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Graeme C. Simsion

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The Rosie Project Kindle Edition

by Graeme Simsion (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

75,926 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Don Tillman

Editors' pick Hand-selected reads

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Discover the delightfully heartwarming and life-affirming bestseller about one man's unlikely journey through love, perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

THE INTERNATIONAL MILLION COPY BESTSELLER

'I couldn't put this book down. It's one of the most quirky and endearing romances I've ever read. I laughed the whole way through' SOPHIE KINSELLA
'Brilliant, important, good-hearted' GUARDIAN
'Original, clever and perfectly written' JILL MANSELL
'Superb. Endearing, charming and fascinating' THE TIMES
'Funny, charming and heart-warming. A gem of a novel' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
'Adorable' MARIAN KEYES
________

Love isn't an exact science - but no one told Don Tillman.

A thirty-nine-year-old geneticist, Don's never had a second date. So he devises the Wife Project, a scientific test to find the perfect partner.

Enter Rosie - 'the world's most incompatible woman' - throwing Don's safe, ordered life into chaos.

But what is this unsettling, alien emotion he's feeling? . . .

If you loved The Rosie Project, find out what happens next in The Rosie Effect and The Rosie Result!
________

'All three of the Rosie novels made me laugh out loud. Ultimately the story is about getting inside the mind and heart of someone a lot of people see as odd, and discovering that he isn't really that different from anybody else' BILL GATES

'Exuberantly life-affirming' SUNDAY TIMES

'A completely charming story that is as engaging as it is funny' INDEPENDENT

'Compulsively readable. A poignant universal story' OBSERVER

'Such a joy to read - I honestly can't think of many books that I've enjoyed more. The definition of a comfort book. It made me laugh out loud more than any book before' MARIE CLARE

'Full of quirky humour and touching tenderness. Imagine the love child of Eleanor Oliphant ad Bridget Jones and you have this book' CULTUREFLY

'Marvellous' JOHN BOYNE

'Charming and hilarious' LUXE

'Hilarious, unlikely and heartbreaking' EASY LIVING

Join the thousands of readers who have fallen in love with Don and Rosie . . .

'Touching and funny. There was not a page I turned where I was not rooting for the characters or smiling' 5* Reader Review
'Warm, wonderful and laugh out loud funny. Stays with you long after you have finished' 5* Reader Review
'Wonderful, touching, funny, very romantic. Glorious' 5* Reader Review
'Funny, poignant and original. The best romantic comedy I've read since Bridget Jones' 5* Reader Review
'Utterly, utterly brilliant! Captured my heart' 5* Reader Review
'A truly wonderful, warm-hearted story. Read it, you won't regret it!' 5* Reader Review
'If I could have given this book 6 stars, I would. Brilliant' 5* Reader Review

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There are 3 books in this series.

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In this series (3 books)

Kindle Edition

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Graeme Simsion
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Graeme Simsion
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Graeme Simsion
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The Rosie Result: The life-affirming romantic comedy from the million-copy bestselling series (The Rosie Project Series Book 3)
Graeme Simsion

Kindle Edition
1 offer from £099
The Rosie Effect: The hilarious and uplifting romantic comedy from the million-copy bestselling series (The Rosie Project Series Book 2)
Graeme Simsion

Kindle Edition
1 offer from £499
Two Steps Forward: from the author of The Rosie Project
Graeme Simsion

Kindle Edition
1 offer from £399
The Best of Adam Sharp
Graeme Simsion

Kindle Edition
1 offer from £399
Two Steps Onward
Graeme Simsion

Kindle Edition
1 offer from £468
The Novel Project: A Step-by-Step Guide to Your Novel, Memoir or Biography
Graeme Simsion

Kindle Edition
1 offer from £468

Popular highlights in this book

What are Popular highlights?

