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The Dovekeepers

by Alice Hoffman

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 22,527 ratings · 4,061 reviews

Blends mythology, magic, archaeology and women. Traces four women, their path to the Masada massacre. In 70 CE, nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on a mountain in the Judean desert, Masada. According to the ancient historian Josephus, two women and five children survived.

Four bold, resourceful, and sensuous women come to Masada by a different...more

Hardcover, 504 pages

Published October 4th 2011 by Simon and Schuster

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Dec 11, 2012 Christina White rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Alice Hoffman brought me back in time and I enjoyed learning about what life was like in 70 C.E. The writing was beautiful and at times poetic. I like my poetry in short doses though and after two hundred pages of lyrical prose I was ready to move on with the story. I liked the book, in fact I was swept away in the lives of the brave women it was about. Revka, Aziza, Shirah and Yael were strong women who lived amazing lives and were the only survivors of the Masada massacre. Unfortunately, the p...more

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Dec 17, 2011 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, mmxi

There are many reasons why I wouldn’t like this book:

1. I hate feeling dumb.

2. It’s set in Ancient Israel, 70 C.E. to be exact, and the fact that I had to ask what C.E. meant --being a child of B.C and A.D --did not go over well (Refer to #1)

3. It’s set in Ancient Israel and I, shamefully, have absolutely no clue what happened back then. I mean… besides the Last Temptation of Christ and bible stories that I kind of sort of remember. (#1)

4. The author also wrote Practical Magic, which I have not...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Louise rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Story Description:

Over five years in the writing, The Dovekeepers is Alice Hoffman’s most ambitious and mesmerizing novel, a tour de force of imagination and research, set in ancient Israel.

In 70 C.E., nine-hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert. According to the ancient historian Josephus, two women and five children survived. Based on this tragic and iconic event, Hoffman’s novel is a spellbinding tale of four extraordinarily bold,...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction, historical-fiction, other-cultures

Over two thousand years ago a group of approximately 900 Jewish rebels fled Jerusalem and settled in the ancient fortress called Masada. Set high in the desert mountains, the fortress had been constructed for King Herod and was considered to be impenetrable. In this novel, Alice Hoffman traces the paths of four fictional women whose intertwined lives become apparent when they arrive at Masada seeking refuge. Hoffman weaves a tale of friendship, love, loyalty and sorrow set against the background...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Sarah Ryburn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, contemporary-fiction

i've finally finished this lengthy read. hoffman tells the tragedy of masada, king herod's mountain fortress and the refuge of 900 jewish rebels and their families who fled the fall of jerusalem in ad 70, through four female narrators. what an experience! the place, masada, and the struggle of its inhabitants to survive, their faith intact, came to vivid life through these pages, but it was not always an easy read. there were sittings when i read no more than 20 or 30 pages. that's unusual for m...more i've finally finished this lengthy read. hoffman tells the tragedy of masada, king herod's mountain fortress and the refuge of 900 jewish rebels and their families who fled the fall of jerusalem in ad 70, through four female narrators. what an experience! the place, masada, and the struggle of its inhabitants to survive, their faith intact, came to vivid life through these pages, but it was not always an easy read. there were sittings when i read no more than 20 or 30 pages. that's unusual for me. i struggled through the first narrator, and there's irony in that since yael came to be a favorite.

i got bogged down in the affair with the assassin, the repetition of the lion motif, and the cutting of her own flesh. yael's character is fearless; she breaks rules and stares down wild beasts, quite literally. she is a creature of silence, of the desert. a living flame tree. she is a creature born of grief, and i could understand her expressing grief and suffering in an unorthodox way, but i wish that hoffman had made the link to pagan rites more clear. she mentions laws that forbade the jewish people to harm themselves, but she never explains the reasons for these laws. she doesn't ground yael's defiance in her own culture and time period, so in the absence of explanation, the cutting seemed too much like a modern teen or woman taking a razor to her own arm or leg in secret. many readers might have no problem with this, might even argue that it's exactly the same. it seemed to me not the same and a creepy anachronism. the pagan practice, creepy enough, would have been committed ceremonially and often as part of public acts of celebration, grief, etc. the jews were therefore not permitted to do as the pagans did. same issue with the practice of tattooing the skin. yael, therefore, marks herself in secret, and shirah gives thanks that her tattoos can be concealed from the general public.

