The Dovekeepers - by Alice Hoffman (Paperback)

About the Book

"Dovekeepers" is Hoffman's most ambitious and mesmerizing novel about four bold, resourceful women who survive on a mountain in the Judean desert 2,000 years ago against Roman armies.

Book Synopsis

An ambitious and mesmerizing historical novel from the bestselling author of Rules of Magic. The Dovekeepers is "striking....Hoffman grounds her expansive, intricately woven, and deepest new novel in biblical history, with a devotion and seriousness of purpose" (Entertainment Weekly).

Nearly two thousand years ago, nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on Masada, a mountain fortress 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 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 expert marksman who finds passion with a fellow soldier. 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 Roman siege of Masada. All are dovekeepers, and all are also keeping secrets--about who they are, where they come from, who fathered them, and whom they love.

Review Quotes

"In her remarkable new novel, Alice Hoffman holds a mirror to our ancient past as she explores the contemporary themes of sexual desire, women's solidarity in the face of strife, and the magic that's quietly present in our day-to-day living. Put "The Dovekeepers" at the pinnacle of Hoffman's extraordinary body of work. I was blown away." --Wally Lamb, author of "The Hour I First Believed"

"In her remarkable new novel, Alice Hoffman holds a mirror to our ancient past as she explores the contemporary themes of sexual desire, women's solidarity in the face of strife, and the magic that's quietly present in our day-to-day living. Put "The Dovekeepers" at the pinnacle of Hoffman's extraordinary body of work. I was blown away." --Wally Lamb, author of "The Hour I First Believed"

"Beautiful, harrowing, a major contribution to twenty-first century literature."--Toni Morrison, Nobel Laureate in Literature

"I am still reeling from "The Dovekeepers"--from the history Alice Hoffman illuminates, from the language she uses to bring these women to life. This novel is a testament to the human spirit and to love rising from the ashes of war. But most of all, this novel is one that will never be forgotten by a reader." --Jodi Picoult, author of "Sing You Home"

About the Author

Alice Hoffman is the author of thirty works of fiction, including Practical Magic, The Dovekeepers, Magic Lessons, and The Book of Magic. Visit her website: AliceHoffman.com.