The Dovekeepers in Bound Together

Nov 25, 2012 Irene rated it liked it

Four women find their lives connected by their common situation; all are assigned to work in the dovecotes in Massada in the final year before its fall to Roman forces. The book is divided into five sections, the first four are the narratives of each of these women told by her, the fifth is an epilogue. I liked the amount of research reflected in this piece of historical fiction. The historical setting has not been overly exploited which made it interesting. I was less pleased with the writing. ...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Susan added it

Historical, Biblical fiction. Although the story of Masada is not written in any of the Jewish writing. There was someone named Josephus that wrote it down about a few survivors that survived the mass suicide of Masada. You will have to do your own research. There is info on Wikpedia. But, don't know how reliable it is.

The story opens in 60 BCE. The Romans have taken over the city of Jerusalem. The Jews are tired of being terribly by over taxation and other things. A rebellion ensues, and the Ro Historical, Biblical fiction. Although the story of Masada is not written in any of the Jewish writing. There was someone named Josephus that wrote it down about a few survivors that survived the mass suicide of Masada. You will have to do your own research. There is info on Wikpedia. But, don't know how reliable it is.

The story opens in 60 BCE. The Romans have taken over the city of Jerusalem. The Jews are tired of being terribly by over taxation and other things. A rebellion ensues, and the Romans defile the second temple. There a revolt has started, killing many Jews. Many Jews were able to flee to other parts of the country. There were other fortresses that Jews were held up. The one that I only knew about was Masada. Many Jews fled Jerusalem and went to Herod's fortress called Masada.

70 BCE, Jerusalem, this is the story of four women during the siege of Jerusalem until the four years later after Rome was able to finally capture the Jews at Masada. There is Ya'el, her mother died giving birth to her. Her father blames her for her death. Then there is Revkah, the wife of a baker,and killed during the siege of Jerusalem. Her daughter is raped, and killed in front of her children. Revkah's grandchildren are left without speech. Then Azizah, is born a girl, but acts like a boy warrior. Then Shirah, is a sorcerer, and learns the magic, and the medicinal treatments to help her. These four women connect with each other because of the doves.

In the last days of Masada, it is the story that Alice Hoffman has been wanted to tell for years. She decided to tell the story of the women's perspective when she learned Josephus wrote that a few women and children did survive.

The book was interesting about the life during ancient Israel. How the Jews were treated by Romans, and then women treated badly by Romans, but also by the Jewish men. Women honor their place in Jewish society. We know what happens to Masada, and the mass suicide. The Jews were not going to be taken, and become slaves, and treated even worse.

The ending was powerful, and hard to stomach at times. The story was about, herbalogy, forgiveness,survival, and redemption. I loved the magic that is typical in Alice Hoffman's novels.

There was a lot of distractions while I was reading Dovekeepers. Our book club is inviting outsiders to our book discussion. We have invited, our friend, and Rabbi Debbie to join and discuss Masada, and the book. There has been some confusion about this event, so I have been a bit nervous how everything will pan out. I have been wanting to make this a yearly event, for book lovers in our Jewish community. But, like something when things are planned not everything goes that way.

The one thing, I will never do again, is speed read. This novel, I read in less than a week. Not a good idea. This novel, is heavy, and should be read, and savored. I am going to slow down. I try to read book club books last minute because I can't remember, or have the emotion I had while reading. But, when reading a book club book last minute, I can't enjoy it. I learned that the last time. For now on, I am going to read slowly. From other readers on goodreads everyone enjoyed it. Don't take my recommendation, since I had distractions.

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Nov 26, 2011 Wendy rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011-reads

Just grabbed this one from our local library!
I really didn't know what to expect from this book, but I really enjoyed it. Hoffman's writing is lyrical and descriptive - I felt that I was living in the desert with Yael and suffering the loss of her daughter with Revka. Each section of the story is told from the point of view of 4 strong female characters. Although the siege of Masada was described as the major event, it was actually more about the lives of these women and how they came to be in t ...more

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Nov 13, 2011 Michelle Stie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: supernatural

I didn't think Alic Hoffman broke any new ground here. Magical, misunderstood women narrate the final days and months at Masada. I thought the cultural background she provided was interesting, but the characters were pretty stale. The plot ebbs and flows, but it picks up dramatically when the Romans lay siege to the fortress. It's an "okay" book, but I found [i] Practical Magic [/i] to be a much better version of the magical woman's story. ...more

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