i liked the contradiction of yael, that she is fearless in breaking the law to express her grief in a pagan manner. jerusalem has fallen, the temple has been destroyed, and she knows she is unlikely ever to return. she knows, too, that silence is her greatest protection and means of survival. her father allows her to follow after him like a dog, so she will follow to survive. she will also mourn as she chooses, but she will not advertise. this is her strength. i don't think hoffman does enough to make this clear. there is beautiful symmetry in the final passage when yael cuts her own arm publicly before the roman general and legion, declaring herself to be shirah. she tells us that she changed her name and her fate that day. she will not harm herself in secret ever again, but she must leave behind her heritage to do so. we lose some of this connection i think because the opening narrative is weaker than it might have been. perhaps, though, hoffman was still writing her way into the story. it gets so much stronger when we get to masada itself.

another irony: yael's voice seemed the only truly distinctive voice of the four. still, the narrative voice irked me throughout her tale––phrases like the white of the desert is what i see and this is what i long for drove me to distraction. other readers may not (probably don't) even notice. i spend too much time and effort instructing students to recognize and avoid tortured syntax like this. i find that that i can't read over these same constructions in fiction without cringing. my guess is that hoffman did it intentionally to give yael's voice a simple, uneducated, perhaps even hardened edge. i liked the intent, just not the technique. the other voices were easier to read, but not wholly distinctive. during revka's story, i often forgot altogether that the older woman, not yael any longer, was speaking. aziza's story remained separate in my mind because she addressed her sister throughout then, at times, her brother. i suppose this is distinctive after all. shirah's voice did not sound unique, but she held place as the last narrator, and her story varied so much from the others that her tale was not difficult to keep to separate from those of the others. in this way, hoffman seemed to depend on the content of the narrative rather than some narrative technique to differentiate the latter three narrators. i don't want to declare this as strength or weakness; it seemed to work, so i'll leave it alone. i will say that the task of differentiating four female voices must be problematic and no very simple thing.

overall, i give the dovekeepers four out of five stars––it was an absorbing read. for many days. i lived at masada with these women, and i wept beside the man from the valley as he shaved his head to signal the end. not as he embraced aziza for the last time, but as he committed his sons to yael's care. as he breathed zara's breath into her hand so that revka might carry it with her out of that fortress of death and destruction. so, too, that when he met mal'ach ha-mavet at last, they would met as equals and that dread spirit would not triumph over him. this novel shows powerful writing. i often write so much of what i don't like and too little of what i admire. that's strange to me, but it is what it is. i do admire hoffman's writing. i admire her vision and the manner in which she has woven the lives of the characters together like the prayer shawls of the men and women inside the fortress. perhaps more like the assassin's cloak that allows yael to enter the legion's encampment, invisible, to bait them with the poisoned honey that protects the jewish warriors in their assault and to stand without fear before the chained lion to set him free. there is beautiful craft in the layering of character and incident that brings these narrative strands together. the truest mark of such craft will always be its invisibility. its evidence rests in plain sight, yet the reader enjoys the story without tripping over a single raised seam or tear in the fabric. i can't imagine the research that must go into such an undertaking, the years of reading, of travel apparently (hoffman writes in the acknowledgments that she and her husband traveled through the desert to masada, found both beauty and grief there), that must inevitably undergird such a novel. i think this novel must represent many years of her life. i think i will remember it for many years of mine. (less)

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Jul 19, 2012 Linda Hart rated it 5 of 5 stars

An exceptional read. This is a masterpiece, a wonderful, mesmerizing book about the lives of four strong Jewish women, each with different backgrounds, powerful personalities, and distinct stories of there own. Their histories collided when destiny/circumstances found them living at the Jewish stronghold, Masada, during the last and final siege by the Romans. According to the historian, Josephus, two of these women and five children survived the horrendous event.

I agree with Janet, a goodreads...more An exceptional read. This is a masterpiece, a wonderful, mesmerizing book about the lives of four strong Jewish women, each with different backgrounds, powerful personalities, and distinct stories of there own. Their histories collided when destiny/circumstances found them living at the Jewish stronghold, Masada, during the last and final siege by the Romans. According to the historian, Josephus, two of these women and five children survived the horrendous event.

I agree with Janet, a goodreads reviewer who said the following: Words can be spoken or written. This book did for me what I love about books---it used the written word to create a world for me as real as the one I'm living in now.