Why do we focus on certain things at the expense of others? We will risk our lives to save a person from drowning, yet not make a donation that could save dozens of children from starvation.
Highlighted by 1,218 Kindle readers
Humans often fail to see what is close to them and obvious to others.
Highlighted by 1,083 Kindle readers
We are genetically programmed to react to stimuli in our immediate vicinity. Responding to complex issues that we cannot perceive directly requires the application of reasoning, which is less powerful than instinct.
Highlighted by 881 Kindle readers
And it dawned on me that I had not designed the questionnaire to find a woman I could accept, but to find someone who might accept me.
Highlighted by 567 Kindle readers
‘I haven’t really noticed,’ I told the most beautiful woman in the world.
Highlighted by 555 Kindle readers

From the Publisher

Product description

Review

Such a joy to read - I honestly can't think of many books that I enjoyed more. It's the definition of a comfort book - an easy and warm read with a lot of heart, and it made me laugh out loud more than any book before ― Marie Claire

Charming and hilarious ― Luxe

A sweet, funny rom-com . . . You'll be willing Don and Rosie on every step of the way ― Marie Claire

Don Tillman will exasperate, delight and immerse you in a world so original, in a story so compelling, I defy you not to read through the night. Glorious ― Adriana Trigiani, author of The Shoemaker's Wife

I absolutely loved The Rosie Project -- original and clever, and perfectly written.The world is going to fall in love with Don and Rosie ― Jill Mansell

Written in a superbly pitch-perfect voice, The Rosie Project had me cheering for Don on every page. I'm madly in love with this book! Trust me, you will be, too ― Lisa Genova, author of Still Alice and left Neglected

Brisk, funny, and at times outrageous . . . A completely charming story that is as engaging as it is funny ― Independent

The best, most honestly told love story I've read in a long time ― Kristin Hannah

A very funny and touching love story ― Sunday Express

Prime deck-chair material ― The Times, Our Favourite Comic Novels

Original, charming and very funny ― Woman & Home

Touching and laugh-out-loud funny -- think The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time meets Silver Linings Playbook ― Stylist

Don Tillman is one of the most endearing, charming and fascinating literary characters I have met in a long time ― The Times

Funny, charming and heart-warming, this debut is a gem of a novel about a rather awkward university professor's search for love. I loved this unconventional romance ― Good Housekeeping UK

Marvellous. Don Tillman is as awkward and confusing a narrator as he is lovable and charming ― John Boyne, author of The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas

Funny, endearing, and pure, wonderful escapism ― Independent

A poignant, funny novel about how you don't find love; it finds you ― Glamour

Funny, charming and heart-warming ― Good Housekeeping UK

Genuinely funny; you'll laugh out loud ― Essentials

As well as being delightfully romantic, this is a very funny book and you'll be laughing out loud at Don's misadventures ― Daily Mail

Beneath the fun and the fluff there is a quietly profound exploration of the assumptions around autism and what it means to have an atypical - or typical - brain ― The Independent Daily Edition

If you like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time you'll love The Rosie Project ― Look

A unique and heartwarming exploration of love and neurodiversity. ― Daily Struggle

Adorable . . . Really funny and heart-warming, a gem of a book ― Marian Keyes

Full of quirky humour and touching tenderness. Imagine the love child of Eleanor Oliphant and Bridget Jones and you have this book ― Culturefly

A hilarious, unlikely romance with heartbreaking twists ― Easy Living

From the Back Cover

Meet Don Tillman.

Don is getting married.
He just doesn't know who to yet.
But he has designed a very detailed questionnaire to help him find the perfect woman.
One thing he already knows, though, is that it's not Rosie.
Absolutely, completely, definitely not.

Sometimes, though, you don't find love: love finds you...

About the Author

Graeme Simsion is the internationally bestselling author of The Rosie Project, The Rosie Effect, and The Rosie Result, featuring Professor Don Tillman, as well as The Best of Adam Sharp and, with Anne Buist, Two Steps Forward. Graeme lives in Australia.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One One
I may have found a solution to the Wife Problem. As with so many scientific breakthroughs, the answer was obvious in retrospect. But had it not been for a series of unscheduled events, it is unlikely I would have discovered it.

The sequence was initiated by Gene’s insisting I give a lecture on Asperger’s syndrome that he had previously agreed to deliver himself. The timing was extremely annoying. The preparation could be time-shared with lunch consumption, but on the designated evening I had scheduled ninety-four minutes to clean my bathroom. I was faced with a choice of three options, none of them satisfactory.

Cleaning the bathroom after the lecture, resulting in loss of sleep with a consequent reduction in mental and physical performance.
Rescheduling the cleaning until the following Tuesday, resulting in an eight-day period of compromised bathroom hygiene and consequent risk of disease.
Refusing to deliver the lecture, resulting in damage to my friendship with Gene.

I presented the dilemma to Gene, who, as usual, had an alternative solution.

