The Wounds of God

The Hawk and the Dove #2

by Penelope Wilcock

At the end of The Hawk and the Dove Father Peregrine is horribly injured in an attack originating from his previous life as a nobleman, before his calling to the monastic way.

Now, badly crippled, he finds himself humbled to request assistance of his fellow monks in the simplest task. Nevertheless the old indomitable spirit burns brightly. When he is asked to contribute to a conference on justice he finds himself ranged against the formidable Prior William.

The intrigues of monastic life can test the and Peregrine is no longer strong.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian, Christian Fiction, Medieval, School, Christianity

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Penelope (Pen) Wilcock is the author of over twenty books, including The Hawk & the Dove Series 1 (9 volumes), and The Hawk & the Dove Series 2.
Having got back the publishing rights to her books, she and her husband Tony Collins have now republished them under their own imprint Humilis Hastings on the Amazon publishing platform. Pen Wilcock shares the profits from all her Humilis Hastings sales with a community of Carthusian monks in Sussex where she lives.
She has been a Methodist minister and has worked as a hospice and school chaplain.

Reviews

[Renada Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the whole thing in an afternoon while on a spiritual retreat. As the first volume did, this story moved me to think about life and relationships differently. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of Melissa's family with the lives of the monks. There is something inexpressibly human about these books. I can't think of how else to say it except you realize how easily and lazily you have taken your faith. But you don't feel guilty, rather, calmed and exhorted to higher ways.

[Anna Galicinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one a lot more than the previous book. I felt like the stories flowed together better as we’d already gotten to know the different monks and how each was impacted by Father Peregrine. There seemed to be more character development that merged between stories, as each one focused on a different brother’s struggle in the monastery.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this second book in The Hawk and the Dove as much as the first book. I think the way to describe this series is delightful.

A modern day mother tells her daughter stories of her 14th century ancestor, an abbot in a Benedictine Yorkshire monastery and his fellow monks. Who knew that life in a monastery could be so interesting and filled with real life lessons.

I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys Jan Karon's Mitford series.

[Anna K Baskaran · Rating 4 out of 5]

'I have always loved that story. It was that story which first taught me that we can offer no solutions, no easy answers, to other people's tragedies. We can only be there. It is Jesus they need, not us, and even he offers no answers. He offers himself. It is when people find their way through to him that the pain of their life becomes the pain not of death, but of birth. A thing of hope.’

[Andrew Kaiser]

Another beautiful and moving series of stories about Father Peregrine and his confreres.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite books of 2025.

[Megan Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having bought the trilogy of "The Hawk and the Dove" series, and having enjoyed the first book so much, I was really eager to continue on. The Wounds of God starts much like The Hawk and the Dove did, with the same style of a "meta-tale," many of the same characters, but some new themes. I did enjoy this book. However, about midway through, Melissa and her family (the protagonists in the present) simply dropped off the scene! These stories were supposed to be their family's tradition, truer in some senses than others, meant to explain their heritage of faith. I really felt the loss of this aspect of the book, since Melissa's reactions to these stories were an important part of the way the reader related to them.
As the title suggests, this book also places an incredibly high emphasis on the physical sufferings of Christ. This didn't surprise me, since the symbol of the Catholic church is a crucifix, but the feeling seemed to be that the fact that Christ once and for all defeated death and now reigns at the right hand of God does us no earthly good. It seemed to serve the purposes of the characters better to remember Him in agony, so that they could identify with Him better. That may sound nit-picky, and I really do understand the comfort that can be drawn from the fact that Christ partook of our sufferings. However, the preponderance of "God's wounds" in this book really does miss the lessons we learn from knowing where Jesus is now, and what the bearings that has on the way we live out our walks.
I may read this book again, or I may not...for me, it fell somewhat short of the Wilcock's first offering.

[Beth Withers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I read the first book in the series, The Hawk and the Dove. This book is the second in the series. It isn't necessary to read the first one to enjoy this one, but it did help me understand it better. A mother during modern times is passing on stories to her daughter, and the stories are about monks who lived in the 1300s in a monastery. The main character, Father Peregrine, is an ancestor. The plot weaves between the two time periods, with the happenings in one reflected in the stories from the other. The stories are designed to teach, and the book is a bit preachy in places, but I enjoy the characters, especially in the monastery. Each chapter almost stands alone in a way that makes this an easy book to read in short sessions. I reread this before I read and review the 7th book in the series. That's the way I am.

