The Dovekeepers

Locations
Call Number: Fiction, Adult Book / Fiction / General / Hoffman, Alice
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Hoffman, Alice	4-week checkout	On Shelf

A tale inspired by the tragic first-century massacre of hundreds of Jewish people at Masada presents the stories of a hated daughter, a baker's wife, a girl disguised as a warrior, and a medicine woman who keep doves and secrets while Roman soldiers draw near.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Intense submitted by bruegelpie on July 8, 2012, 5:52pm Only pick up this book if you are in the mood for an intense novel full of heart braking stories. The story follows the lives of 4 women, each extraordinary in their own way, who come together on Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert during the time period of 70 C.E. in ancient Israel. Each woman has an amazing tale to tell, however at times it was a little confusing who was telling the story as there was very little dialogue, mostly narrative. This novel requires your commitment and attention as it is not a light read. However, having said that, it was an interesting book about a desperate time in history.

Tough but worth it submitted by eapearce on September 16, 2014, 2:47pm I picked up The Dovekeepers without having had any prior knowledge about the events that the story is based on. The four different women who narrate the book are all Jewish and living in the encampment of Masada, one of the last holdouts from the Roman army in the years 68-72 C.E. Hoffman's description of life in the small city is amazing and heartbreaking, and the courage that the women show is shocking to read about. I especially enjoyed how the stories of the women intertwine, so that we get to hear about some of them but don't know their history until getting to the portion of the book that that given woman herself narrates. This book is not an easy read, both for the darkness of the content and for the lack of dialogue, but those who do stick with it will not be regretful. It is truly a fantastic portrait of a fascinating time in world history, about which little is known but that Hoffman has researched extensively and describes believably.

Relentlessly depressing submitted by amym on June 23, 2018, 10:07pm I normally love everything Alice Hoffman writes, but I didn't care for this book at all. The stories of the 4 women narrating the story were all very sad and bleak. The male characters were not fleshed out at all. I also got tired of the endless prayers and incantations. It was beautifully written and well-researched, but it was a long slow slog getting through the book.