“Don, I’ll pay for someone to clean your bathroom.”

I explained to Gene—again—that all cleaners, with the possible exception of the Hungarian woman with the short skirt, made errors. Short-Skirt Woman, who had been Gene’s cleaner, had disappeared following some problem with Gene and Claudia.

“I’ll give you Eva’s mobile number. Just don’t mention me.”

“What if she asks? How can I answer without mentioning you?”

“Just say you’re contacting her because she’s the only cleaner who does it properly. And if she mentions me, say nothing.”

This was an excellent outcome, and an illustration of Gene’s ability to find solutions to social problems. Eva would enjoy having her competence recognized and might even be suitable for a permanent role, which would free up an average of 316 minutes per week in my schedule.

Gene’s lecture problem had arisen because he had an opportunity to have sex with a Chilean academic who was visiting Melbourne for a conference. Gene has a project to have sex with women of as many different nationalities as possible. As a professor of psychology, he is extremely interested in human sexual attraction, which he believes is largely genetically determined.

This belief is consistent with Gene’s background as a geneticist. Sixty-eight days after Gene hired me as a postdoctoral researcher, he was promoted to head of the Psychology Department, a highly controversial appointment that was intended to establish the university as the Australian leader in evolutionary psychology and increase its public profile.

During the time we worked concurrently in the Genetics Department, we had numerous interesting discussions, and these continued after his change of position. I would have been satisfied with our relationship for this reason alone, but Gene also invited me to dinner at his house and performed other friendship rituals, resulting in a social relationship. His wife, Claudia, who is a clinical psychologist, is now also a friend. Making a total of two.

Gene and Claudia tried for a while to assist me with the Wife Problem. Unfortunately, their approach was based on the traditional dating paradigm, which I had previously abandoned on the basis that the probability of success did not justify the effort and negative experiences. I am thirty-nine years old, tall, fit, and intelligent, with a relatively high status and above-average income as an associate professor. Logically, I should be attractive to a wide range of women. In the animal kingdom, I would succeed in reproducing.

However, there is something about me that women find unappealing. I have never found it easy to make friends, and it seems that the deficiencies that caused this problem have also affected my attempts at romantic relationships. The Apricot Ice Cream Disaster is a good example.

Claudia had introduced me to one of her many friends. Elizabeth was a highly intelligent computer scientist, with a vision problem that had been corrected with glasses. I mention the glasses because Claudia showed me a photograph and asked me if I was okay with them. An incredible question! From a psychologist! In evaluating Elizabeth’s suitability as a potential partner—someone to provide intellectual stimulation, to share activities with, perhaps even to breed with—Claudia’s first concern was my reaction to her choice of glasses frames, which was probably not even her own but the result of advice from an optometrist. This is the world I have to live in. Then Claudia told me, as though it was a problem, “She has very firm ideas.”

“Are they evidence-based?”

“I guess so,” Claudia said.

Perfect. She could have been describing me.

We met at a Thai restaurant. Restaurants are minefields for the socially inept, and I was nervous as always in these situations. But we got off to an excellent start when we both arrived at exactly 7:00 p.m. as arranged. Poor synchronization is a huge waste of time.

We survived the meal without her criticizing me for any social errors. It is difficult to conduct a conversation while wondering whether you are looking at the correct body part, but I locked on to her bespectacled eyes, as recommended by Gene. This resulted in some inaccuracy in the eating process, which she did not seem to notice. On the contrary, we had a highly productive discussion about simulation algorithms. She was so interesting! I could already see the possibility of a permanent relationship.

The waiter brought the dessert menus and Elizabeth said, “I don’t like Asian desserts.”

This was almost certainly an unsound generalization, based on limited experience, and perhaps I should have recognized it as a warning sign. But it provided me with an opportunity for a creative suggestion.

“We could get an ice cream across the road.”

“Great idea. As long as they’ve got apricot.”

I assessed that I was progressing well at this point and did not think the apricot preference would be a problem. I was wrong. The ice-cream parlor had a vast selection of flavors, but they had exhausted their supply of apricot. I ordered a chocolate chili and licorice double cone for myself and asked Elizabeth to nominate her second preference.

“If they haven’t got apricot, I’ll pass.”

I couldn’t believe it. All ice cream tastes essentially the same, owing to chilling of the taste buds. This is especially true of fruit flavors. I suggested mango.

