Book: The Rosie Project
Author: Graeme Simsion
Pages: 295
I read this in: 3 hours (in one sitting)
Plot Summary: 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.
Why I LOVED this book!
So, yes, I absolutely loved 'The Rosie Project'! It is a wonderful, funny, heart-warming book about finding love and finding a place in the world not inspite of your differences but because of them.
This is the story of Don Tillman- a professor of Genetics in a Melbourne university- and someone who has some sort of social anxiety or some sort of un-diagnosed Asperger Syndrome or is somewhere along the Autism Spectrum. Don leads a very structured life, geared towards maximizing efficiency and reducing time wastage- so, he has a "Standardized Weekly Meal Plan" and he has designated days and times for various activities. His life is highly organized with no room for any sort of chaos but it is his willingness to stick his neck out, to learn more about 'acceptable social behaviour' and just get himself out of his comfort zone that is so wonderfully endearing about him! He does not let his "limitations" get in the way of enjoying the human experience and his willingness to work on himself (he calls it 'The Don Project') is simply inspiring and makes you fall in love with this character!
Don, by his own admission, is also socially awkward. He find interacting with other people rather challenging but with the help of his friends Gene and Claudia, he manages to navigate the 'real' world and the chaotic social situations with some amount of success.
I love how Don's life is presented in this book- without any sort of judgement but just as sort of this is how his life is and it makes perfect sense for him to have a life like this! There are several laugh-out-loud moments in this book
I also liked how true-to-character Don is all through his interactions with Rosie. He wants to help her find her biological dad but he finds her wildly unsuitable as a potential life partner because she doesn't fit with the well-thought out criteria a potential life partner ought to meet.
I liked that Rosie was not too way out or too bohemian or whatever often passes as the extreme opposite of someone like Don. Yes, she is more spontaneous, but then everyone and their aunt seems more spontaneous than Don! The way their relationship develops is also very organic and Don's reactions and responses and his inability to process his feelings like you and me are so endearing! What is also endearing is how he does process his feelings for Rosie and realises that what he feels is love.
Would You Like It?: Yes! If you want an easy-breezy summer read or just a sweet, heart-warming and well-written love story, then do pick up 'The Rosie Project'.
Rating: 5/5
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