How is Tamar Viewed in Judeo-Christian tradition?

Personally I consider Tamar, the wife of Judah, to be one of the great women of Bible -- the Mother of most Jews and the foremother of Jesus. However, her story is a troubling one. She is most famous for disguising herself as a harlot (or sacred prostitute) in order to receive Judah's seed after he refused to give his last surviving son to her. > When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to > shear his sheep,” she put off her widow’s garments, put on a veil, > wrapped herself up, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on > the road to Timnah. She saw that Shelah was grown up, yet she had not > been given to him in marriage. When Judah saw her, he thought her > to be a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He went over to > her at the roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he > did not know that she was his daughter-in-law... > > About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar > has prostituted herself; moreover, she is pregnant as a result of > prostitution.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” > As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “It > was the owner of these who made me pregnant.” And she said, “Take > note, please, whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.” > Then Judah acknowledged them and said, “She is more in the right than > I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” (Gen. 38) I know that Tamar is listed in the NT as one of Jesus' ancestors in Matthew 1: > Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and > Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of > Perez and Zerah by Tamar. However, I have noticed that Tamar is not much discussed by Christian pastors or my Jewish friends. I'd be interested to know more about how she is seen in these traditions.