The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

It was my turn to host our FABulous ladies' meeting for the month of February.  There were five of us in attendance and a table heavy-laden with food.  (I tend to cook more when the weather is chilly outside!)  We feasted on rosemary chicken roasted with carrots and potatoes, almond-roasted green beans, homemade Challah bread, spinach and goat cheese salad, purple grapes, and an assortment of olives.  With a tribute to the book's Jewish background found in the almonds, olives, Challah bread, and goat cheese on the table, the homemade cake pops and chocolate dipped marshmallows for dessert were an early celebration of the upcoming Valentine's holiday, along with the "Dove" chocolate candies.

Challah Bread

This is the table and ladies after we had devoured the food ..... We may be stuffed, but not the chicken!

Synopsis:
The Dovekeepers is a fictional story based upon the historian Josephus' written account of the 900 Jews who held out for months against the Roman armies in 70-73 C.E.   They lived in what was once the palace of King Herod, an impenetrable fortress set upon sheer cliffs.   It is written that 2 women and 5 children were the only survivors.   Ms. Hoffman has taken that information and created a story around it.  This story follows the lives of four women who work together caring for the doves while each of them carry their own secrets, dreams, and guilts.  In their daily struggles, some will find themselves drawn more closely together, while others will find their relationships strained or lost forever.  No matter which road they have taken or will choose, these women are strong, independent, and each have an intriguing tale to share with their modern readers.

Comments:
Of the four women who told their tale in separate accounts, we considered which one we most admired or with whom we experienced a connection.  Aziza, the warrior, was chosen by a few of us due to her strength, her courage, and her loyalty to her step-father and the values he taught her.  She forged her own path and was willing to risk her life to save the lives of those she loved.  She loved and fought with abandon.  Revka was mentioned because of her devotion and selfless love for her grandsons.  She lost her husband and daughter to the enemy, but did not quit or turn her back on those little ones who needed her, even though their own father in his grief turned his back on them.  She was the strong and loving grandmother.  Revka was quiet and cautious to trust others, but she was loyal and true to those she called friend.

As for the other two women, Shirah and Yael, we found them less admirable for various reasons.  Shirah was the witch who practiced magic and divination incongruently along with worship of God Almighty.  She was fascinating, strong, and controlling.  She believed what her mother had told her had been written for her, that love would bring about her undoing.  When her mother told her, "Here is the riddle of love:  Everything it gives to you, it takes away," Shirah believed that in order not to bring her curse upon her own children, she had to try her best not to love them.  Although, Shirah feels that she failed to prevent that curse, it appears that she did create a self-fulfilling prophecy as each of her daughters forged their own destiny with no desire to maintain or strengthen the mother-daughter bonds.  In the end, Shirah delivers an infant daughter and in her own death leaves Yael to raise this child.  Yael has this to say of the witch who acted as a surrogate mother to Yael: "She gave her life so that Yonah would have hers.  For those who say that the Witch of Moab never loved anyone, that she was selfish, concerned with her own fate alone, I can only say that she was ruined by love and delivered by it and that she left something glorious to the world, a child who loves to stand in the rain." p. 378.

Yael was a submissive and traitorous young woman at the beginning of this book.  She showed no remorse for her adulterous lifestyle and the betrayal of her only friend.  However, as JoAnn reminded us, "A child will find love somewhere when no love is shown to her at home."  Yael's father did not show any love to his daughter and abused her both emotionally and physically.  Is it any wonder that the first time a man showed her any attention, Yael held tightly to it no matter the circumstances or consequences?  However, Yael did grow up in those few short years and displayed both strength and tenderness when needed, becoming a friend to all the women, despite any initial mistrust on their part.  She also befriended the slave from Wales and risked her own life to give him his freedom.  By the end of the story, Yael is the wise, strong leader and protector.

Although Nahara was not one of the main characters given her own narrative section, we found her character worth mentioning.  It was intriguing that she stubbornly chose to leave her mother and sister and live with the plain and peaceful Essenes.  We found her decision both naive and admirable.  Seeing as she lived with a mother who took her from her father's presence and snuck around sleeping with a married man, Nahara may have found the Essenes way of living appealing for security reasons and for the open and trusting attitude they adopted.  Her love for Malachi sealed the deal.

Most Memorable Quotes:
"There were times when those around you can see your fate but you yourself are blind, stumbling toward a coil of mistakes." page 169 said by Revka in reference to Nahara's following the Essenes.

"But now I understood that, although words were God's first creation, silence was closer to His divine spirit, and that prayers given in silence were infinitely greater than the thousands of words men might offer up to heaven." page 213 said by Revka.

"...for some secrets bring you closer in the sharing, just as others break you apart." page. 245 said by Aziza.

"We were no different from the doves above us.  We could not speak or cry, but when there was no choice we discovered we could fly.  If you want a reason, take this:  We yearned for our portion of the sky." page 302 said by The Witch of Moab.

FAB Rating:
*** (3 out of 5 stars)
This was a great story of women: their faults, strengths, loves, devotions, hurts, betrayals, choices, and struggles.  The historical background is interesting even with the controversy surrounding the authenticity of this account by Josephus.  However, there were serious distractions which negatively impacted our reading enjoyment. 

One problem we noted was the narration of Aziza in "The Warrior's Beloved" section.  She begins her narration addressing her sister, Nahara, on page 215 and then abruptly changes on page 230 to a normal narration of her tale.  There is no closure or segue to indicate an end of the 'letter' to her sister.

The story was filled with magic, prophetic dreams, ghosts, and other mystical elements.  We understand that this is a common theme found in Ms. Hoffman's other books, but it diminished the authenticity of the historical background.  It was especially implausible to believe that Shirah was able to make it immediately rain on demand in the midst of a severe drought.  I know some weathermen and Texas farmers who would give their eye-teeth for that talent!

The story itself is written in a poetic sense with beautiful, descriptive language.  The downside to that for all of us was that it bogged down the storyline and forced the reader to wade through line after line of details which were not significant to the storyline.  We were drowning in descriptions and just wanted to get back to the meat of the story so many times!  When we were able to get back into the meaty parts, we found some good stuff to chew on.