Book: The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

Pages: 504, Hardcover

The Dovekeepers is about 4 women in Masada in 70 C.E. (common era, a generic form of A.D.).  Yael is the daughter of an assassin, and she and her father blame her for her mother’s death.  Revka was the wife of a baker, and she and her 2 grandson’s saw her daughter’s brutal murder by Roman soldiers.  Aziza is the daughter of a warrior and is raised as a boy.  She is both a fearless rider and an expert marksman.  And Shirah is steeped in knowledge of ancient magic and medicine, and has amazing insight and power. 

The Dovekeepers is inspired by 900 Jews who held out for months against the Roman army on a mountain in the Judean desert and Hoffman clearly did her research, because the details are so well-done and they bring the story to life.  All four women have their own stories, and it was great to see this story from a woman’s perspective. 

The novel is divided into 5 sections- one for each woman, plus one that’s an epilogue.  It’s also spans 7 years- the lives of the 4 women span three years, while the epilogue takes place 4 years after that, describing what had happened and how 2 women and 5 children were the only survivors out of a group that had committed mass suicide rather than submit to Rome. 

I loved seeing where the women came from and how they got to be who they were, as well as the connections between them and some of the others at the fortress.  And in the context of an actual event, it was rich with details and history.  Men are not portrayed in a wholly positive light, but characters are not what they seem to be.  The Dovekeepers is full of shades of grey and that things are not always easy. 

I loved the writing and Hoffman has a way of making you feel things so deeply.  I don’t know much about the time period, but after reading this book, I definitely want to know more, so I may have to look for some more books to read…It gets a 4 out of 5 for good writing and an interesting story.