"The Hardest Thing to Do" (The Hawk & The Dove #4) by Penelope Wilcock

Title: The Hardest Thing to Do (The Hawk and The Dove Series #4)

Author: Penelope Wilcock

Published: September 27, 2015

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

One year after book 3 ends, the monks at St. Alcuin's are waiting for their new Abbott, Father John, to arrive. While they wait, they busily work to prepare for the upcoming Easter season, which will bring hundreds of guests to the monastery.

John's arrival starts a period of adjustment for everyone within the walls of St. Alcuin's, especially for John himself. Formerly the infirmary man of the monastery, he finds himself struggling with the transition from healer to his new position of authority.

Just as things are beginning to settle down, an old enemy from the priory's past, Prior William of St. Dunstan's, knocks at the door in need of help. The wounds from his feud with their former leader, Father Peregrine, still sting. Can the monks inside set aside their feelings of hatred and help a fellow brother in need?

I was not at all familiar with The Hawk and The Dove Series before I opened this novel, so I didn't have much to form an initial opinion on. Based on the description on the back cover, I assumed that this was going to be another medieval story featuring monks, knights, and pretty women in distress. I was surprised to find that was not the case in The Hardest Thing to Do. The novel chronicles the daily lives of the monks who live within the wall of St. Alcuin's Monastery. While this aspect was charming, it was also one of the novel's downfalls for me. First, there are a lot of characters to keep track of. Thankfully, Ms. Wilcock includes a guide with the names of all the characters throughout the series. I did, however, find myself checking in the front of the book to remember which character does what. Second, the daily actions of the various brothers sometimes distracted from the main plot. The central plot itself was great, but I found myself getting bored in places, because the story kept sidetracking. I will concede, that these subplots were probably necessary, because in each case the monks share what they find to be the hardest thing to do in life, adding to the overall theme.

My favorite part of the novel was the message of forgiveness and love. Unfortunately,our sinful natures make this very hard for us to do. However, the Bible is very clear on the matter. Jesus says in Matthew 18:21-22, "Then Peter came and said to him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'" This means that there should be no limit to the amount of times that we forgive someone for wronging us. The Bible is also clear on the matter of showing love to those around us. Matthew 22:39 says, "Love your neighbor as yourself." I think this passage is pretty clear. Show love to others. Be kind and compassionate. It was nice to be reminded of these important points alongside the monks of St. Alcuin's. Forgiveness and showing love aren't always on the forefront of my thinking, but reading this novel brought them back into focus for me, and I hope it will for you who choose to read it too.

Kaylee says:

Quick Q&A with Author Lisa See!!!

Hi guys,

Photo courtesy of www.lisasee.com

One of my favorite authors ever is Lisa See. She's written many highly acclaimed novels, including Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, and the Shanghai Girls series. 

I love novels that are written by women, for women. Something that See does that makes her unique from any other author that I've read, is that she explores the wonderful, yet complicated relationships that exist between women and the world and women and each other. The result is a beautiful portrayal of the nuances (both good and bad) that are part of what it means to be a woman. So when I had the opportunity to ask Lisa a question via Goodreads a few weeks ago, I knew I needed to find out why she loves to write about women so much. I was completely shocked to receive an answer!

KM: I just finished reading "China Dolls" and loved it! In a lot of your novels, you explore the interpersonal relationships between women. What made you decide to pursue that as a theme?

LS: Thank you for your kind words. I'm so glad you enjoyed "China Dolls!" Relationships between women -- whether friends for life, sister-wives, or actual sisters -- are very different. At the same time, they are uniquely female. A woman will tell her best friends things she won't tell her mother, husband, or children. That particular intimacy is wonderful and a true blessing, but it can also leave you open to betrayal and hurt. Women being married to the same man -- whether in China or with the Mormons or with whatever group anywhere in the world -- is also unique and rife with jealousy and rivalries, but this relationship can also be the basis for great friendship and comfort. As for sister, well, the sibling relationship is typically the longest we'll have in our lifetimes. Our parents will die before we do, our children will outlive us, and often women outlive their husbands, right? A sister can be your closest friends, someone who is almost a stranger, or even an enemy. What's the difference between sisters and women who say they are "closer than sisters?" A sister is for life. I write about these relationships because I'm a woman, because I want to connect to women, and because women's stories still need to be told.

You can find the original post and more Q&A with Lisa See here!!! 

Rachel Reviews: "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Hey everyone, I'm going to introduce to you all to the second of our wonderful guest writers!

This is my good friend Rachel! She and I met at college, while sitting in one of the many English classes that we've shared throughout the years. Rachel is also a double major in Elementary Ed. and Secondary Communicative Arts and Literature. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys hiking, running, music, and spending quality time with her friends and family. In the past few months, she's been hopping from mountain to mountain in Colorado, teaching VBS with her sister. Lucky for us, she was able to find the time (and internet service) to write a review! Thanks, Rachel! I'll let you take it from here!