“No thanks, I’m fine.”

I explained the physiology of taste bud chilling in some detail. I predicted that if I purchased a mango and a peach ice cream, she would be incapable of differentiating. And, by extension, either would be equivalent to apricot.

“They’re completely different,” she said. “If you can’t tell mango from peach, that’s your problem.”

Now we had a simple objective disagreement that could readily be resolved experimentally. I ordered a minimum-size ice cream in each of the two flavors. But by the time the serving person had prepared them, and I turned to ask Elizabeth to close her eyes for the experiment, she had gone. So much for “evidence-based.” And for computer “scientist.”

Afterward, Claudia advised me that I should have abandoned the experiment prior to Elizabeth’s leaving. Obviously. But at what point? Where was the signal? These are the subtleties I fail to see. But I also fail to see why heightened sensitivity to obscure cues about ice-cream flavors should be a prerequisite for being someone’s partner. It seems reasonable to assume that some women do not require this. Unfortunately, the process of finding them is impossibly inefficient. The Apricot Ice Cream Disaster had cost a whole evening of my life, compensated for only by the information about simulation algorithms.

Two lunchtimes were sufficient to research and prepare my lecture on Asperger’s syndrome, without sacrificing nourishment, thanks to the provision of Wi-Fi in the medical library café. I had no previous knowledge of autism spectrum disorders, as they were outside my specialty. The subject was fascinating. It seemed appropriate to focus on the genetic aspects of the syndrome, which might be unfamiliar to my audience. Most diseases have some basis in our DNA, though in many cases we have yet to discover it. My own work focuses on genetic predisposition to cirrhosis of the liver. Much of my working time is devoted to getting mice drunk.

Naturally, the books and research papers described the symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome, and I formed a provisional conclusion that most of these were simply variations in human brain function that had been inappropriately medicalized because they did not fit social norms—constructed social norms—that reflected the most common human configurations rather than the full range.

The lecture was scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at an inner-suburban school. I estimated the cycle ride at twelve minutes and allowed three minutes to boot my computer and connect it to the projector.

I arrived on schedule at 6:57 p.m., having let Eva, the short-skirted cleaner, into my apartment twenty-seven minutes earlier. There were approximately twenty-five people milling around the door and the front of the classroom, but I immediately recognized Julie, the convenor, from Gene’s description: “blonde with big tits.” In fact, her breasts were probably no more than one and a half standard deviations from the mean size for her body weight and hardly a remarkable identifying feature. It was more a question of elevation and exposure, as a result of her choice of costume, which seemed perfectly practical for a hot January evening.

I may have spent too long verifying her identity, as she looked at me strangely.

“You must be Julie,” I said.

“Can I help you?”

Good. A practical person. “Yes, direct me to the VGA cable. Please.”

“Oh,” she said. “You must be Professor Tillman. I’m so glad you could make it.”

She extended her hand but I waved it away. “The VGA cable, please. It’s six fifty-eight.”

“Relax,” she said. “We never start before seven fifteen. Would you like a coffee?”

Why do people value others’ time so little? Now we would have the inevitable small talk. I could have spent fifteen minutes at home practicing aikido.

I had been focusing on Julie and the screen at the front of the room. Now I looked around and realized that I had failed to observe nineteen people. They were children, predominantly male, sitting at desks. Presumably these were the victims of Asperger’s syndrome. Almost all the literature focuses on children.

Despite their affliction, they were making better use of their time than their parents, who were chattering aimlessly. Most were operating portable computing devices. I guessed their ages as between eight and thirteen. I hoped they had been paying attention in their science classes, as my material assumed a working knowledge of organic chemistry and the structure of DNA.

I realized that I had failed to reply to the coffee question.

“No.”

Unfortunately, because of the delay, Julie had forgotten the question. “No coffee,” I explained. “I never drink coffee after three forty-eight p.m. It interferes with sleep. Caffeine has a half-life of three to four hours, so it’s irresponsible serving coffee at seven p.m. unless people are planning to stay awake until after midnight. Which doesn’t allow adequate sleep if they have a conventional job.” I was trying to make use of the waiting time by offering practical advice, but it seemed that she preferred to discuss trivia.

“Is Gene all right?” she asked. It was obviously a variant on that most common of formulaic interactions, “How are you?”

