A review by adogmomsbookishlife
The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

In this extraordinary novel inspired by true events, two former female spies, bound together by their past, risk everything to hunt down an infamous Nazi doctor in the aftermath of World War II. 
 
From a historical perspective, I learned a new fact in the very first chapter. I wasn’t aware that Hitler attempted to get rid of the Nobel peace prize and replace it with the Art and Science Award. That was an interesting piece of history of which I wasn’t aware.  
 
A central theme of this story was what happened with the orphaned children after the war, and there was a particular comment that struck me — the fact that people didn’t want to adopt the German children because of the association with Hitler and Germany. 
 
It’s worth mentioning that I listened to the audio of this story while following along with the print copy. I really enjoyed the narration for Arlette, but I didn’t enjoy Josie’s POV as much. 
 
There is so much more to say, but the main point is that if you enjoy historical fiction set during the WWII era, then you’ll be fascinated by this one too. 
 
This is the second novel I’ve ready by Martha Hall Kelley, and I will absolutely continue to read through her backlist and any future stories she writes.