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

This is Doerr’s memoir of a year he spent as a fellow at the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The award came with a studio in which to write, an apartment, and a stipend. And, of course, the experience of a year in Rome. It also came at a time when his wife had recently given birth to twins. Undeterred, Anthony and Shauna set off for Rome with four-month-old twin boys, who were not yet sleeping through the night.

I was completely delighted by this memoir. I have no children, but have witnessed the absolute exhaustion brought on in new parents by days (weeks? Months?) without adequate sleep as they try to care for a newborn. Caring for two simultaneously? And yet …

Doerr and his wife managed to find some time for themselves (thanks to a great babysitter), to explore some of Rome’s less-well-known treasures and even to venture in the Umbrian countryside for some “alone time.” He recounts his efforts to write, his explorations of the city and surrounding area, his neighbors, his struggles to learn and speak serviceable Italian (asking for “grapefruit sauce” was a highlight!), and the experience of all new parents as these small bundles slowly become independently mobile and show signs of the individuals they will become. ( )

I enjoyed this because I haven't traveled in so long, I miss new places and the shift in perspective. I have sympathy for parents but no interest in the experience, so I listened to the audio and tuned out when I got bored. All in all a pleasant background story. ( )

I read this because I've loved the Doerr novels that I've read so far and wanted to see how his non-fiction was. I was not disappointed. This book is really just a writing exercise in description for Doerr - Rome in particular, and Italy in general is presented as a menagerie of sound, smell, sight, and occasional steps back to appreciate the historical wonder of it all. It reads like a very well-written travel journal-cum-personal essay reflecting on his feelings about writing, fatherhood (he has baby twins) travel, and a little bit about privilege of being a fellow, paid to live free in Rome for a year. He was trying to write All the Light We Cannot See there, and although he did little of that, he did write some short fiction - which I have yet to read. This would be an especially great book to read if you're headed to Rome for vacation. Thoughtful, insightful, evocative, and beautifully written. ( )

The author received a fellowship for a year in Rome ostensibly to write a novel about occupied Europe during World War II (All the Light You Cannot See?). He doesn’t seem to have written a page of the novel, but this lyrical portrait of both Rome and living abroad with his two infant twin sons is wonderful and justifies however much money the4 foundation forked over to subsidize him for a year. ( )

I didn't think I would finish this when I picked it up on Kindle Unlimited. I saw the author and did not realize that this was not a work of fiction. I adore this author and started reading the book based on that fact alone. I could not stop reading it.

Anthony Doerr's writing transported me to Rome. His words painted a portrait of the city, the history and the people. I could see and smell the bakery and the market. I could see and hear the elderly smiling and cooing at his twin boys.

I was in Rome many, many years ago. I was a child at the time and I know I never appreciated it then. Reading Doerr's book makes me want to go back now and revisit it. ( )