Customer Reviews

The Hardest Thing to Do (Hawk and the Dove)

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'The Hardest Thing To Do' is the fourth masterpiece in a series of spiritually moving novels that portray the working, religious and, most poignant, community life of the brothers at St Alcuin.
This novel sees the brothers faced with a morally up heaving decision as they debate whether or not to admit an enemy Prior into their abbey.
With most of the brothers bandying for justice, the onus lies with the newly appointed Abbot John to hold out for mercy for the sake, not only of the maimed and despised wolf, but also for the peace and composure of his flock of brothers as they journey through the turmoil and anguish of the hardest thing to do; knowing the right thing to do.

Penelope Wilcock's novels flow with a poetry and symbolism that soothes and calms the reader the instant the book is opened. The gentle, though challenging life of the monks, set against the rugged beauty of the English moors, makes the reader forget the troubles and demands of daily life as they become absorbed, transformed and left thoroughly refreshed. Dipping into a novel of Penelope Wilcock's is like sliding into a cool river on a burning summer's day; it provides relief, comfort, and most of all, peace.

"The Hardest Thing To Do (The Hawk and the Dove" is the first book I have read by Penelope Wilcock. At first, I thought it might be difficult to read a book in the middle of a series, then I thought it would be hard to care about monks living in a monastery, and finally I thought it might be a book primarily for Catholics - which I am not. Then I simply read the book and stopped thinking about anything other than what a beautifully written story it actually is.

It is a story about forgiveness and doing the "hardest thing to do". Interestingly, the hardest thing seems to change from person to person and from event to event. What I took away in the end, was that the hardest thing to do is the thing that your heart tells you is the right thing to do but which your head tells you that you don't want to do. In the midst of reading the book, I actually had a moment in my life where I had a "hard thing to do". Because of the story I was reading, I was able to get my heart and head in perspective and to do the right thing in spite of myself! It is a profound moment in life when a novel influences you so strongly.

It turned out to be a very easy book to read in the middle of the series. I might have missed some nuances but if so, I wasn't aware of a lack. I plan to read the earlier books in the series very soon. Again, the story about monks turned out really to be a story about every man or woman... they just happened to be in a monastery. While I did not understand some of the religious significance of some of the story (not being Catholic), it was not an issue for me as the story was so compelling.

I hope that anyone who shares my initial concerns will be influenced by my review - this is simply not a story to be missed. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Penelope Wilcock's new novel, The Hardest Thing to Do, rejoins the brothers of St. Alcuin's abbey to prayer walk day by day through the transitional season of Lent. This Lent proves unusually hard and unusually transitional as the community learns the ways of their new abbot and he learns to be himself in a new obedience.

Over the course of the book we learn "the hardest thing to do" for a number of the brothers, each in their turn. Some of the things are humorous, some mundane, some substantial and serious. The hardest "hardest thing," however, spans the length of the book and challenges the very soul of the community.

What is that hardest thing? To forgive.

An earlier book in The Hawk and the Dove series described the cruel humiliation of the beloved Father Peregrine at the hands of the prior of another monastery. Brother Tom, Father Peregrine's personal attendant, felt the offense at least as keenly as his abbot and responded with characteristic passion and impetuosity.

The new novel unites Brother Tom with the prior who insulted his beloved (now departed) mentor, but in this meeting the balance of power has reversed and Tom and his brethren are confronted with a choice. Will they nourish resentment and turn away a man in profound need, or will they allow God to transform them for and through the hard thing of forgiveness?

As the narrative unfolds, the reader experiences the contagious, destructive effect of even a single person's choice of resentment and also the taste of resurrection transformation resulting from even one person's openness to forgive. The emotional impact of both did not entirely surprise me, having experienced that in the earlier stories, but the breadth of the change effected did.

One sometimes hears the axiom that resentment is like swallowing poison and expecting someone else to die, but this novel portrays it more like a fire that burns away at offender, offended, and the entire community of which they are a part. Conversely, forgiveness (in Father Theodore's language) is a miracle which brings warmth and light out of death and ashes and enlivens not only forgiver nor merely forgiven but the entire community as well.

