Title: The Rosie Project
Author: Graeme Simsion
Series/Standalone: Don Tillman (Book #1)
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Humor
Pages: 329
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers LTD
Year Published: 2013
Format: Physical Copy (Library Book)
First Line: "I may have found a solution to the Wife Problem."
"Wife Wanted.
Must be punctual, logical and enjoy travelling by bicycle. No smoker, drinkers or horscope readers need apply.
Don Tillman has a brilliant scientific mind, but social situations confound him. He's never had a second date. And so, in the evidence-based in which he approaches all things, he embarks upon the Wife Project: a sixteen-page questionnaire to find the perfect partner. Then in walks Rosie Jarman.
Rosie is on a quest of her own. She's looking for her biological father, a search that a certain gentics expert might just be able to help her with. Soon Don puts the Wife project on the back burner in order to help Rosie pursue the Father Project. As an unlikely relationship blooms, Don is about to realize that despite the best scientific efforts, you don't find love: love finds you."
My Rating: 4/5
This is the first book that I'm reading as a group with a book club I joined at my local library. I'm trying to branch out from young adult books and getting more involved in the community as a whole. Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was fun and humorous without taking itself too seriously. I don't think I would continue the series unless the book club continues with it, not because I didn't like the novel I was just satisfied with how the story wrapped up. I loved the way this book dealt with the idea of Asperger's and social scenarios for people whose brains work in a different way.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
This is my first ever book club book and I'm surprised with how much I enjoyed it. The story was fun and humourous without thinking to highly of its self. Our main character was interesting to read from for the simple reason that his brain interacted with things around him in a different way than others. I also enjoyed that the story didn't take itself to seriously. It knew what it was playing at and was able to keep it light without bogging down the story with unneccesary details at all times.
Characters:
Don: I thought that his perspective was interesting to read from as we observed his behaviour and how it differed from those in his surrondings. I also thought it was interesting to think about the fact that you can't analyze yourself no matter how smart you are, you'd always have a biased towards yourself (whether good or bad). As a preschool teacher I also thought that this was an important aspect of learning how people with Asperger's think (although I'm not sure how accurate it is, for example if this is an own voices novel). Overall I like Don and hope that he won't regret some of the changes he made for Rosie.
Rosie: I liked her fire and how she said what she thought. That being said, I think she often forgot that Don might need more straightforward hints rather than subtle flirting. I am happy they got together overall because they seem to even each other out. He is organized and she is spontaneous which is something I think every contemporary reader can understand.
Gene: Plain and simple this guy is a dick. I understand if they really did have an open marriage but at what point do you grow up and realize that your wife is waiting for you to get your shit together. I was glad that they fixed their problems, but I can't help the idea of once a liar always a liar.
Claudia: I think that she was sweet to wait for Gene to get his shit together, but she should have just come forward with the fact that she was over the idea of him sleeping around with whoever he could and ask for him to chose. Is that harsh? Maybe but it would have solved the whole issue.
Phil: He's a sweet guy overall and protected Rosie through the good times and bad. And while it seemed that he had broken many a promises but in reality he was in rehab dealing with an addiction. Although we don't know the whole story, I think he's a pretty good guy overall.
Moments to Remember:
First Line: "Incredible."
Thanks for reading,
Sidny
