Story Description:
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 solider.
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.
My Review:
I have read a lot of novels about ancient Jerusalem
during this era but I must begin this particular review with one word –
WOW!! I was completely entranced with
Alice Hoffman’s The Dovekeepers which
took place during the Roman siege during the first century abbreviated as C.E.
which stands for Common Era. Common Era
refers to the years counting forward from the birth of Jesus. C.E. has mostly replaced the old use of A.D.
in an effort to appease non-theological references and non-believers. The use
of Common Era is a more accepted practice now.
The Jewish war was written around 75 C.E. by a man
named Flavius Josephus who was a Jewish historian.
Masada was a desert fortress situated at the top of a
rock cliff at the western end of the Judean Desert and overlooking the Dead
Sea. Masada is the Hebrew word for
fortress.
Hoffman delivers a breathtaking account of the fall of
Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. In 73 C.E. the Roman Governor Flavius Silva
marched against Masada with the Tenth Legion.
The Romans quickly built camps at the base of Masada in preparation to
lay siege to it. They built massive
walls and constructed a rampart, then built a huge ramp, moved the battering
ram up the ramp and breached the wall of the fortress.
The story is told through the voices of four different
women: Yael, Revka, Aziza and Shirah.
Each of these women had secrets about where they came from, who they
are, who their fathers were, and who they love.
Each of the women’s stories bound them together throughout the novel
emotionally and symbolically. The change
in each woman’s story flowed effortlessly and leant to the dynamic retelling of
this sad and tragic period in history.
The dramatic end to this story will rip your heart out
and leave tear-stains on your pages as you turn them. The title The
Dovekeepers has a symbolic meaning throughout the story.
I’ve read a lot of Hoffman’s work and I believe this
to be her very best. I believe this will
become a classic in the future and a novel that will be talked about in book
groups, people’s living rooms, in the news and will be a bestseller. I for sure will be touting the merits of this
book to anyone and everyone who will listen.
Kudos to you Ms. Hoffman!
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