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ashley_choo's review against another edition
5.0
I started off very confused but intrigued and ended amazed that it was inspired by a historic event. The build up was insane. So, so good
mysticbeans's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bluestarfish's review against another edition
3.0
Alice Hoffman brings us a story of Masada and the history as tolded by Flavius Josephus, albeit interpreted through the lens of four women. This was an absorbing read in many ways despite the relentless catalog of misery in the four parts of the book. Although I suppose a story that ends in the survival of only two women and five children was never going to be that cheery. This is a very well researched book and I enjoyed reading about a time in history I don't know that much about. A small frustration was that I did find myself forgetting which woman's story I was reading at times as their individual voices were quite similar, but it's been interesting looking up pictures of Masada afterwards as that is a striking place!
jacki_f's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book but didn't love it. The setting is genuinely fascinating: Masada, 70 AD where a final cluster of Jewish rebels and their families are holding out against the Romans. The story centers on four women who work in the settlement's dovecote. Each takes turns to narrate part of the story and to explain her upbringing and how she came to Masada, as well as picking up the story of their life inside the stronghold.
As the author explains in her acknowledgements at the end of the book, the story is based what is known about historical events, including some real people. Artifacts that have subsequently been recovered by archeologists have also been woven into the story.
So I found the book interesting, but it takes a very long time to get to the siege (it's in the final 100 pages) and until then the pace is quite uneven. Every time a new character picks up the narration we have to backtrack through her back story and adjust to her point of view, though all four have a very similar way of talking and they all say rubbishy things like: "What was between us had grown until it was a flower, the red blossom of the flame tree, which stains your fingers when you pick it, twisted onto a vine that pricks your skin". They all struggle in the desert and attract men to them like moths to a flame. There are various love affairs in the book, none of which have even a skerrick of truth to them.
There is also a strong magical element which I disliked intensely. I had a similar reaction to Philippa Gregory's White Queen books. Magical powers in novels seem like a lazy way to make things happen when the author can't find a rational way to incorporate stuff into the plot. Plus I felt like it was undermining the strong religious beliefs that the characters supposedly have. Perhaps the beliefs may be historically accurate, but that doesn't mean the powers need to have been.
A couple of friends of mine have raved about this as their favorite book from last year. It's very easy to read, well researched and as I've mentioned above, the setting is fascinating, but the story itself? Perfectly okay, nothing more.
As the author explains in her acknowledgements at the end of the book, the story is based what is known about historical events, including some real people. Artifacts that have subsequently been recovered by archeologists have also been woven into the story.
So I found the book interesting, but it takes a very long time to get to the siege (it's in the final 100 pages) and until then the pace is quite uneven. Every time a new character picks up the narration we have to backtrack through her back story and adjust to her point of view, though all four have a very similar way of talking and they all say rubbishy things like: "What was between us had grown until it was a flower, the red blossom of the flame tree, which stains your fingers when you pick it, twisted onto a vine that pricks your skin". They all struggle in the desert and attract men to them like moths to a flame. There are various love affairs in the book, none of which have even a skerrick of truth to them.
There is also a strong magical element which I disliked intensely. I had a similar reaction to Philippa Gregory's White Queen books. Magical powers in novels seem like a lazy way to make things happen when the author can't find a rational way to incorporate stuff into the plot. Plus I felt like it was undermining the strong religious beliefs that the characters supposedly have. Perhaps the beliefs may be historically accurate, but that doesn't mean the powers need to have been.
A couple of friends of mine have raved about this as their favorite book from last year. It's very easy to read, well researched and as I've mentioned above, the setting is fascinating, but the story itself? Perfectly okay, nothing more.
mpierson's review against another edition
5.0
fantastic read. Very different from her usual books, but lyrically beautiful. I will not forget these characters anytime soon.
carolann331's review against another edition
2.0
This was one of our reading club selections and to be honest, I was reluctant to read it. My experience with a different Alice Hoffman novel, The Museum of Extraordinary Things, led me to believe this author focuses on the dark and macabre, which isn't my cup of tea. However, as I looked into the plot and topic for The Dovekeepers, I became intrigued with the events of the last Jewish revolt and the siege of Masada.
I decided to give this author another try by listening to the audiobook. The story felt like drudgery and the characters seldom experienced joy of any sort in their lives. On the rare occasion that they did, such as the birth of a child, joy was fleeting and the focus quickly returned to the burden of being alive. The last quarter of the book picked up steam and had some clever twists, which was nice, as I became more interested in the story - just in time for it to end.
The concept had so much potential. I was eager to learn the history of the siege of Masada but I just couldn't connect with the characters, the story didn't hold my attention, and I really didn't learn anything more than already I knew going in - that only a handful of the Jews survived. The story left me depressed.
In all fairness, I may have enjoyed the story more had I read it rather than listened to the audiobook. With the hardcopy I would have understood the format - that it was divided into four parts told by separate characters. Still, this simply was not the book for me.
I decided to give this author another try by listening to the audiobook. The story felt like drudgery and the characters seldom experienced joy of any sort in their lives. On the rare occasion that they did, such as the birth of a child, joy was fleeting and the focus quickly returned to the burden of being alive. The last quarter of the book picked up steam and had some clever twists, which was nice, as I became more interested in the story - just in time for it to end.
The concept had so much potential. I was eager to learn the history of the siege of Masada but I just couldn't connect with the characters, the story didn't hold my attention, and I really didn't learn anything more than already I knew going in - that only a handful of the Jews survived. The story left me depressed.
In all fairness, I may have enjoyed the story more had I read it rather than listened to the audiobook. With the hardcopy I would have understood the format - that it was divided into four parts told by separate characters. Still, this simply was not the book for me.
honeymoonleo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
asurges's review against another edition
4.0
This book is freakin' brilliant but incredibly depressing, with a subject matter that will probably give me waking nightmares, much like People of the Book did. Very well researched, interesting characters (although sometimes each one's voice wasn't distinctive enough), and information about a historic event I'm ashamed to say I didn't know about. Should you read it? Yes. Is it easy to read? No.
retiredlibrarylady's review against another edition
4.0
Voices of women from Masada, this well-written historical novel is based upon the historical record of 2 women and 5 children who survived. I am not a big fan of stories told by multiple protagonists, but this one worked well for me, probably because it was in four parts, one for each character, rather than switching back and forth. There's some mysticism associated with several of the women, which put me off a bit, but you pretty quickly get caught up in the story. Basically, the Romans were out to exterminate the Jews, and various groups of Jews found their way to this mountaintop former retreat of King Herod. We follow several different groups on their difficult journey, and then see how they try to work together to create a community even as food and water become scarce and the Romans decide to eliminate this last bastion of resistance. The Jews are determined not to become Roman slaves and make a terrible choice. Hoffman is particularly gifted at created fully rounded women and they are the memorable parts of this gritty tale.