THE RED TENT * THE SILENT WIFE

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant - One of the very best books I have ever read.  It's narrated by Dinah, daughter of Jacob and Leah, granddaughter of Isaac and Rebecca, great granddaughter of Abraham and Sara.  Dinah is mentioned in passing in the bible, but as Anita Diamant tells it, her story is rich and engrossing.  I'm not sure I've ever met anyone who wasn't moved by this incredible history.  Anita Diamant has a way with words, and she weaves a tale that brings her characters to life in ancient and strange times.  It's magical.  Anything I say about The Red Tent pales in comparison to actually reading it.

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison - Wait.  What?  Why is this book so highly acclaimed and recommended?  It's a decent story, but maybe not worthy of quite so high praise.  It's about a modern day woman, a psychologist, who is quite satisfied with the vanilla life she leads as the knowing partner of a known philanderer.  Said philanderer is a real sleezebag.  The writing style is impersonal and strangely objective considering the story.  I kept trying to figure out whether the author was a woman or a man, and just discovered the answer with an internet search that also might explain the acclaim.  You'll probably read the book because everyone does, so I'll leave you to the speculation, and apologize for the spoiler alerting.