I really wanted to love this book because I enjoyed Lilac Girls. However, Lilac Girls was a much superior novel. I did not care for the characters, especially Josie. Josie was an unconvincing character and made many foolish actions. There was also a suspension of disbelief throughout the novel. Still, I recommend this for fans of WWII!

Another beautiful addition to historical fiction for lovers of fearless characters. Josie and Arlette stole my heart in this one, Kelly has an incredible gift to transform the world around me to put me right with her characters in the center of the story where I can feel everything alongside them. The writing is breathtaking all the details carefully researched and thoughtfully developed. The story kept me engaged wanting to know these lovely golden doves intimately and more about Operation Paperclip. The heart of it all laid in the bravery and determination of these girls, I truly loved it and look forward to reading more from Kelly.

Martha Hall Kelly is back with another WWII historical fiction book revolving around Ravensbruck. The Golden Doves revolves around two women (Josie, an American Protestant/French Jew, and Arlette, an Alsatian French/German woman). They meet at a young age in Paris when the resistance places them together to spy on the police station behind Arlette's apartment. They are so good that their code name is The Golden Doves. For an unrelated reason, they end up in Ravensbruck Concentration Camp and have to find a way to survive.

Now, eight years later, Josie works for US Army Intelligence and Arlette is back in Paris looking for her son who may or may not have survived Ravensbruck. Josie works on Operation Paper Clip which is an initiative to bring Nazi scientists to the US to work on projects for the military. She has a personal mission to find Dr. Snow, a mysterious doctor from Ravensbruck who killed her mother. One day Snow becomes her mission. At the same time, Arlette meets a man who runs a children's orphanage is French Guiana for German boys and thinks he has her son. Josie follows the ratline, the underground railroad for Nazis, to try and find out where Snow went while Josie goes to French Guiana to see if her son is there.

Their stories meet when Josie learns that Snow might be there and Arlette feels like something is off about the camp and something nefarious is going on with the local community. These are women that feel real and you want to follow their story. I will say that it is maybe a little too long in the middle especially with Arlette's story at the boys camp. This part drags on and feels repetitive. That being said I highly recommend to lovers of historical fiction and female driven stories.

I'm a fan of Martha Hall Kelly and The Golden Doves did not disappoint. I felt like the writing could be tighter in places but overall she always delivers and it's hard to dispute the research and care that goes into her crafting of the novel.

I will never tire of reading about women spies in WW2! They had to have been some of the strongest, bravest, smartest women around. And these two women making up the Golden Doves have to be amongst the strongest I have read.
I really enjoy this author’s writings and her other books so I knew this one wouldn’t disappoint.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

The Ravensbruk concentration camp in WWII and Operation Paperclip, a US intelligence program after the war, are the historical background for this book. Given the depicted history of Josie Anderson and Arlette LaRue, The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly should be moving and emotional. Unfortunately, this book does not compel the way that Lilac Girls did. Given that it is the same author and the same historical context, the comparison is unescapable throughout the book.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2024/11/the-golden-doves.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

This was an amazing book. I love Marth Hall Kelly's books and how well researched they are. This was a thrilling story that was so, so good and I learned things I didn't know about. Highly recommend.

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.

I love reading historical fiction! This one is no exception. It’s a great book to curl up with and lose yourself in for the day. Which is exactly what I did! Thank you Martha for a fantastic book!

Yet another amazing Martha Hall Kelly historical fiction novel centered on WWII and the strong, tenacious women who survived it. I highly recommend this book if you like this genre, and the characters are based on real people. Thank you for my review copy!

