The Hardest Thing To Do by Penelope Wilcock [Review]

         Over the last few days, I've found that one of the hardest things to do is put this book down. I love the characters' personalities and relatability as I watched them overcome the personal obstacles they faced within the confines of the St. Alcuin monastery. As I've read through the series, I've found that Penelope Wilcock has an excellent talent for pinning down the personal struggles we all face, despite the different time period the book is set in.
          I liked how the plot centered around the monks' clear rejection of Prior William, who has much to learn in the realm of compassion and mercy, and their journey toward forgiving past wrongs. The subject of rejecting those who have offended us in the past seems to be a common ground for just about everyone - at some point or another, I think most people have had trouble forgiving and moving on. This common ground provides the relatability we need to be able to connect to the characters and understand them and their point of view, even if the reader doesn't necessarily agree with the character's viewpoint.
          At the same time, I felt like I got a good look into Prior William's point of view, which varied vastly coming from the reject's view. The loneliness, fear, and vulnerability stood out to me as I realized how great a need we as people have to be forgiven and accepted. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and recommend reading it - do note, this is an adult level book.

I received this book for free from Crossway for this review.