This first person style of narration really allows the reader to get into the finer details of the story at hand and it is a complex one at that. Hoffman presents each story separately, so each woman exposes their secrets and plight. The Dovekeepers is a narrative split into the individual stories of four brave women that defined time and place, Masada in 70 AD. It is a towering tale that treads the line between both mystical and stirring. The Dovekeepers is ambitious and it certainly has an important role in educating the audience about the plight of nine hundred Jews that converged on the mountain region of Masada to escape the Roman army in 70 CE. Prolific author Toni Morrison describes The Dovekeepers as ‘A major contribution to 21 st century literature’.

The Dovekeepers, published in 2011, is the first historical fiction tale written by Alice Hoffman, of Practical Magic fame. All are dovekeepers, and all are keepers of secrets – about who they are, where they come from, who fathered them, and whom they love. Yael is the assassin’s daughter, Revka’s life has been torn apart by the Romans, Aziza has been raised as a warrior and Shirah is wise in the ways of ancient magic. Only two women and five children survived.īased on this tragic event, Alice Hoffman weaves a spellbinding story about the lives of four bold and remarkable women during desperate days of the siege of Masada, when supplies are dwindling and the Romans are drawing near. In the year 70 CE, nine hundred Jews held out for months against the Roman army in ancient Israel. This weekly book review post is a way to share some old favourites, books that were published over a year ago and most importantly those books that have been languishing on the to be read pile for far too long! Welcome to a weekly post, Throwback Thursday.

The dovekeepers book review