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Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World Posters
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Rating:  -
Again Mr. Doerr delivers quality writing.
Read this and you will yearn for Rome and for more Doerr.
Rating:  -
Doerr takes his wife and six month old twin boys to Rome after receiving the prestiguous Rome Prize. The prize guarantees him a monthly stipend and a writing studio in Rome for one year. What results is this dry and humorless account of his year in Rome. It takes a special kind of negative talent to render Rome dull, but Doerr succeeds admirably. If I had never been to Rome this book surely would not make me want to do so. His prose is distancing and monotonous. He directs his attention to an excessive observation of nature, dust mites and birds, and none to the human world. Not one character Italian or American emerges in this novel. Did he spend his year speaking to no one? Even his wife Shauna is nothing more than a cardboard character. There are so many fine examples of this type of travel genre that I wouldn't recommend that anyone waste his money on this book. Someone as dull as Doerr deserves to stay in Boise.
Rating: -
In just a couple of sittings, I devoured "Four Seasons in Rome." It was such a wonderful escape. Having been to Rome, Anthony Doerr captured everything I remembered and more: the streets, the foods, the smells, the people. As always, his writing is beautiful. His words transport you. I adored reading about his young family, and it made me appreciate anyone who has the good fortune of having twins. Anthony Doerr did not let me down with "Four Seasons in Rome." He continues to be one of my favorite writers!
Rating:  -
I have trouble with recommending this book. Certainly it will be very interesting for young highly educated couples with baby twins, who might be planning travel to Italy.
While Mr. Doerr is an accomplished writer, his book, although with many good sentences, is a type of formula. Youthful liberal writer takes wife and new borns to great foreign city, where a stipend covers expenses and there is no mandated work to prevent full participation in exploring for a full year. Write everything about the smallest changes as the babes quickly grow (while nicely done, no stunning news to all of us who have raised children ourselves); tie many things to famous but unread scholar (Pliny the Elder); rave about the food; inform one and all that Rome really is an ancient city with much to see (with the use of interesting examples); and, as the take away, instruct all who are readers of the importance, as they lead their own lives, of seeing not just looking (because we miserable things will all die soon.)
I question spending $24 to buy this hardcover book. But once out in paperback, a nice gift to a young family heading to Rome.
Rating: -
If you have ever had children...if you have travelled or want to travel to Europe...you should read this book! It is a relatively quick read, which is good for busy people - you won't be able to put it down.
Anthony Doerr recognized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, that happened to come along at a most inopportune time, and grabbed it. On the day his twin sons were born, Mr. Doerr received notification that he had received a grant to study or work at pretty much whatever he wanted for a year in Rome. Luckily his wife Shauna also must have recognized the necessity of grabbing this chance while it was available, and so they packed up their babies and traveled from Boise to Rome. Lucky for us, he decided to spend part of his time constructing this memoir.
After reading Doerr's elegant, evocative prose, it's easy to see why the powers-that-be decided that his gift should be nurtured. He is just as awed by the adventure of raising his children as by the experience of living in Rome. Unlike other books in this very broad genre of expat memoir, Doerr does not focus on the quirks and foibles of the Italians. Rather, he describes his own little circle of family, friends and acquaintances and frequently lapses into long lyrical musings on historical events, nature, or whatever happens to strike his fancy. "The Biggest Funeral in the History of the World," aka the funeral of Pope John Paul II, is not treated as a gigantic pageant, despite the hyperbolic title. Through Doerr's eyes it is a profoundly moving and inclusive experience shared by millions.
I loved this book. It is the kind of book you want to urge your friends and loved ones to read, to give as a gift. I look forward to reading much more from this gifted and warm writer.
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