On Oct 03, 2011, Another goodreads reviewer, Jennifer Rayment, wrote such an excellent review that I am quoting it in entirety here:

The Good Stuff

* I wish I had the words to express how wonderful this book is. I will be honest if Simon and Schuster hadn't sent it to me for review, I probably wouldn't have picked it up and let me tell you that would have been a shame. This book is haunting and sad but yet so full of hope and of the resilience of the human spirit
* Beautiful raw and honest story and just so god-damned emotional to read
* Exceptionally real and strong female characters
* History written so it comes alive and you learn so much without feeling like you are getting a history lesson
* The faults/flaws of the characters are not hidden and you see how they change and grow over the course of the story
* Emotionally raw by the end of the story and had to go hug my children before I could go to bed
* Obviously thoroughly researched and you feel the authors passion for the subject matter as it never comes across as dull
* I would be shocked if this doesn't get made into a movie or a mini series
* Further Reading at the end of the book is appreciated for those like me who will want to find out more of the history
* Very wise and thought provoking
* A wonderful book for various discussions about faith, forgiveness, compassion, woman's rights etc
* Why are you still reading my review -- get thee to a book store now and buy it -- hello what are you waiting for

The Not so Good Stuff

* Could have been perfect with a some stronger editing. There is some obvious repetition that should have been caught and it would have made it a truly brilliant novel.
* I was forced to stay up till a 1am to finish this and the last 15 pages or so I could barely read with the tears falling down. Alice you owe me some coffee and Kleenex & an apology to my kids for mommy being cranky from lack of sleep

What I Learned

* Man it really sucked to be a women in ancient times, we are so lucky in this day and age to be treated, for the most part, as the equals that we are (still so far to go)
* Now I really already know this, but lets just put this out again -- the persecution of Jews over and over again just completely baffles me. They truly are one of the most formidable, strong and resilient race the world has ever seen.
* Tons of fascinating information about 70-75 CE

Who should/shouldn't read

* Will be buying a copy for my niece, sister and sister in laws for Christmas because I don't want to lend them MY copy and risk the chance of one of them --- "misplacing it" LOL
* Those who enjoy a nice light read, would probably not want to pick one up. It is quite intense and detailed
* Thinking those of Roman descent might be a little put off
* A must have for public libraries

I listened to the audio version, which is very well done with four different women doing the narrative reading of the four main characters. If it were possible I would give this book 6 stars. It is among the best books I've read in a long time and touched me deeply.
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Jul 18, 2012 Carole rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2012

This is a work of historical fiction. The story is based on the Roman attack on the fortress at Masada in 73 A.D. and the resulting mass suicide. Since I have visited this site in present-day Israel, I was interested in reading a novel based on this event.

In terms of the history, Hoffman has done an admirable job of researching and narrating the events at Masada. She describes the time, place and culture of the ancient Hebrews with great detail.

However, in terms of the fictional part of the nove...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Amy by: Sharon Kay Penman

Shelves: historical-fiction, read-in-2011, 1st-century, favorites, middle-east

Never before has a book entranced me the way The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman has. I’ve literally just finished reading this book and I can’t get my mind to settle down. It’s almost as if I’ve ran a race, my adrenaline is pumping and my heart beating a mile a minute, scenes from the book keep going around and around in my head. My urgent need to tell everyone about this beautifully haunting book is taking over all other thoughts, so I need to get this review out before I explode!

Alice Hoffman is...more Never before has a book entranced me the way The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman has. I’ve literally just finished reading this book and I can’t get my mind to settle down. It’s almost as if I’ve ran a race, my adrenaline is pumping and my heart beating a mile a minute, scenes from the book keep going around and around in my head. My urgent need to tell everyone about this beautifully haunting book is taking over all other thoughts, so I need to get this review out before I explode!

Alice Hoffman is the author of Practical Magic and The Red Garden, plus many, many other novels but The Dovekeepers is her first historical fiction work. Hoffman was inspired by a trip to Jerusalem, when she visited a place called Masada, a fortress built by Herod the Great that is situated on top of a large mountain, where a group of nine hundred Jews in the first century CE, who had fled their homelands from the invading Romans converged together to escape the slaughter of their people.

The Dovekeepers is the story of four women – Aziza, the girl-warrior; Shirah, the Witch of Moab; Yael, the lioness; and Revka, the revenging mother – who came to Masada after their homes and towns were destroyed, each arriving a completely different woman than who they had been before the invasion. They tell the stories of their own life, prior to and including their time in Masada, up to that fateful day and each story is more haunting and profound than the next.

Hoffman’s writing is among the most exquisite I have ever read! She has expertly woven a tale of tragedy and hope, hate and love, magic and human nature and I was mesmerized by every word. This book should come with a warning as it has the power to thoroughly enthrall a reader, causing them to block out the world around them completely. My household chores were abandoned, husband and child ignored, I was just absorbed into the pages of this novel that everything else took a backseat to the fascinating story enfolding in front of me.

