The Rosie Project: A Novel

This is the funniest book I've read in ages, but it's perfectly seasoned with deeper emotion, too: poignancy, bitterness, regret, sympathy, vicarious embarrassment, and a whole lot of sweetness and delight. The hero and narrator, genetics professor Don Tillman, has Asperger's Syndrome, but has so little self insight that even after researching the subject and giving a presentation on Asperger's to a group of young people with that diagnosis, he doesn't recognize himself as a member of their tribe. He recognizes his inability to decipher social cues, but just figures he's wired differently. He lives by his schedule, planning every activity to the second--for example, it takes Don three minutes, twenty seconds to shower, unless he washes his hair, in which case it takes an extra minute and twelve seconds "due to the requirement that the conditioner remain in place for sixty seconds"--and he does not cope well with deviations from his plans. Approaching 40, Don has decided he wants a wife, though none of his prior relationships have progressed beyond the first date. He attributes this to a failure to properly screen out unsuitable candidates, and he develops a sixteen page questionnaire "incorporating current best practice to filter out the time wasters, the disorganized, […], the crystal gazers, the horoscope readers, the fashion obsessives, the religious fanatics, the vegans, the sports watchers, the creationists, the smokers, the scientifically illiterate, the homeopaths, leaving, ideally, the perfect partner. " His two friends (his only two friends) warn him that his standards might be a teensy bit unreasonable, but Don presses on, resulting in several more disastrous first dates. When Rosie walks into Don's office, he thinks she is one of the candidates for The Wife Project, and she fails in almost every category--she works at a bar (which he assumes makes her stupid), is perpetually late (time waster), smokes occasionally, doesn't eat meat, wears jewelry and make up and dyes her hair (fashion obsessive)--but it turns out she wants his help as a geneticist, as she is trying to locate her biological father. And of course, as wrong as Rosie is on paper, she's really perfect for Don (if only he were not so blinded by logic). Often I don't like stories based on the "big misunderstanding" trope, because the conflict seems artificial where a simple conversation could sort out the confusion, but that's not the case here: Don's life is full of social misunderstandings, and they're not the least bit contrived because there's nothing 'simple' about conversation for him. Don is clueless and rigid and sometimes unintentionally offensive, but he's also unbelievably entertaining (occasionally on purpose), endearingly well-intentioned, and often accidentally romantic in the determined lengths to which he will go to help Rosie with The Father Project. You cannot help but get in his corner as he fumbles his way--hilariously--toward true love against all odds.

I found this a very engaging book with the main charcter, an unlikely hero, both likeable and admirable. He is a highly intelligent man with the affliction of Asperger's Syndrome Highly functioning Aspergers may quarrel with the term "affliction" but I would argue that it is not pejorative and also, it seems to me, that the main character would prefer not to have the condition. He is very well aware of his limitations in regard to socialisation and inter-action with others and the constraints this social ineptitude places on him generally as well as on the likelihood of him meeting and engaging a woman enough for her to want to marry him. His dating attempts and his approach in attracting a woman with the right qualities that he considers vital for his wife-to-be are very humourous. I am not all that familiar with Aspergers Syndrome apart from what I have read about it plus it seems to me that many men suffer slightly from this condition. I say this a little tongue in cheek. Nenertheless, I found that this novel seems to really capture well the characteristics, behaviour and perspective of people with this condition. Don is so wonderfully matter-of-fact about his limitations which he doesn't really regard as limitations even though he can see the frustration and sometimes anger his behaviour causes in others. He is practical, efficient and also helpful and he wishes he would get on better with people but without the slightest feeling of self-pity. He is a fully contained person except he thinks it is time he was married. The only very slight reservation I had about the characterisation is that Don who discusses things openly and honestly, never mentions that he misses sex. While he would not be missing the emotional side of sex, I would expect a normal man of his age to be somewhat sexually frustrated without even an occasional partner. I am not going to say anything about the story and the other characters. I personally dislike book and film reviews which tell the reader what the storyline is, what each of the characters did and thought. Why would I read a book when someone encapsulates it all? I regard it as somewhat of a spoiler. I would just like to urge people to read this book and enjoy it as much as I did. People who have read another excellent book which freatures an Aspergers as narrator in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, will recognise similarities between the two fictional characters and their delightful matter-of-factness. They are both appealing characters, wise in many ways and kind to others even though they struggle with experiencing emotions. I found both books a very good read and I was sorry to say goodbye to the main protagonists. If I feel like that at the end of a book, for me it signifies a good novel.

