Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for. A review. This will appear immediately on Goodreads.
Set in dual timelines during WWII and post war, we meet a daughter of an American diplomat and a Nazi sympathizer (although geography, age, and love are responsible for that) in France who begin as spies, survive the all female camp Ravensbruk, and go on to hunt Dr Snow, a camp doctor guilty of thousands of war crimes against women and children. That’s a very simplistic description of this book, as this narrative is so propelling and intricate, it’s hard to capture in a few sentences.
These two women are in complicated times and are in complicated circumstances. How their storylines mingle yet stand on their own is done so well. The setting descriptions do the book well as it’s easy to see Paris, the camp, and South American jungle lain before you.
This book is a page turner. The plot feels like one long climax until you get to the end and your heart is racing. I couldn’t wait to get to the author’s note to see how much was fact or fancy. I’m a little sickened by how many Nazis got off and what they were doing to innocent people.
Even though I personally have WWII historical fiction fatigue, I enjoy Martha Hall Kelley’s work immensely and always set Lilac Girls on the staff picks shelves. This would make a good book club pick as it’s meaty with a lot to discuss. I think my patrons would enjoy this.
4*

I read Martha Kelly’s first book on NetGalley years ago and have been a fan ever since.
The Golden Doves is a chilling, haunting, disturbing tale of post WWII.
Josie and Arlette, both survivors of Revensbruck and former operatives, have work left to do.
I knew about some of the things covered in the novel, but the extent of the backstory turned my stomach.
It was like an eel slithering through history leaving slime in its wake.
This novel will make you sit upright and gulp audibly because of its contents.
Don’t miss it.

The Golden Doves is the best kind of book. By the middle, it had me torn between turning the pages as quickly as possible to figure out how to the story ends and putting the book down because I could not stand for anything bad to happen to the fictional characters I am now deeply invested in.

The book alternates between during World War II and post-war America and France. Josie Anderson is an Army liaison in charge of re-settling in Texas Germans with specialized expertise in science and engineering and screening those that may be possible Nazis. Arlette LaRue is a Parisian waitress looking for her lost son, Willie who she was separated from in the infamous Nazi camp, Ravensbruck. Prior to their time together at Ravensbruck, Josie and Arlette were the “Golden Doves,” critical players in the underground resistance movement who spied on German officers and relayed the intelligence to the movement. Soon both women are in pursuit of items of critical importance: Josie of the infamous Dr. Snow, a Nazi doctor who experimented on countless persons of the Jewish faith and Arlette to find her son.

There are so many WWII historical fiction books out there, but the Golden Doves is an excellent example of that genre. I especially appreciated how this book explores how those whose lives were split apart by the war have to reconstruct themselves in a post-war world anxious to move forward.

I have read and enjoyed other Martha Hall Kelly including her other World War II, the Liliac Girls. While this book definitely stands alone, it has some cross-overs with the Liliac Girls characters including Caroline Ferriday and Nina Iwanska.

This review will be posted on Goodreads, BookBub and Amazon. Thank you Random House and Netgalley for the advanced review copy!

American teen Josephine Anderson moves to Paris with her parents, a couple of months later the Germans invade the city, her father is in Rome and his wife, daughter and sick mother-in-law are stranded. Parisian teen Arlette LaRue lives with her grumpy aunt, she’s infatuated with Gunther, and he's a member of the 12th SS Panzer division and they have a brief liaison.

The young women become involved in the resistance, gathering intelligence, passing it onto the allies and the Gestapo offer a reward for information about their identity. The Golden Doves are caught, detained for a week and sent to Ravensbrück in a cattle train. Arlette and her baby Willie stay in a special section of the camp and it’s for mothers and their babies. Dr. Snow a German, does heinous things to Josie’s mother Lylou a Jewish singer, and one day while Arlette is working, Willie and all of the babies disappear.

Ten years after the Second World War ends, the two women haven’t been able to overcome their terrible experiences, the shocking things they witnessed and live everyday with mental and physical scars.