I love historical fiction for many reasons, but one of them is that I learn so much about people and/or times in history that I didn't know about and sometimes have never heard of. This was one of those times, and I can say that I am floored by what I learned. I am so sad to think that Americans, Italy, and the Vatican all contributed to supporting the Nazis after the war. The fact that the same Nazis "doctors" and "scientists" who experimented on the prisoners during the Holocaust were able to ride the "rat line" all the way to other countries with all of our help is sickening. One of the physicians that was mentioned went to jail for less than 3 years, and was released to continue practicing as a physician! I feel appalled and disturbed on a level I can't explain in words. It's just another reason I lose faith in our country every single day. It makes me so ashamed. I don't care what their reasons were, they all should have been killed or at the very least, spent the rest of their natural lives in jail. It's sickening!
This book follows two women who were eventually nicknamed the Golden Doves for their work with the resistance during World War II, Josie and Arlette. The book follows them from the time of the war, throughout their time in the concentration camp and after as Arlette trys to find her son that was taken away at one of the camps. As the girls try to get Arlette's son back they stumble upon additional information that puts them all in danger, and they find that even some of the people they trust the most are really the enemy. It's all a bit challenging to say the least, but nothing that the doves can't handle! Definitely a good book for anyone that enjoys learning about World War II.

A beautifully written story about two unlikely spies during WWII, their time in Ravensbrück, and their lives after the war,

A must read for any fans of historical fiction and strong female characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully written with compelling characters! As always with this author, she weaves heartwarming and heartbreaking events in an intricate way. The characters were strong, unique, and complex. I enjoyed the plot and found the writing to be exquisite. The plot moves along a bit slow in paces and I struggled to stay invested. Overall, a wonderful read that was deeply researched by the author and it shows.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Martha Kelly never fails to disappoint! Absolutely loved this! Beautifully written and researched (as always) WWII historical fiction is what MHK does best.

A beautiful story of two women working in the resistance during World War 2. I was enthralled. A great read!!

There’s a reason why Martha Hall Kelly is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. Her writing is amazing and it pulls you in. You become submerged in the plot. It’s obvious how much research she does and it certainly pays off. I love that Martha Hall Kelly writes about WWII subjects that aren’t as heard of. She really highlights all of the atrocities of WWII while keeping a human element in tact. I love how there’s still an underlying theme of friendship and love even with so much evil. You’ll quickly fail in love with the two main characters, Josie and Arlette. I highly recommend!

As a huge fan of The Lilac Girls, I was looking forward to reading this new release by Martha Hall Kelly. And as a fan of historical fiction ... especially that which occurs during WWII ... I thought it would be a perfect selection for my bookshelf. Unfortunately, I was not as thrilled with the book as many other reviewers. I typically do not mind dual timelines and multiple points of view when reading a book, but this one did not work well for me. It took a lot of concentration to keep up with the time period and whether it was Josie or Arletta “speaking.” Also, while touted as historical fiction, it ended up being more of a thriller.

The primary characters, Josie and Arletta, were well developed and their backstories were interesting. Their naivety was a little shocking to think that they were actually able to survive and evade the Gestapo. I was not convinced it was real and kept thinking that there’s no way that could happen. The “reveal” at the end of the book took me by surprise. I was pleased to learn about Operation Paperclip, something I was not familiar with before reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Martha Hall Kelly is an incredible storyteller and The Golden Doves is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end. From Nazi occupied Paris, to the atrocities of Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, to Cold War era America and a secret program to bring former Nazis to the United States for their science knowledge, this story was full of heartache and intrigue. The two main characters Josie and Arlette, are drawn into a struggle to right the wrongs of the past, but their quest is more dangerous than they realized. The only fault I had with the story is of course the ending. It felt too convenient and a bit contrived. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction.

I requested this one because I was obsessed with this authors book Lilac Girls. WWII is my favorite part of history to read in historical fiction, so I was interested in this book.

Josie and Arlette were the Golden Doves, part of the Nazi resistance in France in the 1940s. They ended up at Ravensbruck but were luckily liberated. Josie now works for the US government, tracking Nazi doctors and scientists who may be able to work on projects for the US. Arlette is still on a search for her son who was taken during their stay at Ravensbruck. The book is told in a non-linear timeline, with flashbacks to the 1940s interspersed in order to make plot points make sense as the reader goes through the story.

I don't know exactly why, but I never got super invested in this book. On the surface, the blurb sounded like something I would really enjoy, but I never really cared for either of the characters very much.

I also felt like this book was extremely long and didn't need to be quite such a chore to get through. The hardback is over 500 pages, which is a lot to read. I don't feel like it all was necessary to keep the plot moving forward.

I thought this one was fine. Not my favorite historical novel, and I don't see myself wanting to read this one again.