“He’s fine, thank you,” I said, adapting the conventional reply to the third-person form.

“Oh. I thought he was ill.”

“Gene is in excellent health except for being six kilograms overweight. We went for a run this morning. He has a date tonight, and he wouldn’t be able to go out if he was ill.”

Julie seemed unimpressed, and in reviewing the interaction later, I realized that Gene must have lied to her about his reason for not being present. This was presumably to protect Julie from feeling that her lecture was unimportant to Gene and to provide a justification for a less prestigious speaker being sent as a substitute. It seems hardly possible to analyze such a complex situation involving deceit and supposition of another person’s emotional response, and then prepare your own plausible lie, all while someone is waiting for you to reply to a question. Yet that is exactly what people expect you to be able to do.

Eventually, I set up my computer and we got started, eighteen minutes late. I would need to speak forty-three percent faster to finish on schedule at 8:00 p.m.—a virtually impossible performance goal. We were going to finish late, and my schedule for the rest of the night would be thrown out.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00B2FLDRQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin; 1st edition (11 April 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5.3 MB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 316 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 6,405 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 168 in Women's Humorous Fiction
- 191 in General Humourous Fiction
- 270 in Humour (Kindle Store)

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75,926 ratings

About the author

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Graeme C. Simsion

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Graeme Simsion is a former IT consultant and the author of two nonfiction books on database design who decided, at the age of fifty, to turn his hand to fiction. His first novel, The Rosie Project, was published in 2013, followed by sequels The Rosie Effect and The Rosie Result. The books have sold some 5 million copies in 40 languages. Graeme's other international bestsellers include The Best of Adam Sharp and Two Steps Forward (sequel Two Steps Onward) written with his wife, Anne Buist. The Novel Project is a step-by-step guide to writing. His latest book is Creative Differences and Other Stories; the title story is a novella about a writing couple. Graeme lives in Australia and is a frequent speaker at book events and writing seminars.

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Customers find the book engaging and funny, with a heartwarming romance. They appreciate the insightful and thought-provoking content, as well as the well-developed characters. The writing style is described as clever and easy to follow.

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2,086 customers mention ‘Readability’1,980 positive106 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the flow of the prose and find the narrative enjoyable. The book is described as a sweet, touching read with an interesting story.

"...I would have preferred less swear words, they are appropriate in the context of the story - and at their age, this probably just serves to make the..." Read more

"...Still, I don't think this detracted from it at all. It's a lovely, fun, feel good read that takes a pretty serious subject and forces you..." Read more

"...Its very well written and very enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good summer read." Read more

"...It’s a debut, so perfect for my Day Zero challenge (#27: Read 10 new debut novels) and when I finally spotted it as a Kindle Bargain, I couldn’t..." Read more

1,692 customers mention ‘Humor’1,663 positive29 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book. They find it entertaining, with chuckling moments throughout the story. Readers describe the book as quirky and witty, making it a joy to read.

"...Whilst the book is very funny, it is also very poignant and you feel you become quite familiar with Don and the unique way that he thinks and..." Read more

"...It's a lovely, fun, feel good read that takes a pretty serious subject and forces you to look at it by making it NOT serious. Clever...." Read more

"...I loved the fast pace and comedy of the story. Simsion has good comic timing, and the parts of the plot... though quite strange, fit the characters..." Read more

"...Don’s attempts at social interaction also bring great humour, yet at the same time you’ll be astounded at what he can do – such as memorising the..." Read more

861 customers mention ‘Insight’800 positive61 negative

Customers find the book insightful and entertaining. It provides valuable insights into the mindset and way of thinking of the lead character. The book makes several valid points that are easy to understand without being emotional. Readers appreciate the positive sides of genuine and loyal people. They also mention that the book is informative and educating for learning about different personalities.

"...It has raised questions about all sorts of issues and opened their minds to how some people on the autistic spectrum may perceive 'normal' people's..." Read more

"...It doesn't have a totally positive view of the issues, but it does focus on the positive...." Read more

"...This book makes several valid points; you that you don’t have to be emotional to feel emotion, and you don’t have to eat Lobster every Tuesday and..." Read more

"...As you can see, the premise is absurd and captivating on account of its absurdity...." Read more

466 customers mention ‘Character development’435 positive31 negative

Customers find the main characters well-developed and believable. They appreciate the treatment of Don's character as affirming and admirable. The story is told in first-person with the narrator, who is endearing but not schumpy.