Upon reflection, this depiction seems more truthful than the more common and simpler simile. Forgiveness is indeed a corporate discipline, and resentment a communal sin. Both are personal, but neither is private. I have witnessed this but did not understand so well what I was experiencing before I walked with these fictional medieval Benedictines through one Lent of their journey towards Christlikeness.

Other comments on structure, characterization, themes, and style could be made and would perhaps be more germane to a proper review, but today I'm inclined to limit my comments to this response instead. The Hardest Thing to Do is a wise book and one I hope to keep learning from in days to come in my non-fiction relationships.

This latest in Wilcock's The Hawk and the Dove series takes readers into the world of a fourteenth-century monastery struggling to forgive an old enemy seeking refuge.

The first of three sequels to the celebrated The Hawk and the Dove trilogy takes place one year after the end of the third book, in the early fourteenth century. A peaceful monastery is enjoying its new abbot, who is taking the place of Father Peregrine, when an old enemy arrives seeking refuge. Reluctantly taking in Prior William, the upended community must address old fears and bitterness while warily seeking reconciliation. But can they really trust Prior William?

In her fourth book in the series, The Hardest Thing To Do, Penelope Wilcock wrestles with the difficulties of forgiveness and the cautions of building trust. Taking the form of journal entries, her story will delight the imaginations of readers captivated by a time and place far distant from our current world. Her timeless themes, however, will challenge our prejudices today as we, along with her characters, are forced to ask ourselves, "What is the hardest thing to do?"

I received this book compliments of Christian Blog Alliance for my honest review and it truly does take you back in time to a much simpler way of life living amongst the monks. Here we are reminded of their disciplined ways of taking care of gardens, to a strict call to prayer and tending to the poor and ill before there were doctors. However not all the monastery's do the bidding that the people believe they should. When a fire burns down St. Dunstan's, they learn that the monks that resided there were after a much greater need than helping the people, the need for power at any and all costs. I rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars and even though I haven't read the previous 3 in the series, this one can be read as a stand alone.

Penelope Wilcock's "The Hardest Thing to Do" is the latest volume in "The Hawk and the Dove" saga. The setting is a hospitable Benedictine abbey in medieval England. The characters, though bound by religious rules, come across as warmly human.

Conflict arises among the monks over an unwelcome and unpleasant guest. A failed attempt at suicide by the guest further induces guilt and heightens anger among the brothers. What can possibly restore peace? Ultimately, the dark clouds of hatred and despair are able to be reconciled, pacifying the emotional struggle which has played out against the somber background of Lent.

Helps for new readers in the unfamiliar monastery world that Wilcock portrays include a list of "who's who" in the book, and the role each character plays. There's also a useful glossary of archaic vocabulary.

"The Hardest Thing" is in that rare category of fiction that has a strong and realistic faith element, but which isn't doctrinally pushy. It's a class act, and I highly recommend it.

During Lent, the brothers of the St. Alcuin monastery are not only learning to accept that one of their own has been installed as their new abbot, but they are also asked to care for and accept the presence of the deeply despised former abbot of another monastery who was greatly injured and displaced by a devastating fire. Because of the man's reputation and his disrespect of their deceased former abbot, the brothers are loathe to welcome him into their fellowship. As Abbot John struggles with his new calling, the novices learn the ways of the brethren, and as they prepare for the festivities of Easter, they all must overcome their own challenges and learn great lessons about forgiveness and selfless love.

Before reading this, the fourth book in Penelope Wilcock's The Hawk and the Dove series, I was asked to read the previous three books. When I've read other Christian fiction involving monasteries or monks, the monks are usually involved in a plot to hide an important relic from religious zealots or the monastery is the birthplace of a child with supernatural powers. So for me, the "hardest thing to do" was to get through the first three books with all the mundane information about monastery life and religious customs about which I have very little knowledge or interest. However, Book Four was a beautiful story of grace, love, and forgiveness that was very spiritually challenging to me personally. And there were several nuggets of wisdom woven throughout the story that struck a chord in my heart. So while the first three books were not my cup of tea, I rather enjoyed this latest addition to the series.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Crossway Books as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

This review is for The Hardest Thing to Do by Penelope Wilcock. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. the characters were well established, and I enjoyed getting to know them. The struggles they faced were quite believable, and I found myself wanting to read more to see how everything would resolve. Overall, I highly recommend this book.