Josie is employed by the U.S. Army intelligence in Fort Bliss, Texas and she’s given the assignment to help hunt down Dr. Snow, and Arlette is working in a coffee shop in Paris, it’s run by Ravensbrück survivors, and she’s still trying to find Willie. Arlette is contacted by Luc Minau, his grandmother sponsors a children’s camp in French Guiana, he thinks Willie might be one of the orphans and she flies to Cayenne.

I received a digital copy of The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine in exchange for an honest review. After doing extensive research, Ms. Kelly writes a long and sometimes drawn out narrative about two young women helping the resistance and how they survived being imprisoned at the women’s only concentration camp Ravensbrück. Where terrible medical experiments were performed on women, they were starved and no mercy was given.

It’s told from the two main characters points of view, Josie and Arlette, who are busy trying to untangle an elaborate web of lies, secrets and it’s exceptionally dangerous, they don’t know who they can trust and what the elusive Dr. Snow looks like? Please read the authors notes at the end, Ms. Kelly explains how the Nazi’s escaped being captured, with help from civilian sympathizers and the Vatican. Many lived in South America, German scientists worked in America as part of Operation Paperclip and four stars from me. Due to be released on the 18th of April 2023, I found this story a little over the top and unbelievable.

I read a lot of WW2 books and was looking forward to this one. It has a lot going on. The chapters jump back and forth between past and present and one character to another. For me it was hard to keep straight. It was confusing at times. I know there will be others who really like it but it just wasn’t my favorite
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

For all the women who survived Ravensbrück. And those who never came home.

Martha Hall Kelly has again given us the kind of historical fiction that you can't put down. True players in the Nazi atrocities meld with Kelly's characters seamlessly to tell this story based on fact. I had understood little about the American race for knowledge from the hands of awful oppressors and murderers. Very informative and challenging! It is a heart-wrenching read but revealing and well done.

Thank to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy!

Just when you are beginning to think that you have read everything about the World War 2, along comes a novel which deals with yet another event you knew nothing about. Martha Hall Kelly's latest novel, The Golden Doves, tells the story of two female spies who were part of the French resistance in the last years of the war. They were imprisoned at Ravensbruck and witnessed untold atrocities Post their release, Josie is working as an intelligence agent for the US Government while Arlette is working at a cafe in Paris with other survivors. Their paths once again collide as Arlette pursues a search for missing son in French Guiana while Josie is on the trail of Dr. Snow, a Nazi doctor who experimented on the prisoners at the Camp. The story is told in a "before" and "after" format from the viewpoints of Arlette and Josie and will leave you a lot better informed about the Nazi medical programs of the Second World War.

A really good book but so, so long. It was hard for me to get through this one. If one has the time, it is definitely worth it. I have read several of this author's books and they are all so well done. This was very well researched. I learned a lot about post world war 2 that I was not aware of. The two women will both stick with me.

A multiple time line dual perspective novel of two women who bonded as part of the resistance during WWII, were sent to Ravensbruck, and now are searching. Josie, an American daughter of a US diplomat, was not spared, losing her Jewish mother in the camp and now she's an ace Nazi hunter. While she's meant to be bringing Nazis with special expertise to the US, she's also bent on revenge. Arlette, raised by her hateful aunt, is the mother of young Willie, born when she was 17 of a relationship with Gunther, who went off to war. They collect info and hide in Arlette's apartment until the day young Josie is pursued to their door after stealing from a German officer. And now Arlette is hunting for Willie and Josie is looking for Dr. Snow. Is Willie in French Guyana as Luc claims? Arlette finds a weird and dangerous vibe there but feels comforted by Luc's mother Danae. Josie criss crosses Europe and then finds herself in South America as well. I found myself caring about these women even as the plot tips over the shark. That said, don't miss the afterword. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's very good historical fiction.

I really enjoyed this book. This author is very good! IU have read others by her and being interested in History, I found her book captivating and intriguing.. The book held my interest and I enjoyed and could follow the plot.

