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What Members Thought
So, first a few complaints. One, the four narrators were barely distinct even though their stories were quite different and should have resulted in quite individualized narrative voices. The audio production didn't help by using a single narrator for the whole book, but I think this is a fault with the author's text more than with the audio narrator. Two, the historical context that makes this setting interesting is almost completely undeveloped. We are told that they are living in this awesome
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This is a delightful historic fiction. It is set during and after the fall of Jerusalem through the siege of Masada by the Romans. The story is told by non-traditional women within the Jewish culture—witches, warriors, and exiles—all tied to the dovecotes on Masada that provided food and enrichment for the soil. It weaves some of what we know about the daily life of that time and place without being pedantic. Tales of romance and survival keep the story moving.
That it took me so long to finish this is not because I didn't like it. It's just that with four separate narrators, it was easy to allow myself to be stalled as each section finished. I'm curious to read some non-fiction about Masada having era this. I found the stories of the women and their children quite moving, tinged with the sadness of knowing how their story would likely end.
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Finished this weekend; bought the book at the NYLA Conference where she was the speaker. Quite a departure from her other books, shows the range and depth of her talent.
Wow. Simply amazing.
Aug 19, 2011
Celeste
marked it as to-read
Oct 24, 2011
Cindie
rated it
it was amazing
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review of another edition
Shelves:
fall-reading-challenge-2011
Apr 14, 2012
Sally
marked it as to-read
Apr 30, 2012
Karen Michele Burns
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
my-5-star-books
Dec 04, 2012
Katy
marked it as to-read
Oct 02, 2014
Jen
marked it as to-read
Nov 28, 2014
Krista
marked it as to-read
Aug 15, 2015
Lindsay
marked it as to-read
Sep 05, 2015
Meghan
marked it as to-read
Jan 21, 2019
Erin (NY)
marked it as to-read
