"The Dovekeepers" is based on a historical novel by a Tucson Festival of Books favorite, Alice Hoffman. The novel, which centers on a group of women whose lives intersect at the Siege of Masada in 70 C.E., has been shaped into a two-part, four-hour miniseries that will air at 8 p.m. March 31 and April 1.
Here's what Hoffman told the Star in 2012:
Readers expect Hoffman to conjure up magic, strong female protagonists and empowering feminist themes.
This book is a bit of a departure: "The Dovekeepers" is an ambitious, multi-faceted story that traces the lives and interactions of six women at Masada during the Roman siege in the first century.
"I've written historical novels before … but this was a huge undertaking. Bigger. More complicated," said Hoffman while vacationing in Florida late last month. The book took her five years to write, she said.
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"I didn't expect to write this book," she said, "but children lead you to certain places." Her son, an anthropologist, was in Israel on digs. She'd visited Israel before, but never Masada. A visit to the site was the inspiration for her book.
"For me, everyone has a voice … a unique voice," said Hoffman. In "The Dovekeepers" acknowledgments, Hoffman notes that the novel is meant to "give voice" to the women who participated in the Jewish struggle.
Who's who in the miniseries
The script: Ann Peacock adapted Hoffman's novel for the screen.
Executive producers: Roma Downey ("Touched by an Angel") and Mark Burnett ("Survivor" and "The voice"). Frank Siracusa, John Weber and Yves Simoneau are also executive producers.
Director: Simoneau.
Cast:
- Cote de Pablo, Rachel Brosnahan and Kathryn Prescott have the dovekeeper roles.
- Sam Neill as first-century Jewish scholar and historian Josephus
- Diego Boneta as a star warrior of the Jewish army at Masada.
Setting: "The Dovekeepers" is based on the true events at Masada in 70 C.E. After being forced out of their home in Jerusalem by the Romans, 900 Jews were ensconced in a fortress at Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert. Besieged at Masada, the Jews held out for months against the vast Roman armies.