I cried when I finished the novel, not only because of the sad fate of the people of Masada, but because I will miss these four bold and unyielding women. I will carry their story in my heart forever.
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Sep 04, 2012 Amy S rated it 4 of 5 stars

This has been a hard one to rate, I would say I am at 4.5. I go back and forth between four and five stars. This was another book that I had to stop cold in the middle as we moved, and so I had to pick it back up after a break and that's affected my rating as well! Anyway, on with it!

The book is set 70 CE, when the Romans were systematically destroying all Jews. They hunted down each population, city, group, and slaughtered them; men, women, and children. Any spared were given a life of brutal s...more This has been a hard one to rate, I would say I am at 4.5. I go back and forth between four and five stars. This was another book that I had to stop cold in the middle as we moved, and so I had to pick it back up after a break and that's affected my rating as well! Anyway, on with it!

The book is set 70 CE, when the Romans were systematically destroying all Jews. They hunted down each population, city, group, and slaughtered them; men, women, and children. Any spared were given a life of brutal slavery finished with torture. A group of 900 Jews retreat to Masada, a rock fortress in the desert built by King Herod. It has supplies of grain, oil, and water in deep cisterns. The book tracks four women, all working side by side in the dovecotes. Each has a story to tell, each has some hurt in their heart.

These women are among this group who holds out against the Romans for months, and when the legions of Roman soldiers arrive it's a bit like watching the Titanic sink. You know it's not going to be pretty. The historian Josephus writes that out of 900, two women and five children survived.

It's not all tragedy, though. There are stories to learn, joys and triumph. It was an amazing story, all the more because it really happened. The end was just consuming for me; I stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish it. Since reading it I have found myself obsessed with this story, researching it online, checking out the amazing pictures of the ruins, and thinking how much I would really love to visit Masada. That's how much it has been on my mind!

For me, the weaknesses in the book are few. I think it could have used a bit of editing, it drags down a bit toward the end, until it picks back up and you can't put it down. I think this is the Curse of the Famous Author; possibly the editors are more hands off? Also, I wish the voices of the four women were a bit more distinct; they tend to blend in and sound the same at times.

But mostly I found the book pretty fascinating. I had not previously read much about this time period. I think this would make a good book club selection.

For sensitive readers: There are several mentions of sexual situations (to the point where I was like, 'ok seriously, we get it, she's a busy girl', however they are not graphic or written in detail. Due to the history and topic there is violence in this situation. What the Romans did to the Jews (and what the Jews sometimes did to Jews) was brutal. But again, it is not described in detail. It is left to your imagination. (less)

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Aug 23, 2011 Janet rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, egalley, historical-fiction, book-club-pick, prepub, 2011-libfavs

For fans of Alice Hoffman this book is a mixture of the new and the familiar. Devotees will recognize the strong women with unusual, even magical abilities. What's new is the historical setting and time---the fortress of Masada in the year 70 CE. Also, Hoffman's language struck me as different in this book.

I think whether or not readers like this book will hinge on their reaction to the language Hoffman uses to recreate the world of her women. I loved the level of detail. I felt the sea salt in...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Vicki Hoare rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

4½. I have changed my rating for this book three times so far. I was fascinated by this story but I couldn't quite get to five stars.

In 70 AD nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on a mountain outside the Judean desert, Masada. (taken from the book blurb). The Dovekeepers is a fiction using this event as a base. The style reminds me of Geraldine Brooks and is as good as the books she has written.

During the first part of the book I struggled with the social and religiou...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Kiwileese rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is wonderful, highly recommend it to anyone after a book where you will fall in love with the characters.

Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best Books of the Month, October 2011: Yael was born of a dead mother and father who knows how to become invisible. Revka learned silence when her grandsons lost their voices after witnessing their mother’s brutal murder. Aziza became a boy to protect herself, and hates being forced to turn back into a woman. And Shirah will do anything to protect those she...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Jennifer Rayment rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite

The Good Stuff

* I wish I had the words to express how wonderful this book is. I will be honest if Simon and Schuster hadn't sent it to me for review, I probably wouldn't have picked it up and let me tell you that would have been a shame. This book is haunting and sad but yet so full of hope and of the resilience of the human spirit
* Beautiful raw and honest story and just so god-damned emotional to read
* Exceptionally real and strong female characters
* History written so it comes alive and y...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Mandy R rated it 2 of 5 stars

The only reason I would give this book 2 Stars is due to the amount of research that Alice Hoffman had obviously put into this novel, which I certainly appreciated. Honestly though, I think that this roughly 500 page book could have been done in about 200 pages.

