Judges report
Well realised in terms of its structure, plot and significance, When in Rome is written in a youthful and nimble style, the text is overflowing with characters and impressions of contemporary Italy. Although it gives an Australian readership a sense of the existential experience that is Italy, it nonetheless does not always succeed in explaining the everyday life of Italians and stops short of full analysis of their culture. Perhaps that is its strength as a story – it does not moralise about Italian life but merely reports images of it. When we set it alongside other popular accounts by English-language writers who describe contemporary Italy (such as Tim Parks) we conclude that When in Rome is less judgmental and rather more self-reflexive.
The imagined author, whose name is Penelope, describes how she decided to give up her career in PR, her Sydney apartment, her family in country New South Wales, and even her friends, and go to live in Rome – even though she spoke absolutely no Italian.
Many Australians and Italo-Australians who have travelled to Perugia or to Rome will find that this book is extremely successful in bringing back vivid memories of those landscapes. The long and difficult path to attaining some kind of mastery of spoken Italian is also well described. We feel a strong connection with the author as she struggles to get by with her very limited Italian. | 