Don Tillman, a brilliant but socially challenged genetics professor, is at a loss as to why he -- a prime specimen of mental and physical fitness, with an above average income, should find himself still single at the age of thirty-nine. Previous attempts at finding a life partner, while attempting to operate within society's accepted norm, a.k.a. the "traditional dating paradigm," had only led to unmitigated calamities such as The Apricot Ice Cream Disaster with Elizabeth the computer scientist -- an encore of such horrors to be avoided at all costs. Such forays into traditional mating "rituals" having proved to be complete wastes of time, money, and his not inconsiderable intellectual resources, and so Don has abandoned his search. Thus resigned to his single state, Don is relatively content, until a chance opportunity to speak on the subject of Asperger's Syndrome opens his eyes to the possibility of approaching the dormant Wife Project rationally and scientifically. The result is a sixteen-page survey designed to eliminate those deemed incompatible -- the drinkers, smokers, picky eaters, chronically late, and otherwise intellectually lacking and therefore wholly unsuitable as long-term candidates for Don's project. With the scientific rubrics in place, Don is sure of long-term, scientifically validated success until Rosie Jarman walks into his office. Rosie is ostensibly a Wife Project applicant, but one also in search of her biological father -- the latter a quest Don is imminently suitable with which to assist. As Don gets to know Rosie, it quickly becomes clear that she is the antithesis of the ideal candidate the Wife Project questionnaire was designed to uncover -- and Don is forced to confront the idea that the most unsuitable woman in the world might just be his perfect match. People, READ THIS BOOK. The last time I found myself so utterly captivated by an unconventional romance was Rainbow Rowell's Attachments -- and to those of you who've read and loved that novel as I do, make of that comparison what you will. *wink* Author Graeme Simsion takes his background in IT consulting and screenwriting to craft a fast-paced, charming debut novel as full of unabashed romantic heart as it is of the scientific precision with which Don constructs and lives every aspect of his life. And much like Don, pre-Rosie, Simsion's prose and plotline are crafted with a laser-like precision -- this is a textbook romantic comedy that manages to hit all the requisite story beats while remaining wholly fresh and unique thanks to Don's delightfully prickly and precise personality. Rosie describes Don resembling Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird -- if only he had the right glasses and haircut. And while I may never recover from the swoon induced by the mental image of an endearing, socially-challenged Gregory Peck, for what it's worth in my mind Don most closely resembles Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, with a slightly less acerbic wit and a touch more warmth. Don wants to figure out this puzzle called life -- he'd like to better navigate society's murky waters, but without the emotional component or drive serving as an impetus to do so, he's at a loss...until he meets Rosie. And therein lies the genius of Simsion's characterization -- The Rosie Project isn't about "fixing" people, or excising everything that makes Don a wholly, wonderfully unique individual. It is the story of one man whose genetic make-up conditions him to view the world through a rational, scientific lens, meeting a woman whose fractured home life has conditioned her to view it through an emotional lens -- and finding in their relationship and polar opposites personalities a connection, validation, and support that complements one to the other. We're all flawed in some respect, and perhaps the greatest danger lurks in buying into the lie that society's perfect standard, if unmet or unrealized, equals some sort of human failure. As Don learns on his roller-coaster journey, change -- equal parts terrifying and exhilarating -- is possible for even the most recalcitrant member of the human race. I find myself equal parts intrigued and terrified at the thought of Hollywood turning this charmer of a novel into a film -- but Simsion has done his part by providing a detailed road map for the transition of Don's story from page to screen. Rarely is a novel so perfectly suited for film, as The Rosie Project is essentially the classic screwball romantic comedy in novel form. This is the rare story that hits all the beats of the format -- from the "meet cute" (here, the infamous Jacket Incident) through the resolution/joyful defeat without feeling the least bit tired or over-done. Don's status as a romantic hero operating from the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum brings a freshness, warmth, humor, and unexpected vulnerability to the page. This is a story that is a stark, gorgeously-rendered reminder of what it means to be human, of the beauty and pain that make up life in equal measure. The Rosie Project is a warm, humorous, always honest, occasionally heart-rending tale of love found, nearly lost, and found again between two of the most perfectly imperfect and -- on paper, at least -- incompatible characters one could hope to meet. A charming, life-affirming, hope-filled romance, Simsion's debut is as much a love letter to life as it is a beautifully-crafted romance between an atypical hero and his maddeningly wrong "perfect" match. This novel is an absolute gem, and I cannot wait to see who Simsion introduces to readers next.