Poetic descriptions saturated this novel, making for an incredibly dull read. When an author spends two pages describing wind I would rather not read it. I get it, it's windy! It has no bearing on the plot, would you please move on with t...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Ellen marked it as to-read

Recommended by the Old Firehouse Books. Masada.

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Apr 03, 2012 Erinn rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book. Historically consistent with a depth of narrative that moved me to be very invested in what happened to the 4 protagonists. Great read.

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May 17, 2013 Kym rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Hoffman’s novel presents an entirely unique look into one of bloodiest events in history: the mass suicide that occurred at Masada in 70 AD. In the century following the death of Christ, nearly one thousand renegade Jews flee to the hilltop fortress of Masada, where they are eventually surrounded on all sides by the legions of Rome. Their choice is clear: they can either renounce their faith and live out their lives as slaves of the Empire, or they can die for their beliefs, either on the battle...more

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May 12, 2013 Leon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Over five years in the writing,

The Dovekeepers is Alice Hoffman’s most ambitious and mesmerizing novel, a tour de force of imagination and research, set in ancient Israel.

...more

Over five years in the writing,

The Dovekeepers is Alice Hoffman’s most ambitious and mesmerizing novel, a tour de force of imagination and research, set in ancient Israel.

In 70 C.E., nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert. According to the ancient historian Josephus, two women and five children survived. Based on this tragic and iconic event, Hoffman’s novel is a spellbinding tale of four extraordinarily bold, resourceful, and sensuous women, each of whom has come to Masada by a different path. Yael’s mother died in childbirth, and her father, an expert assassin, never forgave her for that death. Revka, a village baker’s wife, watched the horrifically brutal murder of her daughter by Roman soldiers; she brings to Masada her young grandsons, rendered mute by what they have witnessed. Aziza is a warrior’s daughter, raised as a boy, a fearless rider and an expert marksman who finds passion with a fellow soldier. Shirah, born in Alexandria, is wise in the ways of ancient magic and medicine, a woman with uncanny insight and power.

The lives of these four complex and fiercely independent women intersect in the desperate days of the siege. All are dovekeepers, and all are also keeping secrets—about who they are, where they come from, who fathered them, and whom they love. The Dovekeepers is Alice Hoffman’s masterpiece.

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best Books of the Month, October 2011: Yael was born of a dead mother and father who knows how to become invisible. Revka learned silence when her grandsons lost their voices after witnessing their mother’s brutal murder. Aziza became a boy to protect herself, and hates being forced to turn back into a woman. And Shirah will do anything to protect those she loves from the horrors of the world. The power and violence of these women is evident in every word of The Dovekeepers. Hoffman’s prose is vivid and unforgettable, scorching like the desert heat, and will stay with you long after you finish the last page. A story of sacrifice, endurance, and above all, survival, The Dovekeepers is homage to anyone who’s ever held fast to their beliefs in the face of nearly insurmountable adversity. --Malissa Kent

Review

USA Today
Alice Hoffman weaves fiction and fact in The Dovekeepers, a thrilling, passionate saga of four women who come together to tend the doves in Masada.
Hoffman's fiction is always compelling, but the history within The Dovekeepers makes this novel haunting.

The Boston Globe

Alice Hoffman's "The Dovekeepers'' is a splendid entertainment, a harrowing, thrilling, feminist historical novel fueled to fever pitch by a rich imagination... a combination of good writing, affecting themes, and dramatic storytelling. It's an enthralling tale that lingers in the mind.

St. Louis Dispatch

If a world of strong women and their complex relationships with one another doesn't draw you into Alice Hoffman's brilliant new novel, "The Dovekeepers," read it for Hoffman's fine sense of narrative, history and detail as she shares the story of four women who come by various paths to Masada.

Entertainment Weekly

The women in The Dovekeepers are physically and spiritually strong, they have elemental female desires when it comes to love, sex, and children...the author grounds her expansive, intricately woven and deepest new novel in biblical history, with a devotion and seriousness of purpose that may surprise even her most constant fans.

