The Hawk and the Dove takes place in 14th-century Yorkshire, at the time of Chaucer. Father Peregrine takes the reins as Abbot of St. Alcuin’s Benedictine abbey. An arrogant, impatient man — a hawk trying hard to be a dove — Father Peregrine commands respect, but not love.
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 — learn to love their ascetic but now vulnerable leader.
They lived six centuries ago, but their struggles are our own. Finding our niche; coping with failure; living with impossible people; and discovering that we are the impossible ones. Modern readers will easily identify with each character in Wilcock’s timeless human drama.