[Marjorie Magnus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a slim volume which I received for Christmas. We follow a group of monks in the 14 century, each learning to live with one another whilst following their calling to follow Christ.
Their individual stories are told by "Melissa" who heard them from "Melissa" who also heard them from "Melissa" and so on down the generations until the original Melissa who was the daughter of the Abbott, Father Peregrine, at St Alcuin's Abbey on the edge of the North York Moors.

The tales tell of the struggles of each brother and Father Peregrine as they face their weaknesses. The challenges they faced are still relevant today. The book is easy to read and I recommended it.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, probably more than the first one, though I think it is much less light-hearted than it. I related very much to these very realistic and human characters, and even found myself close to tears reading a few of the stories. They all have such beautiful meanings, and there are many places with such beautifully written paragraphs or phrases; the writing was absolutely phenomenal. I think that much can be learned from this book and would recommend it highly.

[Anne Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wounds of God (The Hawk and the Dove #2)
by Penelope Wilcock

I liked the book it is a while since reading the first one - this one I enjoyed the historical stories but not sure about the links enjoyed them but not as much as the first book

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is well worth pondering why it is, that some people get closer to the truth by means of fiction than others do by adhering only to the facts.

[Jenny Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book maybe more than the first in the series. I found the characters endearing, their stories inspiring and beautiful lessons to take away with me after I closed the book.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wounds of God is the second book in The Hawk and the Dove series and continues the monastic tales that introduced us to the characters in the first novel. A collection of short stories, they form a cohesive whole that paints a picture for the reader while not necessarily following a typical story arc or format.

For me, the best part about this book is the almost proverbial quotes it contains; even though the modern part of this story takes place in the past, they still hold true for modern readers. One example that comes to mind is: “People think you can see more by electric light, but you can’t. You see different things, that’s all. You can see to read or do your homework or bake a cake by electric light, but you see people more truly by candlelight and firelight.”

While I didn’t enjoy this installment as much as I did the first, it was still a good read. I would caution that several passages do have a sexual overtone that may make some readers uncomfortable, all the more so as it would likely be unexpected in a book about monastic life; mature readership would be best in my opinion, or at least a parental review first. The book even suggests within its pages that the mother did not share these stories with her daughter until she was 15.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through the Book Club Network (bookfun.org) but no compensation for this review. I was not required to write a favorable one and the opinions expressed are both honest and my own.

[MaryJo Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penelope Wilcock has written a number of books in The Hawk and the Dove series, and the second follows so well in format and style after the first the reader feels like she is simply reading a continuation of the same book. But skillfully the author weaves another theme into these stories,
hence the different title.
A modest but happy English household post WWII features five young daughters, and a mother who is proficient at story telling. Melissa, the 2nd child, is the most fascinated by the stories that have been handed down for centuries. They are about the abbot and the monks in an ancient English abbey. These men are skillfully described with their struggles, their faults, their strengths, their defeats and their victories. In Melissa's words the reader hears the same stories her mother told to her, and like Melissa we can learn so much from what these humble men who dedicated themselves to living totally in God's service had to go through in order to find peace and maturity in the commitment they made.
I also enjoyed the secondary story, which is of Melissa and her own family.

[Blair Hodgkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I won this book on a Goodreads giveaway subject to the condition that I would give it an honest review.

My main criticism of this book that it is marketed as a medieval mystery but it is nothing of the sort. One of the quotes used to hype the book teases "For the lover of medieval mysteries this is a series not to be missed". The book contains no conventional mystery.

Having said that, once I realized the book was not going to be a mystery novel at all, but something completely different, I began to enjoy it for what it was rather than to be annoyed at it for what it was not.

The book is formatted in a somewhat unusual way and it isn't really a novel at all, despite being listed with chapters. It's really a series of short stories told by a modern-day mother to her daughter about their ancestor, Father Columba, known as Peregrine, abbot of St. Alcuin's Abbey in 14th century Yorkshire. The stories tend to focus on morals and lessons that rise from the spiritual challenges faced by Peregrine and his monastic community.

