Giovanni Arpino

Anne Milano Appel's sensitive translation of this unsung novel opens it up to the revival it deserves

Two soldiers travel across Italy at the height of summer, passing through Genoa, Rome and Naples. One of the soldiers is blind, graceful, gleefully vicious and wears a prosthetic arm; the other, twenty years his junior, is his guide. But as these men drink their way through bars, brothels and train carriages, who is guiding who? Only as they reluctantly approach the blind man's destination, and a stifled love affair, does the purpose of the trip become tragically clear. 
 
The inspiration for two acclaimed films, Scent of a Woman is a lyrical exploration of regret, defiance, and what it really means to see.

Scent of a Woman

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Giovanni Arpino

Praise for Scent of a Woman

Funny, acid and intriguing

Anne Milano Appel's sensitive translation of this unsung novel opens it up to the revival it deserves

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