(2.5 stars rounded up) I really wanted to like this novel because WWII fiction is among my favorite historical fiction subgenre, but it just didn't hold up for me. I am just learning more about Operation Paperclip, which I find deeply disturbing, and for a novel to deal with this specifically, I was intrigued. The Golden Doves had way too much going on to hold my interest, however, and though I finished the book, it was a real struggle.

What I liked: I thought both Josie and Arletta were wonderful characters, with interesting backstories that made them likable and empathetic. The storyline itself had lots of red herrings, so I did not anticipate the reveal . I also felt that the author built a sense of mistrust in every character, so that as a reader, I did not know who was telling the truth and who the Doves should fear.

Unfortunately, the two major issues with the book, for me, were tough to overcome. First, for being The Golden Doves, who eluded the Gestapo while working virtually under their very noses, the two girls were almost irritatingly naive, spilling secrets and allowing access to their operations with little thought to any possible ulterior motives. This, along with some minor, "No one would really do that" situations, made the story seem implausible. Second, the book is written in dual timelines and from the alternating points of view of each main character. The chapters are quite short, normally not a problem, but when it changes from Arletta's voice in 1945 to 1952 in Josie's then to Arletta in 1952, it takes a lot of concentration to keep up. Add to that the multitude of minor characters in multiple countries across those two timelines and my brain was on overload.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the digital ARC of The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelley. The opinions in this review are my own.

This book is well written and very disturbing. I had never heard about the Rat Lines or the fact that the US had brought over Nazi scientists to work for the US government. The idea was to keep Russia from taking them in and using the knowledge gained to keep the US ahead of Russia. One scientist and wife was depicted as completely remorseless. Could you imagine working next to someone that had committed such horrific acts during the Holocaust? The novel is centered around the Golden Doves, two spies who ended up in a camp before the end of the war. This is their story both during the war and after the war as they search for a specific war criminal. Thanks to the author for not letting the war, the camps, the Holocaust, the people be forgotten. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the digital ARC. This review is in my own words.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Arlette and Josie were partnered together while working for the Resistance in France during WWII, as the Golden Doves, who, while hiding in plain site, gave the Nazis a lot of trouble,. When they were finally captured, they were both imprisoned at Ravensbruck concentration camp and both managed to survive the war, but not before each lost the person closest to them.

Now it is 1952 and the war has been over for 7 years. But both women look to find some kind of closure after their war experiences. They have gone their separate ways., Arlette working with other survivors at a small coffee shop staffed exclusively by war survivors. Josie now works for the US government, trying to recruit former Nazi scientists to help America in the post-war arms race.

But their shared experiences cannot be easily erased and when Arlette is chosen by an organization who is attempting to reunite children and parents separated by the war, she can't pass up the opportunity to find her son Willie, and goes to French Guiana in hopes of finding him there. Josie soon contacts her and lets her know that a doctor from the camp may also be there, and they reunite to find justice for the many harmed by this notorious doctor, including Josie's mother, who the doctor had chosen to be killed.

Ensconced in a beautiful island hideaway, Arlette believes she has found her son. Luc, the head of the organization and his mother, Danae, welcome her to their organization and want her to become part of the family and all will live happily every after. But will they?

The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly is an intriguing read set in both the present day and in WWII Nazi filled Europe. Featuring two spies known as The Golden Doves, readers follow their journey through fighting for the French Resistance, enduring the horrors of Ravensbruck, and then searching for a Nazi doctor who had wrecked havoc on their lives in unspeakable ways. This book beautifully takes its readers full circle, exploring depths of loyalty, revenge, and justice. With a sense of mystery keeping tension until the final pages, The Golden Doves is a story I will not soon forget.