The author's stories are mostly enjoyable, if a little slow-moving. The stories detail much of interest about the monastic life of the Middle Ages, often contrasting with the lives of the ordinary modern-day Christian characters. The stories have a parable-like quality to them and I found some of the spiritual journeys quite interesting. Over all, I'd have to give it low marks as a novel, but a decent grade as a collection of short stories. Given a chance, I would try the author's work again.

There were a few minor editing glitches in the second half of the book that caught my attention, but overall, it's quite professionally presented.

[Lori Eby · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I say for this book goes for all six books in this series: I wouldn’t call them high art or stellar literature by some standards, yet they accomplish for me what the best books do: they pull me in, engage me in the characters, and change my thinking. It’s the theology that almost makes me want to reread them immediately.

They nearly earn five stars, and I almost fear it’s literary snobbery that keeps me at four stars, for although I’d say the writing hasn’t reached perfection (too saccharine? sometimes cliche? predictable? emotion leads the way?), these books lead me to see humans, vulnerability, mercy, and grief with new eyes. The insight and tenderness is tangible, and if it’s the right time for you, these stories will change your life.

Also, the first two books contain stories within a story, and I find I can easily skip the framework story and lose nothing: it’s the stories set in the monastery that are memorable.

[Laurena Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series, which take place in a 13th century Benedictine monastery in Yorkshire. The books take the form of stories told by a mother to her daughter, the premise being that the stories have been handed down from the 13h century orginally from the mouth of the illegitimate daughter of the abbot. The characters (from the present day mother and daughter to the monks) are easy to imagine and care about, and the books are a blend of story-telling and history with a bit of theology thrown in. I found I have thought about them long after I have read them, and have very clear pictures in my mind.

[Eric Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book of The Hawk and the Dove series continues in the rhythm and pattern of the first book, with the early 20th century teenage girl Melissa hearing stories of the brothers of St. Alcuin as told by her mother. In this book the overall plot of the series is not as much furthered as much as developed. Most chapters tell of a different brother and novice and a major transformative event in their early time at St. Alcuin, and how Abbot Father Peregrine led them through this challenging time. If you have enjoyed the first book you will enjoy this, and if you have not read the first book you will want to start with The Hawk and the Dove for important background information.

[Gerry Connolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wounds of God, the second in the series, employs the motif of a mother telling her daughter about the lives of 14th century monks in the Benedictine abbey, St Alcuin’s. Father Peregrine, the abbot who is disabled by a ruthless attack nine years prior, grapples with his own spirituality while guiding a community through the struggles and personal challenges of medieval men. Told in a series of stories highlighting individual monks’humanity and weaknesses we are seduced by the vibrancy and striving of these men. The author is a skilled narrator her theological panegyrics notwithstanding.

[Kieran Rooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The frame narrative is still unnecessary, but the stories of suffering, grief, and healing are so moving, so beautiful in their own right, and so human, that I have to award this book the coveted opinion of being 5/5 stars on my Goodreads profile. While The Hawk and the Dove was enjoyable and touching, this book is truly moving.

[S.G. Willoughby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a beautiful and accurate portrayal of humanity. I wanted to laugh and cry with the characters. :) My personal favorite, however, was Brother Francis's story. Oh, how I felt all the depth of his pain and the lessons he learned!

[Margaret Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

You'll want to read "The Hawk and the Dove" first so that you'll know the characters. This one continues the dual time focus, following both Melissa and her family and the 14th century monks. Again I laughed and cried, and learned a lot about my Lord Jesus and my relationship with him.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book that brought me to tears.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a wonderful bottomless cup of tea with blankets.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stories about the lives and struggles of the monks in a 14th century monastery. Book two of a trilogy set in this monastery.

[Paula Yerke · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a depth and beauty to this book just as with the first book in the series - THE HAWK AND THE DOVE. I can hardly wait to get to book 3.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such fun and wisdom.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole series is amazing. It a story of relationship and human experience. The characters are relatable and even though it is set in history in a monastery, it is still so relatable.

[Molly Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way these books end, is so amazing. It’s a peaceful ending. There is nothing extra in these books that doesn’t need to be there. They are just so peaceful!