"I am still reeling from The Dovekeepers--from the history Alice Hoffman illuminates, from the language she uses to bring these women to life. This novel is a testament to the human spirit and to love rising from the ashes of war. But most of all, this novel is one that will never be forgotten by a reader." --Jodi Picoult, author of Sing You Home

"Beautiful, harrowing, a major contribution to twenty-first century literature."—Toni Morrison, Nobel Laureate in Literature

“In her remarkable new novel, Alice Hoffman holds a mirror to our ancient past as she explores the contemporary themes of sexual desire, women's solidarity in the face of strife, and the magic that's quietly present in our day-to-day living. Put The Dovekeepers at the pinnacle of Hoffman's extraordinary body of work. I was blown away.” —Wally Lamb, author of The Hour I First Believed *

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Apr 26, 2013 Paul rated it 3 of 5 stars

I initially found this book to be a bit more difficult than most to get into; the flowery, literary writing style just seemed a bit overdone—even forced—for my taste. I ordinary love to savor some good literary writing, but rather than draw me in, the style here just served to keep me somewhat at a distance, to the point where I would at times find myself putting the book down to do something else.

One of my biggest gripes as the story unfolded was the liberal sprinkling of Jewish/Hebrew referen...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Kris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Overall, I loved this book. After I finished it I spent hours on the internet looking up photos, historical facts, etc. I kind of wish I had done that sooner. The mountain I had in my mind was much smaller and about a third as high. I love that these were mostly actual people. It is fascinating to me to learn about how people lived in other places and times.
There were a few things I didn't like so much. It seems there were a lot of extra details and repetition. I think a lot could have been le...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Cindy Cunningham rated it 3 of 5 stars

I admire Alice Hoffman for taking on this story and for doing it as she has, through the lives of 4 women. I have read much by Ms. Hoffman and enjoyed her deft storytelling. Her style has always been a bit lighter, always romantic and often including magical realism. So, this book is a real departure for her. The style threw me at first; it seemed sort of dramatic, less intimate than her books normally are, and studied or deliberate. But, as I warmed to the story and accepted that we were readin...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Hannah Reynolds rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I didn't expect a book about Masada to be anything other than depressing, but it turned out to be a beautiful pageturner. Who would have thought? The lives of four highly unusual Jewish women (eg daughter of an assassin, girl raised as a disguised boy warrior, etc.) intertwine as the Roman legions gather around the fortress of Masada, where a few hundred people have fled to try to live in freedom. Intense descriptive writing; I could experience every sound, sight and smell through every season....more

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Mar 21, 2013 Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although we now have Yeats's "twenty centuries of stony sleep" separating us from what happened on the rocky redoubt of Masada, it is Alice Hoffman's major accomplishment to collapse that distance and make us feel that astonishing human (and natural) drama in accessible, emotionally direct and yet deeply complicated and historically resonant ways. As I think back to being so transfixed, as a teenager, by the Masada miniseries back in 1981, with Peter Strauss and Peter O’Toole in the memorable le...more Although we now have Yeats's "twenty centuries of stony sleep" separating us from what happened on the rocky redoubt of Masada, it is Alice Hoffman's major accomplishment to collapse that distance and make us feel that astonishing human (and natural) drama in accessible, emotionally direct and yet deeply complicated and historically resonant ways. As I think back to being so transfixed, as a teenager, by the Masada miniseries back in 1981, with Peter Strauss and Peter O’Toole in the memorable lead roles (and with that majestic overture by Jerry Goldsmith), it can now seem as if I’ve been waiting all my adult life for this particular novel. The geographical site and the historical moment are simultaneously so elusive and so powerful that not just anyone could pull this off, but Hoffman is up to the task: she writes with sensitivity, with awe, and with love for her subject matter, while always respecting its mystery, its sacredness, its spectral uncertainties. The Dovekeepers is at once epic and intimate, fierce and tender, hopeful and fatalistic. The intrigue and the gendered solidarity are consistently riveting, but the novel’s real power resides in its evocation of the exilic/diasporic memory (“my people had become wanderers”) of the novel’s characters. They flee from Jerusalem into the desert – “the route of the doomed” and “the territory of robbers, and thieves, and holy men” – in a prelude that has a harrowing (and nearly mythic) power, and they’re subsequently haunted by memories of the lost Temple, acacia and olive trees, white lilies, myrrh and coriander, rivers and silver fish, the smell of baking bread. Although they unite and find refuge and an affirming solidarity in the mountain fortress, they’re aware at all times that they’re in the “land of grief,” with little choice but to wish for “others worlds and times”; the poignant laments are sharpened by our knowledge that they can’t elude their fate forever, a fate that “[swoops] through the darkness like the bats in the orchards,” or, rather, like the soldiers of the Roman Tenth legion, perhaps as many as 15,000 troops in all, who kick up a massive dust storm as they arrive to lay siege to the citadel and force the tragic endgame.

