“The reflections are beautifully crafted; they not only broaden our traditional understanding of holiness but also challenge us to a life of generous self-giving both to God and to others, especially the poor and marginal in our modern world.”
“Wide reading and measured judgement are evident in the 365 mini-biographies, but Ellsberg is concerned with something more than scholarship or even good writing. Dipping regularly into the pages of All Saints becomes a delightful way to absorb a great deal of Christian history and rediscover some of its most luminous figures; it is also a means of enlarging our understanding of holiness . . . Ellsberg has pondered his material deeply and combined psychological shrewdness with spiritual depth in his selections and commentary.”
“By a verbal artist with the heart of a prophet and a scholar’s eye for important detail.”
“Remember when you read Butler’s Lives of the Saints and you felt guilty about falling asleep after the third page? Relief is here, thanks to Robert Ellsberg. When you read All Saints you will not only stay fully awake but you’ll be hyperactively telling everyone you meet to read it. Make a nuisance of yourself. It’s not a sin, it’s fun.”