I loved this book, but it also drove me crazy!
WARNING! This review gives a great deal of the story line away!
I had the opportunity to see the movie before the book, which I almost never do if I can help it. The movie had me ready for the difficult parts to get through. Yet there were strange changes in the story. So I began to understand that they are two different version of the same story. Like listening to two variations by two different storytellers.
Dina is Jacob's only daughter. She lives with her mothers and Aunties and is raised with the red tent traditions of the goddesses of her mothers. Jacob follows the one God, Elohim like his father Issac. He has a brother Esau. His mother is Rebecca the Oracle. Rebecca and Jacob worked together to trick a blind Issac to give his blessing to the younger son and not the older son. Jacob shamed found a home with a kinsman. He fell in love at first sight with Rachel. Rachel's sister Leah was the one who took care of everyone and was the first born so this was a bit of a problem. Jacob works for his kinsman for 7 years to earn the right for Rachel's hand in marriage.
Jacobs family grows and he has the need to leave his kinsman. They travel far away heading home to the lands of his family. Many things happen on the way there. Many other family members are meet and Dina grows up with her mother/aunties in the red tent.
Dina spends time with Rebecca. They seem to never really hit it off, but when Dina returns she has changed.
Their family has gotten so large they must find new lands to live on. So they find themselves in Sachem.
Rachel continues to work with Inna as a midwife and Dina is training. Rachel gets called to go to Sachem to help deliver a baby where she meets the queen. Dina finds the Prince and they react strongly toward one another.
The queen decides to fix up her son and Dina to create a bond with the most successful shepherd, Jacob.
Dina and Shalem fall in love blissfully and become man and wife. Hamor the king goes to Jacob with a brideprice worthy of a queen, but he does not accept.
Joseph, jokingly says something about having all the men of Sachem give their foreskin and be circumcised. Hamor, Shalem and their kisnmen agree.
Jacobs sons are greedy and plan the most heinous of crimes to regain Dina's honor.
Dina loses everything. She curses Jacob and heads back to Sachem to die. But the queen find her and realizes Dina is pregnant with her grandson and so they flee to egypt.
Egypt cares for them. She finds kindness from the queens family, but has to struggle with the customs of egypt and become less important in her sons life for his success in Egypt.
She is befriended by her midwife to also become a midwife in Egypt. And so it goes, life moves on. But Dina still has her past crushing down on her.
The queen dies, Dina stays on. But her position changes, but she finally goes outside of the house and finds a strong carpenter at the market. She is remiss in dealing with this new person because her son comes home to become a man.
She continues until the Scribe's home she lives in gets turned over to a new scribe because Re-mose's Ba (uncle) has died. So she travels with Meryt to the Valley of the Kings to live with her family. Her best friend is always looking out for her. Dina brings blessing with her and she is still holding onto her past. Dina become a midwife again here in this new place. The carpenter comes to find her. Dina finds happiness.
Dina gets summoned to the palace to midwife for the grand vizier. She becomes ill and finds out her son is in danger. When she goes before the grand vizier she is face to face with her brother... can she get mercy from her brother Joseph for Her son Re-mose? What happens to her mother/aunties? Will Dina ever see her family again? Will it be a reunion? Does Dina ever see Jacob again? Will Dina create a relationship with Joseph again? Will Dina be allowed to enjoy her life with Benia? Will Dina ever find piece from her past? Will Dina ever have another child? Will anyone ever remember Dina the only daughter of Jacob in the patriarchal society that changes Dina's world forever?
WARNING! This review gives a great deal of the story line away!
I had the opportunity to see the movie before the book, which I almost never do if I can help it. The movie had me ready for the difficult parts to get through. Yet there were strange changes in the story. So I began to understand that they are two different version of the same story. Like listening to two variations by two different storytellers.
Dina is Jacob's only daughter. She lives with her mothers and Aunties and is raised with the red tent traditions of the goddesses of her mothers. Jacob follows the one God, Elohim like his father Issac. He has a brother Esau. His mother is Rebecca the Oracle. Rebecca and Jacob worked together to trick a blind Issac to give his blessing to the younger son and not the older son. Jacob shamed found a home with a kinsman. He fell in love at first sight with Rachel. Rachel's sister Leah was the one who took care of everyone and was the first born so this was a bit of a problem. Jacob works for his kinsman for 7 years to earn the right for Rachel's hand in marriage.
Jacobs family grows and he has the need to leave his kinsman. They travel far away heading home to the lands of his family. Many things happen on the way there. Many other family members are meet and Dina grows up with her mother/aunties in the red tent.
Dina spends time with Rebecca. They seem to never really hit it off, but when Dina returns she has changed.
Their family has gotten so large they must find new lands to live on. So they find themselves in Sachem.
Rachel continues to work with Inna as a midwife and Dina is training. Rachel gets called to go to Sachem to help deliver a baby where she meets the queen. Dina finds the Prince and they react strongly toward one another.
The queen decides to fix up her son and Dina to create a bond with the most successful shepherd, Jacob.
Dina and Shalem fall in love blissfully and become man and wife. Hamor the king goes to Jacob with a brideprice worthy of a queen, but he does not accept.
Joseph, jokingly says something about having all the men of Sachem give their foreskin and be circumcised. Hamor, Shalem and their kisnmen agree.
Jacobs sons are greedy and plan the most heinous of crimes to regain Dina's honor.
Dina loses everything. She curses Jacob and heads back to Sachem to die. But the queen find her and realizes Dina is pregnant with her grandson and so they flee to egypt.
Egypt cares for them. She finds kindness from the queens family, but has to struggle with the customs of egypt and become less important in her sons life for his success in Egypt.
She is befriended by her midwife to also become a midwife in Egypt. And so it goes, life moves on. But Dina still has her past crushing down on her.
The queen dies, Dina stays on. But her position changes, but she finally goes outside of the house and finds a strong carpenter at the market. She is remiss in dealing with this new person because her son comes home to become a man.
She continues until the Scribe's home she lives in gets turned over to a new scribe because Re-mose's Ba (uncle) has died. So she travels with Meryt to the Valley of the Kings to live with her family. Her best friend is always looking out for her. Dina brings blessing with her and she is still holding onto her past. Dina become a midwife again here in this new place. The carpenter comes to find her. Dina finds happiness.
Dina gets summoned to the palace to midwife for the grand vizier. She becomes ill and finds out her son is in danger. When she goes before the grand vizier she is face to face with her brother... can she get mercy from her brother Joseph for Her son Re-mose? What happens to her mother/aunties? Will Dina ever see her family again? Will it be a reunion? Does Dina ever see Jacob again? Will Dina create a relationship with Joseph again? Will Dina be allowed to enjoy her life with Benia? Will Dina ever find piece from her past? Will Dina ever have another child? Will anyone ever remember Dina the only daughter of Jacob in the patriarchal society that changes Dina's world forever?