The novel is not perfect, by any means: its four central voices end up seeming too undifferentiated (in spite of how carefully their respective life stories are detailed), and thus the three narrative reboots can be slightly confusing and even disappointing. The novel is also arguably a little too long, which may detract from the haunting power of the final act between the Romans and the Jewish resisters. But, then again, perhaps that's the point: Hoffman may be less concerned with the part of the story with which we're most familiar, and more intent on imaginatively recuperating the lives of women who have been lost to history. Regardless, I would rank The Dovekeepers among the top twenty-five novels I've ever read, mostly because of what it does to and for my imagination and spirit.
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Mar 20, 2013 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

History is often told by men, involving narratives where men are the only focus. This one sided approach is very slowly changing for the better, not least in the epic historical novel, The Dove Keepers where Alice Hoffman tells the tale of the first-century holdout against the Romans in the Dead Sea fortress of Masada, seen through the eyes of four women whose stories prior to and during the fortress struggle culminate in shared work in the dovecotes, a key strategy to maintain food supplies in...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Sara Lesley Arnold rated it 5 of 5 stars

At my synagogue’s most recent sisterhood brunch, I ran into Renee, an old family friend whom I had not seen in more than 15 years. I greeted her with a smile and a hug, and we wandered together to the temple library, where she shared with me her insight into its significance and history. Suddenly donning a serious expression and looking into my eyes, Renee handed me a book she was bringing in for the library book sale, insisting I read it.

I hesitated to pick up The Dovekeepers, reading in the ja...more At my synagogue’s most recent sisterhood brunch, I ran into Renee, an old family friend whom I had not seen in more than 15 years. I greeted her with a smile and a hug, and we wandered together to the temple library, where she shared with me her insight into its significance and history. Suddenly donning a serious expression and looking into my eyes, Renee handed me a book she was bringing in for the library book sale, insisting I read it.

I hesitated to pick up The Dovekeepers, reading in the jacket that it was about women at Masada, a place where I had cried as a sixteen-year-old, overwhelmed by the loss of so many. Trying hard lately to surround myself with positivity, I did not want to become involved with what was sure to be a tragic story. Trusting in my old friend, however, I picked it up and began.

A few pages in, I had already become Yael, the girl narrating the first part of the book. I was sucked right into her world, Jerusalem at the destruction of the second Temple, and had to continue on in her shoes. The book is split into four parts, each one narrated by a different woman telling of her journey to the mountain Masada. Author Alice Hoffman uses the voice of each woman to weave together their relationships and experiences, seamlessly telling the story. I found myself excitedly wondering which woman would be telling the next yarn, forcibly keeping myself from turning the pages to look ahead.

Hoffman’s storytelling painted such a realistic picture that I was sure in her research that she went into the desert and lived off the land herself. How else could she know and portray such a believable existence to me? This book opened up the world to me in a whole new light– I gained an amazing new perspective on some of the experiences of the Jewish People, including magic, mysticism, love, cruelty, and faith, and have a renewed thirst to learn more about those whose courage allowed me to become the woman I am.

The author was inspired by real life artifacts found at Masada, weaving many of them into her story, along with the historical accounts of Josephus and those of the Essenes. I highly recommend this book to all women– I’ll be passing Renee’s copy on to a friend, looking into her eyes and insisting she read it.
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Mar 15, 2013 Cheyenne rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Dovekeepers illuminates history. The way Alice writes and the way she describes Yael,Revka,Aziza,and Shirah brings them to life. The lives of these four strong-willed and fiercely independent women intersect in the desperate days of war and destruction. They're not only dovekeepers, they also keep secrets about who they are, where they come from, who fathered them, and whom they once loved. I thought it was horrible when Yael's mother died during her birth and clearly she had no control over...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Daniela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, middle-east

I enjoyed the book, but I did not love it. I felt like I was getting a sense of the time and place, but not fully. I appreciate what Alice Hoffman did, using the perspectives of the women to tell the story of the fall of Masada, and the writing is beautiful, but as others have pointed out, rather repetitive. As a result, I felt that the perspective was becomeing increasingly more narrow, rather than more expansive, as the novel progressed.

