The Dovekeepers

I was fascinated by the descriptions of the various Hebrew tribal customs, the deeply superstitious bias in religious laws, and the role of women in particular. The author does write well, and the rituals and customs of those far off times, the ruthless barbarities, and the harshness they endured are lovingly described. The four women are so different and despite being bound by stifling customs, overcome huge obstacles and find each other in that tragic fortress, Masada.This is a very well described drama, and I enjoyed it.

This story takes you on a journey of four women who escape their homeland due to an impending Roman invasion. The book describes beautifully their customs, faith and experiences whilst suffering incredible hardships. Alice Hoffman’s writing style is akin to poetry and you become lost in the prose. A wonderfully heart-wrenching, heart-warming story.

This is an excellent novel, beautifully written and informative of life during this period. So why the 3 star rating? It’s far too long. I whizzed through parts that seemed overly self indulgent and too (beautifully!) wordy and which just didn’t have any momentum. Otherwise this would undoubtably have been a 5* rating.

Awesome epic, exceptionally researched and beautifully written. One for the A level syllabus! Whilst I knew nothing of this event, it was fascinating to pick up on biblical links and realise there is more evidence than expected for this time in history. Sometimes I confused characters, hence the drop of one star - needed my traditional book copy to flick back and forth. Well worth a read.

This book is wonderfully detailed to the extent that I often felt compelled to check the story & characters against other stories we have of the period.If you are interested in Jewish history, or in Roman history for that matter or enjoy an exciting and complex story, then this is for you.Only four stars because I sometimes got confused between the different characters but they may just be me.

...especially towards the end. Hoffman is successful in bringing this era to life and I did feel immersed in the experiences of the women in this tale. The total unquestioning belief of the characters in the supernatural and superstition is initially quite breathtaking... but I suppose in principle it's no different to modern day religious beliefs. Good read, if a bit long.

I had been aware the story of Masada having visited the area some years ago. What was so wonderful about the Dove Keepers was to read about it from the perspective of the women who were also under the seige along with the warriors of the time.

i was not sure whether this was my kind of book and kept debating to get it or not but i am so very glad i decided to read it the story was both sad and inspiring the various characters were set just right for the storyline thank you Alice