The Dovekeepers

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman is historic fiction set at the time of the fall of Jerusalem (70 C.E.) to the Romans, specifically the Jewish stronghold of Masada where over 900 Jews committed mass suicide rather than be taken as slaves by the Romans.

Hoffman tells the story through the voices of four different women who came to Masada and became the dovekeepers there. The language is mesmerizing; she beautifully weaves their stories, their lives, their voices together as if they are rising up from the past. This is a brilliant novel, taking the reader into the desert, into another time and place where we can hear from those few who survived this massacre.

An extraordinary novel, highly recommended.