The first volume in a series set in the 14th Century and centred around the fictional Benedictine monastery of St Alcuin's, in Yorkshire.

14th century Yorkshire: the time of Chaucer. Father Peregrine is appointed Abbot of St Alcuin's Benedictine abbey. An arrogant, impatient man, a hawk trying hard to be a dove - his name in religion is "Columba" - he is respected, but not loved. A sudden, shocking act of violence changes everything. As the story unfolds, this community of monks, serious about their calling but as flawed and human as we are, come to love their ascetic but now vulnerable leader. They lived six centuries ago, yet their struggles are our own. Finding our niche; coping with failure; living with impossible people; and discovering that we are the impossible ones.

Pen Wilcock is the author of many books such as In Celebration of Simplicity and 100 Stand-Alone Bible Studies. For many years a Methodist minister, she has worked as a hospice and school chaplain. She has five adult daughters and lives in Hastings, East Sussex.

__'Even in the darkest moments of the story, hope tarries in the wings. A wonderful writer, a wonderful read.' Liz Curtis Higgs, New York Times bestselling author____'Wonderfully insightful, with a rich historical storyline. There's more substantial content here than in much Christian fiction – about grace, about leadership and loyalty, about humility, about disability and suffering.' FaithfulReader.com__

The Hawk And The Dove is the opening title in this a series centred around the fictional Benedictine monastery of St Alcuin's, in Yorkshire, and set in the fourteenth century.

At the start of the first novel Father Peregrine is appointed Abbot, at the age of 45. Father Peregrine, whose name in religion is Columba, is an arrogant, impatient man, a hawk trying hard to be a dove, whose struggles to manifest the character he considers to be expected of an abbot provide much of the narrative.

Peregrine is surrounded by a company of flawed, human monks who are - for the most part - also serious about their calling, and who - again for the most part - come to love their driven and hard-driving leader. They lived six centuries ago, yet their struggles are our own-finding our niche; coping with failure; living with impossible people; and discovering that we are the impossible ones.

The first volume in the series, introducing Father Peregrine, Brother Tom, Brother Francis, Brother John and others whom we will come to know well.

Penelope Wilcock

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Foreword

The Community of St Alcuin’s Abbey

Chapter One: Mother

Chapter Two: Father Columba

Chapter Three: Humble Pie

Chapter Four: Clare de Montany

Chapter Five: The Moulting Falcon

Chapter Six: The Ascending Lark

Chapter Seven: Too Many Cooks

Chapter Eight: Beginning Again

Glossary of Terms

Monastic Day

Liturgical Calendar

Wilcock, Penelope

This is a series centred around the fictional Benedictine monastery of St Alcuin's, in Yorkshire, and set in the fourteenth century. At the start of the first novel Father Peregrine is appointed Abbot, at the age of 45. Father Peregrine, whose name in religion is Columba, is an arrogant, impatient man, a hawk trying hard to be a dove, whose struggles to manifest the character he considers to be expected of an abbot provide much of the narrative. He is surrounded by a company of flawed, human monks who are - for the most part - also serious about their calling, and who - again for the most part - come to love their driven and hard-driving leader. They lived six centuries ago, yet their struggles are our own-finding our niche; coping with failure; living with impossible people; and discovering that we are the impossible ones.

"Even in the darkest moments of the story, hope tarries in the wings. A wonderful writer, a wonderful read." Liz Curtis Higgs, New York Times bestselling author "These tender and charming tales of medieval monastic life have an unexpectedly modern dimension. They highlight the struggles of the human condition both in the present and in the past. They illuminate that all humankind, whether aware of it or not, is on a pilgrimage. Through these stories we accompany Father Peregrine and his monks on their journey as they struggle to overcome their personal defects and to live harmoniously in community for the glory of God." Eleanor Stewart, author, Kicking the Habit "Poignant, moving, rich with imagery and emotion... Modern readers will easily identify with each character in Wilcock's timeless human dramas of people learning to love and serve on another while growing in their understanding of a tender and compassionate God. Highly recommended." Midwest Book Review "Wonderfully insightful, with a rich historical storyline. There's more substantial content here than in much Christian fiction - about grace, about leadership and loyalty, about humility, about disability and suffering." FaithfulReader.com "I fell in love with Penelope Wilcock's Hawk and the Dove series when it first came out. These books are still among my favourites and, incredibly, the series keeps getting better and better. What a delight a first time reader of the series has ahead of them!" Donna Fletcher Crow, author, Glastonbury: The Novel of Christian England "This masterful look into a bygone era reminds us that Christians of every age have faced the same basic struggles: how to worship God in spirit and truth, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. Many thanks to Penelope Wilcock for showing us, through the power of literature, an old way to new life." Bryan M. Litfin, Professor of Theology, Moody Bible Institute "Penelope Wilcock has created a wonderful cast of characters to fill the marvellously accurate fourteenth-century monastery in her medieval series. For the lover of medieval mysteries this is a series not to be missed." Mel Starr, author, The Unquiet Bones

Revealing and well researched first book in this unusually touching and human fiction series set in a medieval monastery

Helen L Jenkins

This, the first of a whole series about Father Peregrine and the monastery, is an utterly charming and delightful book. It consists of stories told by a mother to her children about an ancestor of hers, Father Peregrine, and is very readable and absorbing. I remember thinking, as I read this, that it would be great to read to older children or to be read by early teens. Later in the series, the books become much more adult and demanding, though still wonderful. The characters are very well-drawn, the sense of time and place fascinating and the whole thing is profoundly Christian. The contrast between the little modern family in which the stories are told and the mediaeval tales works very well. A truly superlative book, in my opinion.

Wonderful story

The Hawk and the Dove

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The Hawk and the Dove

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