The Dovekeepers

"I loved this book! An historical fiction that weaves together the lives of four young women who survive the terrors of the Roman soldiers during the fall of Jerusalem, 70AD, specifically of the heart-breaking destruction of the rebel stronghold of Masada. It is a beautifully written, mesmerizing tale of survival, family and love."

"Excellent read 5 stars."

"Well written. I liked how the story and lives of the four women came together."

"Such a good book. "

"Well, this was a nice journey for one who doesn't usually read historical fiction. Being a Christian, I'm just a little embarrassed to admit that I dont know much about Masada except for an abbreviated Cliff Notes type of summary. That being said, I can understand that while the story unfolded nicely for me, others felt it too shallow and not detailed enough. However, this was a story where the spotlight was trained on 4 women and how they each came to be at Masada. There are a couple delicious morsels divulged near the end, especially in Shirah's story - I found hers to be the most entrancing. But ALL were strong women - they had been through things that probably would have killed me emotionally and left me but a husk of the person I know now. <br/><br/>To me, the book started out kind of slow but as I read the ending, an ending that was reminiscent of the closing narration of The Poisonwood Bible and A Little Life (not in substance but in style), it all made sense, if you will, that it unfolded in the manner it did. <br/><br/>Did I find any of it to be unbelievable? No, not really. I mean this IS Alice Hoffman we're talking about here... you have to expect a little fantastical content. (I mean, who exactly could go up to a wild lion and dispatch the chains that held him without that lion trying to swipe out at them just once? Instead, the beast had an almost spiritual understanding that Yael was 'one of his kind'.) <br/><br/>Anyway, I'm sure there are more erudite reviews of this novel out there and that's ok. All I know is that I went out of my element with this one and I'm glad I stuck with it. It had its share of tragedy and that last section filled in a lot of empty spaces for me. It felt finished when I read the last paragraph. Some books (and movies) take that pleasure away from their audience. <br/><br/>I liked this one. A lot."

"I love how this book showcases these 4 strong willed women."

"This was 4 1/2 stars for me. The 4 main characters were so richly drawn and I was completely captivated by their stories as well as the history of Masada, which I knew virtually nothing about. The writing was beautiful, and although it got a little heavy & slow during the final 1/4 of the book, it picked back up in the last 20 pages."

"Really enjoyed the characters in this book. Author is great at bringing them to life. Spoiler: Sad ending though. But beautiful writing and strong visualization."