Books we like and recommend:
Are you looking for a really good read with a Benedictine flavor?
Penelope Wilcock has written a series of historical fiction that centers around a Benedictine Monastery in medieval England. Beginning with The Hawk and the Dove (Trilogy of the first three books) Wilcock invites us into the life of the very human monks of St. Alcuin’s Abbey. Her skill at capturing the wisdom and lived experience of the 1500 year old Rule of St. Benedict and weaving it into the most common of human joys and struggles makes for a truly inspirational read. Of her own work, Wilcock says, “I love simple human kindness and gentleness, and I am moved by human vulnerability. I am fascinated by the power that is within our grasp to lift one another up, to heal and strengthen and encourage each other - our power to bless. The Trilogy is followed by six other volumes, leading the reader further into the dailiness of monastic common life, which truly is an immersion in the human experience.
These books have a universal appeal, and hardly stay on our library shelves. Each in its own right has the power to challenge and inspire; to move the reader to desire to be his or her best self. They are a great read; you will not be disappointed!
(Kathy McNany, OSB)
Penelope Wilcock has written a series of historical fiction that centers around a Benedictine Monastery in medieval England. Beginning with The Hawk and the Dove (Trilogy of the first three books) Wilcock invites us into the life of the very human monks of St. Alcuin’s Abbey. Her skill at capturing the wisdom and lived experience of the 1500 year old Rule of St. Benedict and weaving it into the most common of human joys and struggles makes for a truly inspirational read. Of her own work, Wilcock says, “I love simple human kindness and gentleness, and I am moved by human vulnerability. I am fascinated by the power that is within our grasp to lift one another up, to heal and strengthen and encourage each other - our power to bless. The Trilogy is followed by six other volumes, leading the reader further into the dailiness of monastic common life, which truly is an immersion in the human experience.
These books have a universal appeal, and hardly stay on our library shelves. Each in its own right has the power to challenge and inspire; to move the reader to desire to be his or her best self. They are a great read; you will not be disappointed!
(Kathy McNany, OSB)