So much of discipleship is in the nitty-gritty of daily life, and probably no more so than in a Benedictine abbey, where life follows closely a prescribed order. But the potential for real community and genuine love is proven in our capacity to face trouble and difficult times, or (in this case) difficult people. How better can we know if the Love of Christ is in us? And the entire situation here is heightened by the strictures of Lent. In this environment the new abbot, John, is taking over from the dearly loved Father Peregrine and he must walk his band of monks into the challenge of loving, forgiving, and living with a man who is not easy to love.

I cannot pass up a story that takes place in a nunnery or monastery. One of the things that fascinates me about the cloistered life is how its members create and maintain a functional community.

So I was grateful when the Vine Program introduced me to the work of Penelope Wilcock by offering The Hardest Thing to Do. In fact, I ordered and read the first three works in this series centered at St. Alcuin's Abbey before reading the latest.

(Note: you don't need to start at the beginning of Wilcock's series to understand Hardest Thing but those readers who like the monastic setting will find the 4 works not at all repetitious.)

I was a little bit wary approaching Wilcock's work. There was something about the praises of her stories that suggested her theme/message might be too ""preachy" for my taste. (I don't turn to the life of nuns and monks to be converted!)

The story of Hardest Thing revolves around the question of whether St. Alcuin's will take in a Prior who was literally burned out of his abbey by townspeople who either set or did not help put out the fire that destroyed all the buildings and killed many of the members of the religious order.

As former head of the monastery notorious for soft living for themselves and mean-spiritedness to townspeople, the reputation of the prior is known far and wide so that he is literally an outcast among men. Yet even in his orphaned condition he acts cold-hearted and uncaring.

A majority at St. Alcuin's vote not to let this outcast prior join their community. And thus the story unfolds. We see the individual members of St. Alcuin's grapple with questions of justice vs. mercy. Questions of how to forgive what you think is unforgivable.

Because these are men of God there is much reference to God and Jesus as the men struggle to find a solution. But far from being "preachy" I thought that the way Wilcock deals with the issues makes it relevant to non-Christians and even non-believers. How to peaceably live together is not a sectarian idea.

It would be easy to say that the book is showing that forgiveness is the hardest thing to do. I think Wilcock may have gone a bit deeper. I think she beautifully shows that coming to see "reality" from another's point of view is the hardest step towards eventual forgiveness.

The members of St. Alcuin's Abbey live out their lives very much aware of their relationship to God. But Wilcock gives us real people, with their individual talents, needs, and quirks. We see them deal with the annoyances of daily life, calling up tolerance toward one another, living compassionately. How they achieve these states of heart and mind offers lessons to those living in any community.

The Hardest Thing to Do: I kept getting the feeling as I was reading, that the author was basically pushing Christian values rather than really writing a novel. That's OK with me - I mean I'm Christian and do believe that the world would be a better place if we all, everyone, truly followed the teachings - but I guess I think this is weak as a novel and misplaced in the Literature section. It's as if it's a little sneaky to disseminate one's religious beliefs by clothing them in a sort-of-story... a sheep in wolf's clothing? (BAD pun!)

Nonetheless the portrayal of the religious life of medieval times (sometime between the founding of Cambridge University and the Reformation) is interesting reading. The characters and struggles of the various members of the community of St. Alcuin's Abbey and the interloper are well enough developed. I really enjoyed the description of the "sneering" of the former Augustinian abbot. I felt that in the end the author wanted to lead the reader to the familiar concept of "What Would Jesus Do?" in choosing a solution to a dilemma.

But she writes in a wobbly voice - sometimes archaic then often jumping into 21st century vernacular. And I think a discerning reader can pick out the author's intent to tell others how to live, that the story she has created is a parable for the lesson she wants us to learn. Make no mistake, it is a worthy lesson, broad and non-denominational, but a lesson more than a novel.