Scan barcode
ja3m3's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this novel based on the lives of 4 women who are struggling to survive on Masada during the Roman siege. If you are looking for a more detailed historical account, this may not be the book for you. Hoffman does an excellent job of bringing the religious and mystical beliefs of people during the first century to life and the impact of war on women. Highly recommend.
lizella's review against another edition
4.0
A powerful book in so many ways – historical time frame, narrative, and characters. I loved the way the story was told through four female characters to describe a time that has left very little trace of the female voice. Each woman’s story takes up a quarter of the book, moving us through time in a linear fashion and giving us glimpses of the internal and external lives of each and their relationships. This is another time frame and story that I didn’t know much about before reading this book. While not much is known, Hoffman did an amazing job of researching the facts and creating believable characters to inhabit a world so removed from our own.
romyschnaiberg's review against another edition
5.0
I found myself swept away by this book. The author breathed life into such a well-known piece of our history. A very worthwhile read!
lurdesabruscato's review against another edition
5.0
The story of Masada, the ancient Judean stronghold known to have held off Roman forces for months, is recounted through four unique female voices: a motherless wanderer, a baker's wife, a warrior's daughter, and a purported witch. Both brutal and beautiful, their stories are rich in everyday details and heroic deeds. Through their haunting experiences, Hoffman lovingly explores the concepts of motherhood, bravery, love, and loss.
terrypaulpearce's review against another edition
4.0
This book took awhile to really get going, and the style is a little baroque, but my word the dark take on women's power and ancient history is worth it.
jinny89's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book for my online book club. As I told the other members, I was hesitant at first about this book because it’s historical fiction, a genre I only occasionally dabble in. Also, it’s set in a period that’s really, really far back — 70 CE. Also, it’s ancient Israel and I have no idea what the heck was happening in 70 CE in ancient Israel. So … my interest levels in this book was initially pretty low, to be honest.
While I’m not crazy in love with this book now that I have finished reading it, I do think it was a pleasant experience and it was quite nice not reading about teenagers falling in love as I usually do (I read too much YA, probably), for a change. The Dovekeepers is split into 4 parts each narrated by a different woman (all of the women know one another and are characters in each others’ narratives). It is about their struggles during 70 CE when 900 Jews banded together in Masada, a Judean desert, after their temple in Jerusalem fell. There, the Jews held out against the invading Romans as long as they could. The story is based on the legend that only two women and four children (I think?) survived. Each of the four women who tell their story have come to the desert with a different background story, but together they befriend one another and struggle as one.
The four women are The Assassin’s Daughter, The Baker’s Wife, The Warrior’s Beloved and The Witch of Moab. Each one has a very different personal story that intersects with the other characters once they explain how they came to be in the Masada desert. I enjoyed each part, some more than others, and I found they all have really interesting back stories and all come across morally complex situations.
However, I found all the first-person perspectives very, very similar. I’m not sure if that’s just because of the writing style, but all four of the women just seem to have basically the same personality. Granted, they are all feeling quite tortured and beaten down on, but at the same time, it was really hard to pick them apart. Point-in-case: when I was reading the final chapter, the epilogue let’s call it, and I couldn’t tell whose voice I was reading it in, not until I read the part where she was talking about her brother or son or whatever, and I figured it out from there.
Like I said, it may have been the writing style, which was okay, but somehow doesn’t seem to be able to evoke much emotion. I guess this is why I had a rather difficult time feeling particularly sympathetic to any of the characters. It was easy to find them interesting and fascinating, but a little harder to feel something for them when the writing style feels like it’s simply … reporting? Probably not the right word, but maybe you get what I’m trying to get across. The fact that there was next to no dialogue probably contributed to this lack of emotional feeling as well.
However, I really did like the actual story. 70 CE is not a time period I am familiar with at all, haha, and I feel like I learned a lot. From what I hear, it’s a little unusual to hear about the life of every day women from the ancient period, in fiction and non-fiction, so this book definitely tries to give a voice to those who usually aren’t heard. You can also tell the author did tons and tons of research in order to write this novel, and I seriously applaud her effort. I mean, I can’t verify how accurate to history this work of fiction is since I’m no historian, but from my everyday-person perspective, it seems like the author worked quite hard to make the story as authentic as possible.
To summarize, I enjoyed the book but it wasn’t as gripping as I would have liked it to be. Something about the writing or characters or something just lacked the emotion and intensity I would have thought a survival story such as this would include. If you are interested in historical fiction, I do recommend you check this out! It is certainly worth a read, and many other people praise this book highly, so if you think this interests you, give it a go.
(This review originally posted at http://skyink.net)
While I’m not crazy in love with this book now that I have finished reading it, I do think it was a pleasant experience and it was quite nice not reading about teenagers falling in love as I usually do (I read too much YA, probably), for a change. The Dovekeepers is split into 4 parts each narrated by a different woman (all of the women know one another and are characters in each others’ narratives). It is about their struggles during 70 CE when 900 Jews banded together in Masada, a Judean desert, after their temple in Jerusalem fell. There, the Jews held out against the invading Romans as long as they could. The story is based on the legend that only two women and four children (I think?) survived. Each of the four women who tell their story have come to the desert with a different background story, but together they befriend one another and struggle as one.