"...or incredibly descriptive phrases and is based mainly on the dialogue between the characters and the thoughts of the protagonist, a professor of..." Read more

"...The narrator is endearing, but not schumcky...." Read more

"...The characters are well written, even thought the first person perspective of the book relegates them to scenery in some ways; a terrible shame as..." Read more

"...My Rating 3/5 – What starts as a unique romantic comedy with a wonderful narrator, disappointingly ends with a hasty, predictable dash in the final..." Read more

298 customers mention ‘Romance’218 positive80 negative

Customers praise the romance in the book. They find it tender, warm-hearted, and touching. The story is seen from an Aspergers-like perspective. The book is described as funny, charming, and amusing with a twist that keeps readers reading and entertained.

"An excellent story about love (as opposed to a love story)...." Read more

"...My Rating 3/5 – What starts as a unique romantic comedy with a wonderful narrator, disappointingly ends with a hasty, predictable dash in the final..." Read more

"Well written but scenarios weren’t very believable and I didn’t find it so funny...." Read more

"...and it turned out to be exactly that - an easy, fun, romantic comedy equivalent of a book...." Read more

276 customers mention ‘Writing style’260 positive16 negative

Customers enjoy the book's writing style. They find it clever, well-thought-out, and easy to read. The dialogue is crisp, fast, and funny. The book is written from a male perspective, which customers appreciate.

"...very succinct in its writing style, there is no padding or incredibly descriptive phrases and is based mainly on the dialogue between the characters..." Read more

"...However, Rosie is vibrant, funny and clever and soon Don finds himself letting go a little, freeing himself from his strict routine...." Read more

"...about The Rosie Project, particularly many witty scenarios and turns of phrase...." Read more

"...Read and enjoy; it's a well-written and genuinely funny book." Read more

132 customers mention ‘Pacing’97 positive35 negative

Customers find the book engaging with a smooth flow and interesting characters. They describe it as an entertaining read that keeps them hooked.

"...the plot... though quite strange, fit the characters and move though in a believable way...." Read more

"...though unconventional, is totally believable and quickly gets the reader on side...." Read more

"...Initially Don is difficult to read if you know nothing about Asperger's syndrome even though he never actually admits to being so - he enjoys his..." Read more

"I thought the book flowed very well with many interesting characters" Read more

81 customers mention ‘Ease of use’78 positive3 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and enjoyable. They find the central character relatable, making it difficult to put down. The book creates a film-like experience in their minds.

"...The prose flows beautifully, is easy to follow and puts you firmly in the mind-set of the character, and the supporting characters, especially Rosie..." Read more

"...It's extremely obvious and extremely simple - and with hilarious consequences...." Read more

"...for a relaxed holiday week and it turned out to be exactly that - an easy, fun, romantic comedy equivalent of a book...." Read more

"...social-neurological condition, in a personal capacity, I found it easy to relate to both Don and Rosie...." Read more

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N. Dickinson
Priceless!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 May 2014
Verified Purchase

Whilst laughing out loud at some point in this book, my 11 year-old queried the cause. I had to read to him the part which had made me laugh (along with a little background). This captured his interest so much that he asked me to read it to him, too. I started doing this and once my 14-year old overheard some of it, he too wanted to join in. We have nearly finished the book now having had at least a chapter read every night. It has made them laugh as much as it did me and although I would have preferred less swear words, they are appropriate in the context of the story - and at their age, this probably just serves to make the book more interesting! It has raised questions about all sorts of issues and opened their minds to how some people on the autistic spectrum may perceive 'normal' people's behaviour.

The book is very succinct in its writing style, there is no padding or incredibly descriptive phrases and is based mainly on the dialogue between the characters and the thoughts of the protagonist, a professor of genetics called Don. This is very effective as it reflects the mechanical, functional processing of Don's thoughts, activities and conversation. Whilst the book is very funny, it is also very poignant and you feel you become quite familiar with Don and the unique way that he thinks and constructs his conversations and daily routines. It becomes more and more clear that Don feels disconnected from 'normal' people, their emotions and ways of conducting their lives and that he desperately wants to fit in socially.

