Indigo Doves

by Marie Masters

Successful Indiana realtor Jacob Bildburg flips houses for a hefty profit. But none has turned his world upside down like the two hundred-year-old property at 126 Rosemund Drive. An unfortunate accident takes him on an odyssey through the stories of a group of wayward women and the broken souls who lived at the address during the American Civil War. He becomes obsessed with discovering the truth behind the original thick beams and strangely vaulted ceilings. Thanks to his unlikely narrator—who has a rare, innate talent for vividly revealing the building’s deepest secrets—he gets a firsthand account of a poignant example of war’s ugliness juxtaposed with true beauty.

274 pages, Paperback

Published March 16, 2017

Reviews

[Ravin Maurice · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of good things about this book. The story of how a man named Jacob came into owning a property with an amazing history is a captivating one. It took a bit to pick up for me, but once the complicated history of the property began to unfold I was drawn in. Jacob's entire life changes when he sees this property and almost hits a girl named Marinda with his car, and in the end the experience seems to have made him a better person. The subjects and morals this story brought up are quite profound.
I didn't give the book 5 stars for two reasons. Firstly because it took me a while to get into it because it took the author a bit of time to bring all the threads of the story together, and because I think the way Marinda relays information to Jacob (you'll see when you read it) could have been done differently. It seemed like a lot of telling and not showing on behalf of the author.
But overall an enjoyable and interesting read.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Indigo Doves offers a great new perspective on historical fiction. The trope of the contemporary twist (a historical narrative 'rediscovered' in some way by a character in a modern timeline) has often been done before, but rarely so successfully, nor have the two periods been so seamlessly integrated.

The characters themselves are beautifully multidimensional, and resist the possibility of being archetypes of their period, occupation, gender, or anything else. Instead, Masters has created a world in which individuality shines through, emphasising a real sense of believability and immersing the reader in a reimagining of the American Civil War.

The story is consistently brilliant, and at no point did I find it was predictable, which was also refreshing! A great book all round.

[Corrine Cassels · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was definitely a page turner, it was hard to put it down. A mix of drama and historical fiction, Masters is really good at intertwining stories and genres. The ending was clever and unexpected didn't leave me disappointed. I'm looking forward to reading more by Masters.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read! Masters really keeps the reader engaged throughout the book. The ending was not what I expected. It was better!