About the book: year / "It's good at the monasteries! The majestic wildness of nature, the distant roar of Ladoga, the imperturbable calm of huge pine trees, rocks, rocks, rocks... The monastery is far away. The sky is close. It’s easy to breathe here, and it’s easy to pray... There are many, many deserts and hermitages on Valaam, near and far, ancient and newly built…»