The four women are The Assassin’s Daughter, The Baker’s Wife, The Warrior’s Beloved and The Witch of Moab. Each one has a very different personal story that intersects with the other characters once they explain how they came to be in the Masada desert. I enjoyed each part, some more than others, and I found they all have really interesting back stories and all come across morally complex situations.
However, I found all the first-person perspectives very, very similar. I’m not sure if that’s just because of the writing style, but all four of the women just seem to have basically the same personality. Granted, they are all feeling quite tortured and beaten down on, but at the same time, it was really hard to pick them apart. Point-in-case: when I was reading the final chapter, the epilogue let’s call it, and I couldn’t tell whose voice I was reading it in, not until I read the part where she was talking about her brother or son or whatever, and I figured it out from there.
Like I said, it may have been the writing style, which was okay, but somehow doesn’t seem to be able to evoke much emotion. I guess this is why I had a rather difficult time feeling particularly sympathetic to any of the characters. It was easy to find them interesting and fascinating, but a little harder to feel something for them when the writing style feels like it’s simply … reporting? Probably not the right word, but maybe you get what I’m trying to get across. The fact that there was next to no dialogue probably contributed to this lack of emotional feeling as well.
However, I really did like the actual story. 70 CE is not a time period I am familiar with at all, haha, and I feel like I learned a lot. From what I hear, it’s a little unusual to hear about the life of every day women from the ancient period, in fiction and non-fiction, so this book definitely tries to give a voice to those who usually aren’t heard. You can also tell the author did tons and tons of research in order to write this novel, and I seriously applaud her effort. I mean, I can’t verify how accurate to history this work of fiction is since I’m no historian, but from my everyday-person perspective, it seems like the author worked quite hard to make the story as authentic as possible.
To summarize, I enjoyed the book but it wasn’t as gripping as I would have liked it to be. Something about the writing or characters or something just lacked the emotion and intensity I would have thought a survival story such as this would include. If you are interested in historical fiction, I do recommend you check this out! It is certainly worth a read, and many other people praise this book highly, so if you think this interests you, give it a go.
(This review originally posted at http://skyink.net)
gingerwithasoul's review against another edition
5.0
The most beautiful piece of literature I have ever read.
selinayoung's review against another edition
3.0
It took me some time to get into it and then it was interesting to hear the women's perspectives. I got lost around 80% but recovered. I liked how it came together at the end and value learning about a time in history I didn't know anything about. Good weaving if history & storytelling.
jennilynft's review against another edition
4.0
A story about women, love, loss, survival, and fate. The book is broken up into sections, each told by another women. Each tells what has led them to their current situation, stationed at Herod's deserted palace in the middle of a barren land. Each has suffered heartbreak and continues to do so, awaiting the final blow from the Roman army that surrounds the palace.
kinx128's review against another edition
5.0
The Dovekeepers is a masterfully told tale of tremendous sadness and strength. Alice Hoffman captured, with great skill, the stories of four amazing women trying to survive Roman brutality. As you read, their stories will break your heart but also give you hope that the spirit cannot be destroyed.
Each woman had their own incredibly sad story to tell. Each lived with their own shame and pain on what they had done in the past. Ms. Hoffman created a Masada that was able to heal each woman’s pain even amongst tremendous violence and death. Yael, Revka, Aziza, and Shirah found their true destinies in a deserted palace in the middle of the desert. Their stories were so beautifully and tragically written that, at times, the words just took my breath away. I was, also, amazed at the bravery and strength each woman was able to find within themselves.
These four characters epitomized the incredible abuse and degradation that women faced during this time. Women were possessions for men; not individuals with their own intelligence and courage. Yael, Revka, Aziza and Shirah were able to rise above their treatment and glorify in what is meant to be a strong woman; to live and protect their loved ones.
Love is a predominant theme throughout the book. Each woman will go the depths of their own personal hell to be able to love and save their lover or children. At the same time, they have to deal with the shame that this love has caused. It seemed that, to Ms. Hoffman, brings great pain but also tremendous strength.
I really loved this book. It is so rich in historical detail that you could actually picture the desert and Masada in your mind. I read that Ms. Hoffman actually travelled to Masada and this book was the result of that trip. It must of have been an amazing trip.
Each woman had their own incredibly sad story to tell. Each lived with their own shame and pain on what they had done in the past. Ms. Hoffman created a Masada that was able to heal each woman’s pain even amongst tremendous violence and death. Yael, Revka, Aziza, and Shirah found their true destinies in a deserted palace in the middle of the desert. Their stories were so beautifully and tragically written that, at times, the words just took my breath away. I was, also, amazed at the bravery and strength each woman was able to find within themselves.
These four characters epitomized the incredible abuse and degradation that women faced during this time. Women were possessions for men; not individuals with their own intelligence and courage. Yael, Revka, Aziza and Shirah were able to rise above their treatment and glorify in what is meant to be a strong woman; to live and protect their loved ones.
Love is a predominant theme throughout the book. Each woman will go the depths of their own personal hell to be able to love and save their lover or children. At the same time, they have to deal with the shame that this love has caused. It seemed that, to Ms. Hoffman, brings great pain but also tremendous strength.
I really loved this book. It is so rich in historical detail that you could actually picture the desert and Masada in your mind. I read that Ms. Hoffman actually travelled to Masada and this book was the result of that trip. It must of have been an amazing trip.