The Woman of Rome

Vintage Penguin. #880. The Woman of Rome in the Penguin edition is Alberto Moravia’s stark, compelling portrait of Adriana, a young Roman woman whose beauty draws her into a world of exploitation, desire and moral ambiguity. Told in her own voice, the novel follows her life as a model and prostitute, tracing her relationships with men who variously idealise, use or misunderstand her, while the political tensions of pre-war Italy simmer in the background. Moravia’s clear, unsentimental prose reveals Adriana’s resilience and vulnerability, creating a study of innocence shaped, and distorted, by circumstance. It’s an intimate, atmospheric novel that blends social critique with powerful character insight.