In that the book revolves around one character, and contains both the humorous and profound in varying measures, it is like another book by Calvino, Mr Palomar, but with the difference being that the two characters have vastly different personalities.
Marcovaldo, or Seasons in the City, is a sequence of 20 short stories based around the main character Marcovaldo. They are each set in a specific season, with each of the four seasons being represented five times. Marcovaldo, despite living in the city, identifies far more with the natural and seems to find urban life oppressive. He is quite a sensitive character, and his misadventures during the course of the book often revolve around either the kindness of his nature or his appreciation for the simple pleasures and beauties in life. Part of what makes the stories so enjoyable is that it is easy to identify with the thoughts of the character, and even when he does silly things and gets into trouble, his actions are brought about by good or innocent intentions. This is probably one of the better collections of Calvino's short stories, and would serve just as well to a first time Calvino reader as a more familiar one. ( )

Ces nouvelles plaisantes, variations autour des rapports de force entre la ville et la nature, sont innocemment menées par un personnage attachant mais manquant d'épaisseur. Peut-être un livre pour les enfants? En tous cas pas le meilleur d'Italo Calvino.

I am a big Calvino fan, but of all his books Marcovaldo is the one I pick up on the days when the world does not seem to be a particularly nice place. The tribulations of this wonderful character, a dreamer of infinite gentleness and humanity, will warm even the crustiest of hearts. ( )