He is encouraged, early on in the book, to seek a wife and after numerous disastrous attempts to find a soul mate, he decides to construct a questionnaire in order to filter out unsuitable 'candidates'. This accidentally leads him to meet a totally unsuitable partner, Rosie, whom he gradually befriends and with whom he is immersed in a world previously felt to be inaccessible. On this journey of self discovery, he shows a very gentle, considerate and determined nature and the author allows you to feel you get to know and empathise hugely with Don.

I shall really look forward to the sequel, to be released in September.

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Marguerite
Blurb doesn't do it justice
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 June 2014
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I bought this book after a friend recommended it, and I'm really glad I did because the blurb doesn't do it justice - in fact I doubt I'd have read it otherwise. Simsion says, in an interview inside, that his research for writing his OCD/Aspergers hero was 25 years in IT, and with nearly the same experience underneath my belt, I can certainly empathise with that (honestly, try working with guys who write games for a living and really, truly do come to work in Jesus sandals).

This was a great book. From the opening page it had me hooked, and it had me laughing. The narrator is endearing, but not schumcky. He's found a way to come to terms with the fact that he's 'wired differently' by playing the geeky clown, and by writing himself off emotionally. His life is managed by his schedules and his rules, and that's worked for him for all his adult life - but he has no concept of happiness, and no ambition to be happy, until he meets Rosie, and immediately writes her off as the potential life partner he's seeking, yet invents all sorts of ways to be with her. They are perfect for each other, but he just cant' see it - classic romance set up, actually, and pretty much the rest of the book is about them getting together. Which you may think is trite but I absolutely do not - I'm going to come out and say it, this is a romance!!!

I am pretty sure there are people with experience of Aspergers and OCD that won't like this. It doesn't have a totally positive view of the issues, but it does focus on the positive. It turns the way you look at it on the head, and for me that's a good thing - because it doesn't trivialise either. I think the book shoes real signs of the fact that it started out as a screen play. it's calling out to be made into a film, and the author is up front about that being his intention. Still, I don't think this detracted from it at all.

It's a lovely, fun, feel good read that takes a pretty serious subject and forces you to look at it by making it NOT serious. Clever. And I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Un libro que vale la pena leer
Reviewed in Mexico on 23 June 2020
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Un libro increíble, lo acabé muy rápido porque la historia es muy buena, lo volvería a leer.

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Oparazzo
Aspies rule!
Reviewed in Germany on 14 December 2013
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Don Tillman, 40 Jahre, ledig, Dozent für Genetik an einer Melbourner Hochschule, ist hochintelligent, sieht gut aus, und hat sein Leben voll im Griff. Wobei das etwas untertrieben ist: Sein Tagesablauf ist auf die Minute durchgeplant und optimiert, und zwar alles, Beruf, Freizeit, Schlaf, einfach alles. Jegliche Zeitverschwendung ist ihm ein Graus. Der Grund: Don hat Asperger.

Was ihm auf der intellektuellen Seite mühelos zufliegt, fehlt ihm allerdings komplett auf der emotionalen, und somit fehlt ihm auch eine Frau. Seine gelegentlichen Dates endeten bisher samt und sonders in Katastrophen.

Das gedenkt Don zu ändern: Frauen haben schließlich viele Vorteile, hundertprozentige Kompatibilität vorausgesetzt. Und so hat er einen Fragebogen entwickelt (16 Doppelseiten), mit dem er ungeeignete Kandidatinnen rechtzeitig aussortieren kann, bevor er mit notorischen Zuspätkommerinnen, Vegetarierinnen oder Raucherinnen kostbare Dating-Zeit vergeudet. Das Wife Project kann beginnen.

Graeme Simsion, der sein Geld bislang als IT-Consultant und Autor eines Fachbuchs verdient hat, hat mit "The Rosie Project" einen ganz erstaunlichen Romanerstling vorgelegt. Wie er die Welt und ihre zwischenmenschlichen Fallstricke aus der Sicht eines "Aspies" beschreibt, ist rührend und komisch zugleich. Es sind ja nicht nur romantische Wallungen, die Don ein Rätsel sind, auch zu Humor und Ironie fehlt ihm jeglicher Zugang.

