Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Review: The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1) by Graeme Simsion

The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1) by Graeme Simsion
Published October 1st 2013 by Simon & Schuster
An international sensation, this hilarious, feel-good novel is narrated by an oddly charming and socially challenged genetics professor on an unusual quest: to find out if he is capable of true love.

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social An international sensation, this hilarious, feel-good novel is narrated by an oddly charming and socially challenged genetics professor on an unusual quest: to find out if he is capable of true love.

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

The Rosie Project is a moving and hilarious novel for anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of overwhelming challenges.

My Thoughts

“Humans often fail to see what is close to them and obvious to others.”

The Rosie Project falls under the category of “I wish I would have read this sooner.” What a hilarious and heartwarming novel that was oh so charming!! This book was perfectly casted and properly paced. With a blend of humor, wit, sincerity and truth… what else could you ask for in a fictional novel?

In The Rosie Project, we meet Don Tillman who has decided to embark on The Wife Project to help identify the perfect mate for himself with the least amount of wasted time and effort. As a result he creates a questionnaire to weed out the undesirables that would ultimately not prove to be a perfect match. The research efforts seem to be going well, and Don has no trouble disqualifying women based on smoking habits, ice cream flavor preferences and all sorts of other criteria, which he’s deemed relevant to finding a life-long partner.

Then comes Rosie who happens to represent the complete opposite of what Don has defined as the perfect match. She barrels into his life asking for his help to find her biological father. Well this professor of genetics decides to put aside his project for the moment and help Rosie with The Father Project. As they work together to obtain DNA samples using questionable methods that could clearly get Don fired from his post, they begin to get to know each other and Don slowly realizes that Rosie has not only upset his well-defined and properly balanced life, but also has uncovered some emotions he never knew he was capable of.

Don was an instant hit in my book. I loved his socially awkward ways and rigid to a fault personality. It added a whole new level of charm to this character that was never blatantly defined has having autism or Asperger’s Syndrome, but with the coincidental references throughout the book, it left much for interpretation. His demeanor was factual, abrupt but always delivered with a sense of wit that I couldn’t help but enjoy his reactions to situations and questions.

“But I’m not good at understanding what other people want.’
‘Tell me something I don’t know,’ said Rosie for no obvious reason.
I quickly searched my mind for an interesting fact.
‘Ahhh…The testicles of drone bees and wasp spiders explode during sex.”

There were so many moments of honesty and sincerity that I just couldn’t keep up. Every time Don estimated someone's BMI upon meeting them, I cracked up! The way this story was narrated was entertaining and engrossing. What a delight! For chickdude-lit, it was the perfect blend of romantic and funny. Completely worth my time!!
4 Suns

1 comment:

  1. I am going to have to read this. Honestly, it just didn't appeal to me in the beginning. The cover is so so, and the synopsis didn't grab me, but I have seen enough positive reviews that I feel like I want to give it a go now. Thank you for your review, Arlene.

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