I love historical fiction, and I feel that it contribute...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Grace Elliot rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Dovekeepers tells the story of four women and their fight for survival during the seige of Masada.
I bought the book after reading a review which rated it 5 stars (exceptional), and I had to debate long and hard between rating it a 4 or 5 star review.
The story is related from the viewpoint of four women. Admittedly, I usually shy away from books broken into sections, each told by a different narrator, because if I'm involved with a character, I don't want to leave them behind. However, Ms Ho...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alice Hoffman’s novel The Dovekeepers is an outstanding accomplishment, an historical saga that will live in the hearts of readers for years to come. Hoffman skillfully brings to life the remarkable events of the Roman siege against the Jews at Mesada. According to the only know historical record of the event, five children and two women survived the tragic events, using this as her launching point Hoffman incorporates archeological findings and ancient spiritual beliefs to transport readers to...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Patricia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oh my! Heavy/compelling. The philosophical base, for me at least, is found on the next to the last page:
"On this day we celebrate the Blessing of the Sun, for that glorious orb is in the exact same place as it had been during Creation, when God brought forth good and evil, imbuing our world with both at the same hour when he created the word and brought us out of silence, so we might make our own choices."
Alice Hoffman spent time, much time, researching an era lost. It is a fictionalized present...more

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About Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman was born in New York City on March 16, 1952 and grew up on Long Island. After graduating from high school in 1969, she attended Adelphi University, from which she received a BA, and then received a Mirrellees Fellowship to the Stanford University Creative Writing Center, which she attended in 1973 and 74, receiving an MA in creative writing. She currently lives in Boston and New York...more Alice Hoffman was born in New York City on March 16, 1952 and grew up on Long Island. After graduating from high school in 1969, she attended Adelphi University, from which she received a BA, and then received a Mirrellees Fellowship to the Stanford University Creative Writing Center, which she attended in 1973 and 74, receiving an MA in creative writing. She currently lives in Boston and New York.

Hoffman’s first novel, PROPERTY OF, was written at the age of twenty-one, while she was studying at Stanford, and published shortly thereafter by Farrar Straus and Giroux. She credits her mentor, professor and writer Albert J. Guerard, and his wife, the writer Maclin Bocock Guerard, for helping her to publish her first short story in the magazine Fiction. Editor Ted Solotaroff then contacted her to ask if she had a novel, at which point she quickly began to write what was to become PROPERTY OF, a section of which was published in Mr. Solotaroff’s magazine, American Review.

Since that remarkable beginning, Alice Hoffman has become one of our most distinguished novelists. She has published a total of sixteen novels, two books of short fiction, and eight books for children and young adults. Her novel, HERE ON EARTH, an Oprah Book Club choice, was a modern reworking of some of the themes of Emily Bronte’s masterpiece Wuthering Heights. PRACTICAL MAGIC was made into a Warner film starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Her novel, AT RISK, which concerns a family dealing with AIDS, can be found on the reading lists of many universities, colleges and secondary schools. Hoffman’s advance from LOCAL GIRLS, a collection of inter-related fictions about love and loss on Long Island, was donated to help create the Hoffman Breast Center at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA. BLACKBIRD HOUSE is a book of stories centering around an old farm on Cape Cod. Hoffman's recent books include AQUARMARINE and INDIGO, novels for pre-teens, and The New York Times bestsellers THE RIVER KING, BLUE DIARY, THE PROBABLE FUTURE, and THE ICE QUEEN. GREEN ANGEL, a post-apocalyptic fairy tale about loss and love, was published by Scholastic and THE FORETELLING, a book about an Amazon girl in the Bronze Age, was published by Little Brown. This fall Little Brown published the teen novel INCANTATION, a story about hidden Jews during the Spanish Inquisition, which Publishers Weekly has chosen as one of the best books of the year. In January 2007, SKYLIGHT CONFESSIONS, a novel about one family’s secret history, was released on the 30th anniversary of the publication of Hoffman’s first novel.

Hoffman’s work has been published in more than twenty translations and more than one hundred foreign editions. Her novels have received mention as notable books of the year by The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, Library Journal, and People Magazine. She has also worked as a screenwriter and is the author of the original screenplay “Independence Day,” a film starring Kathleen Quinlan and Diane Weist. Her short fiction and non-fiction have appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe Magazine, Kenyon Review, Redbook, Architectural Digest, Gourmet, Self, and other magazines. Her teen novel AQUAMARINE was recently made into a film starring Emma Roberts.
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“Here is the riddle of love: Everything it gives to you, it takes away.” — 42 people liked it

“Being human means losing everything we love best in the world," she murmured as she released me. "But would you ask to be anything else?” — 26 people liked it

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