Und als dann schließlich die unpünktliche, teilvegetarische und rauchende Rosie vor seiner Tür steht, bricht das Chaos aus. Zwar kommt sie als Partnerin ohnehin nicht in Frage, dennoch ringt sich Don nach einigem Nachdenken dazu durch, Rosie bei der Suche nach ihrem leiblichen Vater zu helfen. Eine Aufgabe, für die sich Don als Genetiker besser eignet als jeder andere, die sich andererseits wegen der beträchtlichen Anzahl von potentiellen Kandidaten als recht aufwendig erweist. So lernen wir aber auch einige weniger konventionelle Methoden zur Beschaffung von DNS-Proben kennen.

Dass sich die beiden dabei näher kommen, verrät bereits der Titel. Dass das nicht notwendigerweise gut gehen muss, dafür bietet Dons spezielle Veranlagung genügend Gründe. Dass bei alledem ein äußerst amüsantes und bis zum Schluss spannendes Buch herauskommen kann, möchte ich hiermit festgehalten haben.

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M
Tierno y divertido
Reviewed in Spain on 28 January 2025
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Divertido, positivo, con un argumento original. Me encanta cómo ha construido al protagonista: resulta entrañable desde los primeros capítulos.

Tiene momentos graciosos.
Lo he disfrutado.

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Hilarious
Reviewed in the Netherlands on 30 July 2020
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Super funny. Made me laugh out loud.

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Jools
OUTSTANDING!
Reviewed in Australia on 3 May 2015
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The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Absolutely delightful, this has been one of my most pleasurable reads in a long time.
So very, very clever, witty, thoughtful and sensitive.
Don is adorable!

Graeme Simsion has created a story which [to my mind] feels perfectly balanced between its witty dialogue and the astute behavioral observations of its various characters;
In particular the unique and brilliant Don Tillman, Associate Professor of Genetics who...unbeknownst to himself at this stage...exhibits some of the defining symptoms of the autism spectrum.
Thus to the world at large, he unwittingly projects an image of an erudite pushbike riding eccentric who can't look you in the eye, and who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder!

The Wife Project-
Already in his 39th year, Don has decided it is time he found a wife, but experience has taught him that the process of trial and elimination through conventional means, ie; dating, is time consuming and fraught with stressful pitfalls.
So in order to find the most suitable applicant, at the same time avoiding potential problems, he has formulated a very comprehensive questionnaire, designed to filter out all negative and undesirable traits in prospective candidates.
This being for the prospective applicants to fill in and return to him for the assessment and evaluation of their "Wife" eligibility.
Successful applicants are expected to achieve a 100% score, anything less will be deemed unsuitable.
Obviously this expectation proved to be too unattainable with all applicants failing much of the criterion.
In order to refine this technique, Don is accepting sound advice from his only two friends and confidants...a colleague and fellow professor, and his wife who is a Psychologist. They suggest subtle changes that Don might make to his questionnaire in order to best attract suitable applicants without compromising his rigid standards.....
Therein begins a comedy of errors, a roller coaster ride for Don and seemingly everyone he comes into contact with!

From the very first page I was hooked and did not want to put this book down...though I forced myself to do so, purely and selfishly in order to prolong the enjoyment of it.
I feel the point should be made though, that this is not just a very funny story on its own. It is a very clever portrayal of some very plausible, albeit unique, scenarios.

Some of the circumstances, life situations and personality traits concerning the characters which make up this story are quite touching and show how, in spite of our differences, we are all intrinsically the same.
Some just view the world through different lenses, but we are all dancing to the same tune.
Sometimes it seems, there are greater powers at work, orchestrating the dance, adding unforeseen obstacles to change the course of direction....who are we to judge? I think the very last paragraph in the book describes it perfectly....you will have to read it to find out though.

In acknowledging that he is "wired differently" from the mainstream, here is one particularly insightful quote from Don:

"I need not be visibly odd. I could engage in the protocols that others followed and move undetected among them. And how could I be sure that other people were not doing the same—playing the game to be accepted but suspecting all the time that they were different?"
Food for thought.
With *Aspies, what you see is what you get.

If Mainstream society were one side of a coin, then Don and his like, would be the other... each necessary to the other.

(Don immediately reminded me of the lovable and charismatic Sheldon in "The Big Bang Theory" television series, which inadvertently gave me an advantageous visual perspective on this story.)
I think this story would translate brilliantly into a movie and I'd love to see it.

This is an outstanding debut novel and I look forward to the next book with much anticipation.
I have no hesitation in recommending this to all
5★s+

*Aspergers groups... affectionately known as Aspies

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Un libro que vale la pena leer

Aspies rule!

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