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Alice Hoffman is one of the most popular and memorable writers of her generation, the author of such iconic bestsellers as Here on Earth, an Oprah Book Club choice, and Practical Magic, which was made into a film starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Now she returns with her most masterful work yet, The Dovekeepers, a triumph of imagination and research set in ancient Israel.
In 70 AD, 900 Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on a mountain in the Judean desert, Masada. According to the ancient historian Josephus, only two women and five children survived the siege. Based on this tragic historical event, Hoffman weaves a spellbinding tale of four extraordinary women, each of whom comes to Masada to escape their past and fulfill their destiny.
Yael’s mother died in childbirth and her father, the greatest assassin of his day, never forgave her for her death. She falls in love with a married man, another assassin, who dies as they flee from Jerusalem, under siege by the Romans. Revka is a baker’s wife who witnesses the brutal rape and murder of her daughter by Roman soldiers. She flees to Masada with her twin grandsons who also witnessed the atrocity and are left mute. Aziza is a warrior’s daughter, raised as a fearless rider and expert marksman who finds extraordinary passion with another soldier. Shirah is the Witch of Moab, born in Alexandria, wise in the ways of ancient magic and medicine, and a woman with uncanny insight and power.
As the desperate days of the siege come to an end and the Romans draw near, the lives of these four women come together. They are the keepers of doves, as well as secrets; about who they are, where they have come from, who fathered them and whom they love. Only fate will decide what truths are revealed and who will survive.
The most ambitious novel Alice Hoffman has ever written, The Dovekeepers is the story of murder, magic, faith, love, loyalty, fate – and one of the most dramatic passages in ancient history.
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