I received this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

American Josie Anderson and Parisian Arlette LaRue met during World War II and became spies for the Allies in Paris. Their ability to gain valuable information made them famous, earning them the name the Golden Doves. Their success made them a prime target for capture by the Nazis. When they were ultimately arrested, they were sent, with Arlette's young son Willie, to Ravensbrück, a concentration camp for women. Years later, Josie is working at Fort Bliss in Texas on Operation Paperclip, the Army's effort to bring former Nazi scientists overseas to prevent the Russians from using their expertise against the United States. Josie is given the assignment to track down Dr. Snow, whose experiments at Ravensbrück tortured and killed many women. Josie's mother was one of those women. At the same time, Arlette is working at a Paris cafe and has been searching for her son Willie, who was taken from her at the concentration camp. Arlette meets Luc Minau, who heads an organization that operates a home for children separated from their parents during the war and tries to locate relatives. Could Willie be there? She heads to French Guiana to find out. The two former spies end up reuniting to help one another in their searches.

Martha Hall Kelly became a must-read author in 2016 after her debut, Lilac Girls. She has not disappointed since. The Golden Doves is a beautifully written, well-researched book that explores a horrible time in history through rich, well-developed characters. From the horrors in Ravensbrück to the infuriating efforts to protect Nazis after the war and hide them in South America, this is a stirring book. At over 500 pages, prepare to be submerged into a complex story that takes some time developing but is well worth the journey.

If you are a historical fiction fan, I can't recommend this book enough.

Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly
This book tells the story of the “golden doves,” two members of French Resistance living in Paris. In 1943, Josie is the Jewish daughter of an American diplomat and Arlette has escaped from an unwed mother’s home with her baby boy. Together they do whatever they can to thwart the Nazis and are eventually captured and sent to the infamous Ravensbruck camp.
In 1952, Arlene and Josie are each searching for parts of their past that have been stolen from them. Will they find the answers they are looking for and be able to start living again?
#netgalley

The Golden Doves by Martha Hall Kelly is a well-researched and thought-provoking portrayal of two women whose paths crossed as members of the Resistance Movement in France during WWII. Seven years later, these women are still searching for answers and retribution for the crimes committed against them and their families. Kelly has written a truly thrilling and haunting novel that takes the reader on a journey through France, Germany, Italy, and French Guianea as these ladies look for their survivors and Gestapo fugitives who've fled Ravensbruck. While The Golden Doves is historical fiction, Kelly's portrayal of the events makes you feel as though you are there. She includes a degree of mystery so that the book is a page-turner to the end.
#thankyouNETGALLEYforthisARC. #LOVEDIT

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.

I had heard of the author before, but I had not read her other bestseller "Lilac Girls". I am now excited to read it as I really enjoyed "The Golden Doves" and apparently (from the endnotes) there are a few side crossover characters.

The main characters, Arlette and Josie, are trying to piece together two mysteries left over from the war.

Set in 1952, with flashbacks to the 1940s, you know the outcome from the war at the outset, which is actually nice. You see what Arlette and Josie are doing during the war, but you aren't left wondering constantly if they will be found out. The author pieces together true characters of the Nazi regime who conducted medical experiments on prisoners, and she also shows a side of the eugenics program "Lebensborn". None of the explanations are very graphic.

We also see a bit of romance for each of the main characters with various other side characters.

Overall a nice historical drama with a touch of romance that shows a bit of dark Nazi history that isn't shown often.

*TOP Book club pick 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel. I would spend my own money on this book. #sponsored

I knew I was a fan of the current day espionage/spy novel, but I love historical fiction ones too! Who knew I could get through and love an over 500 page book in just a few days? An intricately woven plot about the recruiting of German scientists after WWII. I didn’t even know this was a thing before starting the book and then could not put it down.

Two strong women in dual timelines make for a compelling story. While I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, this was a nice twist on the war novel dealing with the after effects of the war and the start of the cold war. It questions justice for those responsible for such much strife and what happened to those that survived.

The amount of research the author put into this is evident. I grew to really like Arlette and Josie and wouldn’t mind reading about them further.

I both read and listened to this one depending upon my mood and availability and thought Jeremy Carlisle Parker and Saskia Maarleveld did a fantastic job narrating the story and bringing it to life.

I don’t think you need to love historical fiction to enjoy this complex story.