hold for and I'm so excited to read it.
Sometimes you need a book about children's adventures that don't involve things going horrendously wrong like the world ending, sexual exploitation, or children being murdered. The words I would use to describe these books are hopeful and kind.
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