Four Seasons in Rome

On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World

By: Anthony Doerr

Narrated by: Anthony Doerr

Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Anthony Doerr has received many awards - from the New York Public Library, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the American Library Association. Then came the Rome Prize, one of the most prestigious awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and with it a stipend and a writing studio in Rome for a year. Doerr learned of the award the day he and his wife returned from the hospital with newborn twins.

Exquisitely observed, Four Seasons in Rome describes Doerr's varied adventures in one of the most enchanting cities in the world. He reads Pliny, Dante, and Keats - the chroniclers of Rome who came before him - and visits the piazzas, temples, and ancient cisterns they describe. He attends the vigil of a dying Pope John Paul II and takes his twins to the Pantheon in December to wait for snow to fall through the oculus. He and his family are embraced by the butchers, grocers, and bakers of the neighborhood, whose clamor of stories and idiosyncratic child-rearing advice is as compelling as the city itself.

This intimate and revelatory book is a celebration of Rome, a wondrous look at new parenthood, and a fascinating story of a writer's craft - the process by which he transforms what he sees and experiences into sentences.

©2007 Anthony Doerr. All rights reserved. (P)2015 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Love, love.

Listened to it four times now and hear new things each time. The author has a way of making me feel I too, live in Rome. Grazie mille!

Memoir, of a beautiful, unpredictable year in Rome

Rome is gorgeous! This year in the life memoir is not as good as Doerr’s “All the Light We Cannot See,” but it shouldn’t be…it is about the year he worried if he was ready to write that. It’s an enjoyable read by an author on the verge of a writing break through. Rome is such a beautiful city.

delightful recount of a precious time

This book recounts a dear, tender and personal time during Anthony's life, raising very young twins in a new and enchanting city. Though I've never been to Rome, his book makes me nostalgic for Rome.

Charming on so many levels

I was so sorry to reach the end of the Doerr family’s adventure. It was such a delight!

Fantastic writer

I loved this book. Anthony Doerr has a beautiful writing style and ability. When I read his descriptions of life and his surroundings in Rome, I was 16 years old and right there with him on my first trip to Rome with my family. I wanted to go back with him to Idaho and follow his adventures with Shaina and the twins. I look forward to his next book as soon as I finish his current one.

An absolute joy.

Parr travelog, part history lesson, part diary, part dream. A treat for the ears and heart. So sad my journey is over.

Oh my , don't miss this one

For all of us who love Anthony Doerr's writing and insights, this is a very satisfying book. Not only do we get the treat again of reading his beautifully descriptive prose but it is a personal journey which is very endearing. He is learning to be a Dad, a husband when he is a Dad, all the while being in Rome where he and his wife are constantly delighted by the culture, food and passions of the Italians. I have listened to this twice and probably won't stop there.

Brilliant experience, like being in Rome

I adore this book and it’s charming read by the author. Experience the life of Rome from the inside as told by the clever Doerr as he weaves together life, history, science and love!

Beautiful written but the monotonous tone

Since I love Rome, I enjoyed listening to this.
This is beautifully written and well balanced, but the monotonous tone made me tired.
He reads every line as if it is the final page of a story.

This guy can write!

I can’t get enough of Anthony Doerr. This was the third book of his I have read and/or listened to and I will keep going as long as he keeps writing. His ability to put you right in the middle of a place is magnificent. His parallels to the works of other artists gives such meaning to his message. Read this love letter to Rome if you’ve ever been there or just wish to transport yourself there. Thank you Mr. Doerr.