PLOT

How many of you have heard the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors? Heck, there’s even a musical about Jacob’s favorite son and his many brothers. The Red Tent offers a different view of this famous family. Back in their day, when women were menstruating, giving birth or sick they were sent to the red tent. This was a place only for women (and their infant sons who still needed mom’s constant care). Through the eyes of Dinah, Jacob’s only daughter, we see the women’s perspective and it is a far different tale than we are taught growing up. Through it all, we see the bonds of sisterhood and that even in the days were women were subjugated, they could still embody strength, independence and femininity.

SCOOP

WOW. That’s the best word for this book. This is a story about feminism way before it’s time. Of women who are strong and independent without rocking the boat. This is also a story about the great friendships and bonds that women have together. Honestly, it made me almost wish we modern girls had a place like that where we could go for a few days each month. After you read this book you will feel empowered as a woman.

The Red Tent

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PLOT

Eleanor’s father dies and making her the Duchess of Aquitaine. She is quickly forced into a marriage with the prince of France, Louis VII rather than her childhood love, Baron Rancon. Louis is a religious fanatic who attempts to keep Eleanor under lock and key, but the harder he tries to hold her down, the more she rebels. She finally convinces the Church, the Pope and Louis to give her an annulment so that she may be with her true love, Baron Rancon.

Instead, Eleanor finds herself thrust again into a political marriage to Henry II of England. Henry is much stronger and cunning than Louis was and proves a match for Eleanor. When she backs her sons in a rebellion for the throne, Henry has Eleanor thrown into prison for seventeen long years.

SCOOP

If you visit this site often you will find that I read a lot of historical fiction. I can’t help it, I love it. And this book has a lot to love. Eleanor is portrayed as a strong, intelligent and independent woman who is trapped by the political plays of the men around her. I couldn’t help but admire her courage and refusal to back down. In addition to a strong character, this book has a love story, politics and power plays and treachery all wrapped into one. This is a delicious book you won’t want to put down.

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THE PLOT:

The story takes place in Florence, Italy during the Renaissance and the reign of the Medici family. Alessandra, the only daughter of a wealthy family, is every bit a child of the Renaissance who finds her life disrupted when her father employs a struggling artist to paint the chapel ceiling in their home. Alessandra is instantly drawn to this young man, but her family is determined to keep them apart. Alessandra is horrified when she learns she is going to be married to a man who is much older. As Alessandra is forced to leave her painter and her family, the city around her is in turmoil. A fundamentalist monk is working to gain control of the city and suppress the Renaissance movement. As the situation in the city continues to grow worse, Alessandra discovers that her marriage was built upon a secret, and she finds her thoughts continually returning to the painter. Just as the chaos around the city erupts, so does her personal life.

THE SCOOP:

This book is amazing to read. I will admit that I am a bit of an Italian Renaissance junkie so stories set in that time period already have a point in their favor. But there is more to this story than just the time period it was set in. The sexual tension between Alessandra and her painter is intense. I found myself reading as fast as I could just to try to find out whether or not they ever got to be together because I could almost feel their longing myself. The book is beautifully written and the descriptions will have your imagination running rampant with vivid images. This is a must read for everyone. I told one of my friends to read it and she dubbed it a “sexy book.” And what a sexy book it is!!!

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