All new things seem to happen simultaneously. Just as Anthony Doerr returns home from the hospital with newborn twins, he is awarded the Rome Prize and a year-long fellowship in Rome. Among the most prestigious awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, these include a stipend and a writing studio. The book is an ode to these changes in his life. It talks about “old life” giving way to “new life”, raising newborns in a new city, and life in Rome. The author poignantly describes the world around him, the beauty of the seasons and lessons of parenthood. He reads books by authors such as Dante and Keats who have written extensively on Rome and visits the temples, ancient cisterns and piazzas. He even attends the vigil of a dying Pope John Paul II and travels to the Pantheon in December to see snowfall. There are stories and there are seasons and all mingle sensitively in this book