I was a bit disappointed in Four Seasons in Rome, Insomnia and the Biggest Funeral in the world by Anthony Doerr. I have spent time in Rome myself and did enjoy reading about the bits of Rome with which I am familiar. On the other hand, I was annoyed that Doerr had acquired a grant to spend time in Rome writing his Magnus Opus and instead ended up writing what appears to be a diary of how to cope with Roman traffic while pushing a pram containing his babies around the streets.
Anyone who has twins is going to have insomnia, and living with twins in an unfamiliar city where you don't speak the language is going to be even more difficult. Doerr is mildly amusing but I felt the story could have been better and although he did evoke a sense of place I found it difficult to emphasise with him and his wife when they appeared to be luxuriating as opposed to the lives of those around them who were bringing up children in more difficult circumstances. I did not suffer from insomnia while reading this book, I found it an effective soporific.

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Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World Hardcover – 12 June 2007
by
Anthony Doerr
(Author)
Anthony Doerr (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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Documents the award-winning writer's experiences of living, working, and raising twin sons in Rome during the year following his receipt of a prestigious Rome Prize stipend, a period during which he attended the vigil of the dying John Paul II, brought his children on a snowy visit to the Pantheon, and befriended numerous locals. 35,000 first printing.
- Print length210 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherScribner
- Publication date12 June 2007
- Dimensions13.97 x 2.54 x 20.96 cm
- ISBN-101416540016
- ISBN-13978-1416540014
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Product details
- Publisher : Scribner (12 June 2007)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 210 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1416540016
- ISBN-13 : 978-1416540014
- Dimensions : 13.97 x 2.54 x 20.96 cm
- Customer Reviews:
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Anthony Doerr has won numerous prizes for his fiction, including the Pulitzer Prize and the Carnegie Medal. His novel, 'All the Light We Cannot See,' was a #1 New York Times Bestseller and his new novel, 'Cloud Cuckoo Land,' published in September of 2021, was a finalist for the National Book Award. Learn more at www.anthonydoerr.com.
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4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
946 global ratings
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Reviewed in Australia on 21 January 2015
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Reviewed in Australia on 26 November 2015
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I enjoyed this diary type description of life in. Rome. It is not up to the standard of other Doerr works. The average person would not find his twin babies and their early progress particularly enchanting, though having travelled on an Italian liner with blonde triplets, the greetings and exclamations were nostalgic. I gained little insight into Rome, rain dominated his walks while I am sure sunny days were very frequent. He describes the hot humidity but not the bright cheerful mornings! His ventures into Umbria were the most inviting chapters.
5.0 out of 5 stars
the frustrations of not quite enough knowledge of the local language while at the same time great insight into living in Rome
Reviewed in Australia on 11 April 2015Verified Purchase
It's the honesty in his writing that keeps your attention, the frustrations of not quite enough knowledge of the local language while at the same time great insight into living in Rome.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in Australia on 1 March 2018
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A very down to earth account of a family attempting to cope in a foreign place without any experience of a different culture, or language.
Reviewed in Australia on 14 June 2018
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While the descriptions of Rome are charming, this book feels like a series of notes cobbled together and falls well short of the author's previous works.
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Top reviews from other countries

Jibbingking
4.0 out of 5 stars
Draws you in
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2020Verified Purchase
I enjoyed this book, which I found gave a good sense of what it was like for someone arriving in Rome, with his wife and two very young twin boys. It draws you in, and if you've been to Rome, or if you haven't, you get a feel for the experience of that city. Anthony Doerr is a writer who uses imagery very well, so if you like that kind of writing you'll enjoy this. There is no plot, it is simply a very poetic diary of his time there, and of the love for their two boys.
One person found this helpful
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Baf
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2021Verified Purchase
I'd read some of this author's fictional books and thought to give this one a try, particularly since I have relatives who live in Italy and have spent some time in Rome. It's the story of how the author spent a year in that city with his wife and new born twins. He writes evocatively so I felt I was in Rome in many of his descriptions. There seems to be a tendency for certain people to go and live somewhere else without researching anything of that country, their customs or their language, and so they remain "strangers in a strange land". But perhaps the author didn't have time to do that! I like his work but didn't really warm to this one.
One person found this helpful
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Miss Shirley J Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is the best book I've read for some time.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 August 2019Verified Purchase
Thus book is wonderful and the writer brilliant. I initially borrowed a copy from our local library having just read another of Anthony's Doerr's books that I thought was excellent; 'All The Light We Cannot See'. This one I liked even better for the fantastic quality of writing. So I ordered 2 copies for friends and another for myself as it's a book I shall re read in time...
All copies arrived in a short time and all three in excellent condition.
All copies arrived in a short time and all three in excellent condition.
2 people found this helpful
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JacquelynB
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read this book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 March 2021Verified Purchase
I absolutely loved this book. I've been to Rome several times and could reminis about the things I've seen and commiserate about what I missed. I actually felt like I was part of their family.

J Milverton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Writing.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 March 2016Verified Purchase
A beautifully written book where every word counts. Not just an account of a unique period spent in Rome with a young family but also an insight into the terrors and joys of parenting the first born - in this case times two. To do all that in a foreign country and hectic city takes courage and/or ignorance! He has succeeded in making Rome a desired destination whilst acknowledging the difficulty of ever really belonging in a foreign country.
4 people found this helpful
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