Hi everyone! Although it took me 2 months to actually write this review, Kaylee has still accepted me as a guest writer which is very generous of her. Thanks for having me, Kayles!

We made a pact where we would both read the same book and then review it side-by-side. We chose The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society since it was one we’d both had on our lists for a while. You can find Kaylee's review here!

My initial impressions of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society were based mostly on word of mouth. It came with high recommendations from my aunt and older cousin, both big readers with wonderful taste. But when I asked for an overview, all I got was, “It’s hard to explain. But you’ll love it!” They were right on both counts. Even the title is hard to say, much less explain!

The book is written in the form of letters, each one between different characters. I might as well say now that I feel weird even calling them “characters” so instead I’ll just use the word “people” because that’s what they felt like. The voice of each person is masterfully done, and makes the novel constantly fresh. Each one is so unique and exaggerated just enough that they’re endlessly entertaining.

A quick plot summary so we’re all on the same page:

Juliet is an author in England shortly after World War II. Her magazine column and her humor in the face of tragedy have gotten the city of London through the war, and now that the war is over, she’s in high demand. But one day, a book she formerly owned ends up in the hands of a reserved pig farmer, Dawsey Adams, on the island of Guernsey in the Atlantic. The new owner writes to her – and so begins an unlikely relationship between Juliet and an entire group of people on the island. Discovering these people and their incredible war stories captures Juliet’s heart, as do the mysteries behind their “Literary Society.”

What really made this book stand out for me was the deep love of reading and writing the authors so clearly displayed through the people in the book. As an English major I spend a lot of time reading books for class, and very little of that time actually enjoying them. It’s a shame, really. But this book reminded me of all the magic that can be found in literature, and all the reasons I love it. It leads us to discover other wonderful people, and to discover more about ourselves. Many of the letters in the book were written by uneducated people from Guernsey sharing their favorite quotes or authors with Juliet, and I found myself touched by many of them.  Literature is not just appreciated by the educated because, really, it’s about sharing experiences. This book explained that through the plot and also by bringing in famous authors and quotes and moments in history. Reading it was like getting to watch people find the joy in reading who never had any before – which brings great joy to the heart of any future teacher.

I can’t say the book met my expectations, because I really didn’t know what to expect. It was entirely different than I thought it would be, and it was delightful. Have you ever had that experience where the perfect book comes to you at the perfect time? That was Guernsey Literary Society for me. Right when reading was starting to become a chore, the people of Guernsey let me borrow their eyes to see the magic of discovering it for the first time. So I’ll gladly give it 5 beans!

Rachel says:

Kaylee Reviews: "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Title: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Authors: Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Published:
Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII

Hey all,

This is my review for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. My pal Rachel and I each read the book over the summer and though it would be fun to write our own reviews for you all! Thanks for coming aboard, Rach! You can read Rachel's review here! 

Like Rachel, my initial impressions of the novel came by word of mouth. My mother picked up this novel on one of her book hunting adventures and read it right away! She talked about it for weeks and weeks before I finally decided to open it up, and I am very glad that I did!

TGLPPS  follows author Juliet Ashton right at the end of WWII in London. Juliet's articles kept the public laughing throughout all the devastation. When we meet her in the beginning of the book, she is working on deciding what her next book is going to be about. One day,  Juliet receives a letter from a man she has never met. His name is Dawsey Adams, a quiet handyman from the island of Guernsey. Dawsey reaches out to Juliet, because he had come into possession of a novel by Charles Lamb that Juliet had owned before the war. Over the next few months, Dawsey introduces Juliet to the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, a book club that was formed by the denizens of Guernsey Island as a way to pass the time during the Nazi occupation. Soon the other members begin to write to Juliet as well. As she gets to know the members of the society more personally, Juliet's fascination grows, and she finally makes plans to travel to the island to meet them face to face. Little does she know that what she discovers there will change her career and her personal life forever.

The most striking feature of this book is that it is an epistolary novel. In layman's terms, that means the entire book is written in the form of letters. In my opinion, this accomplished the feat of giving each of the characters and strong, unique voice. It was done so successfully, that I could clearly picture each person in my mind! And since we're talking about characters, never in my life as a reader have I ever wanted to visit a place as much as I want to go to Guernsey! I just want to spend time with all of the characters! Yes, I understand that they're fictional beings, but they seemed so lifelike! I'm going to make a bold statement and say that this book had the strongest characterization of any novel that I have ever read!

I'm giving this book 5 coffee beans! If not for the touching but funny plot line of the amazingly lifelike characters, then certainly for it's theme The characters in this book love to read. They will show you that you don't have to have an education to appreciate literature or to enjoy a good book. Anyone who understands what it means to find the magic in reading will love this novel!

Kaylee says: