An exceptional book – it is full of extraordinary insights and describes Doerr's adventures in one of the most breathtaking cities in the world. Anthony reads Pliny, Dante, and Keats – the ancient chroniclers of Rome – and visits the squares, temples, and landmarks about which these men wrote. He participates in the vigil for the dying John Paul II and in December takes his twins to the Pantheon to show them how the snow falls inside through the oculus. Together with his family, he befriends local butchers, greengrocers, and bakers, whose noisy stories and unique parenting advice are as irresistible as Rome itself. This personal book reveals much; it is a celebration of Rome, an amazing new perspective on parenthood, and a captivating story of the writing craft – through which Doerr transforms his experiences into sentences.
