Romanian Patericon: Saints of the Romanian Orthodox Church

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: I am a recent convert to Orthodoxy, which I first encountered whilst working voluntarily at an orphanage in Bucovina, Romania. I was, therefore, familiar with the lives of some of the Romanian saints, particularly Stefan cel Mare and Daniil Sihastru, both of whom came from the area which I have come to know and love. I didn't really appreciate the long and wonderful history of the Orthodox church in Romania until I read this book, however.
Fr. Balan's Romanian Patericon is a beautiful book, well written and inspirational and contains the lives of many saints both well known and unknown in the west.
My wife is Romanian and there were many stories contained in this book that even she was not familiar with, such as St. Daniil Sihastru's visit to her home town of Siret. I would therefore recommend this not just to westerners like me seeking to understand the history, asceticism and worship of the Orthodox church, but also to all those Romanians living in the west who are unfamiliar with the lives of the wonderful Christians, both men and women, who have graced Romania's history.
All in all, this is a wonderful book which has hardly been shut since I bought it and which I shall read and re-read for many years to come.

Rating:
Summary: A Sort-Of Review
Review: I bought this as a birthday gift for a close Romanian friend, who fell in love with it immediately. She said she could "hear" the Romanian text behind the translation, and loved its stories. She would have read it straight through, but her father took it from her for himself as soon as he saw it. I haven't read it, but its enthusiastic reception from these two Romanian Christians living in America recommends it strongly, in my mind. I know it includes the lives of John Cassian and Paissy Velichkovsky (responsible for the spread of the Philokalia and the Jesus Prayer into Russia--see "The Pilgrim's Tale" and J. D. Salinger's "Franny and Zoe"), but I know nothing else about it.