The Long Fall

Glorious, exquisite prose with a never-to-be forgotten story. Set in the medieval Benedictine monastery of St. Alcuin, this marvelous novel gives us the story of the love and deep friendship between two men: the abbot, Father Peregrine, and his attendant, Brother Tom. The story opens as we see Tom in the monastery fields where he sometimes does farm work, describing the burgeoning summer around him.

The two men have become friends in the years since Tom has served Peregrine and are close, opening their hearts to each other. Tom is devastated when Peregrine suffers a massive stroke and is rendered helpless and is bereft of speech. Tom is resentful of the new acting abbot. His repugnance at Peregrine's condition leads him to avoid show more Peregrine. Through the good offices of the infirmarian and his assistants, the two are reconciled. Peregrine has missed his friend. There is a touching scene of apology and confession. Peregrine exacts a startling promise from the unwilling Tom. Will Tom have the opportunity as well as courage to keep it?

There are elements of gentle humor, as well as poignancy.
All of these monastics were individual personalities with their own foibles and characteristics. I liked Tom's display of the range of his emotions: disgust, selfishness, grief, sorrow, love, friendship, and finally acceptance. Some of the theology seemed a bit muddled, but some was so true and bears remembering. There were outstanding individual incidents in the novel. I would not be surprised if the author used variations on some of her own experiences or those of other hospice workers in the story since she had been a minister and hospice chaplain; the scenes in the infirmary were so honest and real. I do so want to read others in this charming series. Highly recommended for those who like introspection in their reading. show less

An interesting story from the Monastery of St. Alcuin - Very detailed side of man in a sometimes disgusting form - Deep discussions between 2 monks that is not only interesting but very thought provoking - strong emotions but an excellent book, of true friendship and devotion to God - will keep you reading with the many emotions after an shattering illness of the older monk.

Early Reviewers Book. I did not want to come into a series on the third book so I downloaded the first two on my Kindle. I really liked the trilogy. The writing is lovely and the characters believable and it was easy to have empathy with them. Very thought provoking and gentle humor. Not sure I will read the rest of the series, I have too many other books at this time to read, but I do recommend it. Especially the third book - The Long Fall.

Until I read this book I never thought about what happened to monks that became infirm. This book shed some light on that and the herbal remedies and pastes that were used on infirmary patients. Father Peregrine didn't make Brother John, Brother Michael, & Brother Thomas' life and easier after he suffered his stroke as he was still attempting to control things despite his disability. Brother Tom is trying to come to terms with the wreck of a man that Peregrine has become and finesse him into allowing the Brothers John & Michael to treat him while Brother Theodore is giving him speech therapy. That and the seasonal workings of the monastery were very interesting. I can see a lot of my father, for whom I'm a caregiver, in Father Peregrine show more and so could understand Brother John's irritation with his difficult patient. show less

A touching story of the friendship between two Brothers during the failing health of one of them. Fr Peregrine has never been in the best of health, but a massive stroke is the beginning of the end. It is hard on him and on his friend Brother Thomas. They both must adjust to the truth of Fr Peregrine's new condition. I cannot recommend these thoughtful books too highly.

I enjoyed this third book in Wilcock's The Hawk and the Dove series. The same brothers appear in the narrative that have been in the other books. One difference with this book is that the author no longer goes back and forth between the modern day ancestors of Father Peregrine and the 13th century monastery. The action remains in the monastery. In a way, I missed this change, although I was used to it by the end of the book. Towards the end of the book, there is a good bit of rather heavy theology that I had to read a couple of times. The main focus in this installment is the relationship between Peregrine and Thomas, especially after Peregrine is taken ill.

This is the 3rd book in the series and is just as good as the first two. This one is a little different in that it does not switch between the modern day family and the Monks of old. This is a well written book, mostly centered around the Abbott and Brother Tom. The story flows well, the characters are well established. The book causes a lot of self inspection if you would do it. This story is especially meaningful to me as my mom had a head injury from a fall. I can see my mom in the Abbott and myself in Tom. I recommend this book to anyone wanting a good read. This book was given me by bookfun.org in exchange for my honest review.