I'd rate this 4.5 stars, but I'm a sap. This was such a sweet book. And I don't mean that in a derogatory way--this book kept me smiling and, clichéd as it may sound, warmed my heart. Don Tillman is a genetics professor in Australia with social and behavioral tendencies that fans of The Big Bang Theory would find immensely familiar to those of Sheldon Cooper. Bullied as a child, he made the decision to live life as the class clown, so his (often unconscious) way of acting and reacting makes people laugh rather than question why he acts the way he acts. And while he enjoys his perfectly regimented life, with its Standardized Meal System (he eats the same thing on the same days each week) and its down-to-the-minute scheduling of exercise, sleep, shopping, and work, there is one problem. Despite having close friends Gene and Claudia nearby, Don is lonely. "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." Don has tried dating women, and many of those attempts have been, well, less than successful, leading to anecdotes he refers to as "The Apricot Ice Cream Disaster," for one. So he does what any other genetics professor would do--launches The Wife Project, complete with a 16-page, scientifically valid survey to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the late arrivers, and those who might cause a reprise of The Apricot Ice Cream Disaster. When Don meets Rosie Jarman, a beautiful bartender who smokes and arrives late, he knows immediately that she's not suitable for The Wife Project. But he's keen on helping her identify who her biological father is, since he has access to his university's lab to run DNA tests, and he has no shortage of plausible (and not so plausible) ways to retrieve DNA from potential candidates. And suddenly, Don realizes how much he enjoys spending time with Rosie, despite the fact he has no interest in her as a partner, and that she keeps causing him to veer away from his perfectly scheduled routine. Even though The Rosie Project is fairly predictable, Don and Rosie's characters are so charming, so enjoyable, you want to keep reading their story. And while some of Don's behaviors may seem outlandish, again, if you've ever watched Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, you'll realize they're not quite as outlandish as you think. This book made me chuckle, laugh at times, and just kept me smiling throughout. Apparently the book has already been adapted into a movie in Australia, and it definitely seems screen-worthy. Love cannot be controlled, and it is rarely, if ever, predictable. And neither are people. The Rosie Project is a tremendously enjoyable book that makes those facts immensely compelling.

Well written, not too simple but also not obtuse and no try hard word choice that made me roll my eyes. Clever and fun without being cheesy, no s*xual content. Feels like watching a really good romcom like ten things I hate about you or breakfast at Tiffany’s. This is not my usual genera, but I really enjoyed this and read it all in three sittings.

The Rosie Project was one of those books that had an intriguing story concept which in theory would make it seem like a very enjoyable read. I honestly wanted (or expected?) to be blown away or at the very least really like the book. In the end, though, I was left relatively satisfied. The book had its own charm and sweetness but nothing extraordinary to elevate my feelings on the book any higher. Don was an unconventional leading man, but he had his own brand of charm that made him a likeable character. As a character with a form autism, Asperger’s, it was interesting to see his perspective on the world. Many of the things we take for granted seemed so difficult for him and often times incomprehensible. While many of his characteristics seem very rigid and inflexible, through his behaviors you actually get to see many of the follies and faults that are prevalent in the society. It provided you a way to relate and understand Don. I enjoyed reading the journey he goes through in the story and it was interesting at how he managed to produce various emotions from me. One minute I would be sympathetic and the next I would get exasperated at how clueless he can be at why a certain social interaction with a female didn’t work out. Just when you think he’s getting it, he does or says something that would just blow it all up leaving you feeling exasperated, wanting to smack your forehead. He also manages to surprise you with his capability for physical comedy. All these things are why his success in the end was so satisfying. You saw the evolution and the work and even the emotions behind his attempts to adjust and you end up feeling just as good as Don does at the results. He’s the perfect example of making that compromise and changes to your behavior while not completely dismissing who you are at your core. The supporting characters are one that I’m not so sure about. While Rosie had that polar opposite character to Don and fitted that counterpart role to him, she at times behaved childishly which took away from her appeal for me. Her habit of throwing a mini tantrum and just walking away proclaiming that she and Don shouldn’t see each other anymore played into that image and also made her seem like a drama queen. I suppose that can be due to her rocky relationship with her father, Phil and not knowing who her biological father is. Either way, she didn’t have that same charm like Don did. They’re both messed up in their own way but Don came off as more likeable and endearing. I just felt like Rosie could’ve been a more well-developed character without losing that fun, free-spirit personality. Furthermore, at times I questioned how Gene ended up being Don’s best friend. He’s basically a teenage horny jerk in a 56 year old body thinking he’s cool by sleeping with women from different countries. I didn’t really like him and only saved himself with his whole acceptance of Don and getting his act together in the end with his wife, Claudia. I suppose the reason why I couldn’t give this book a higher rating would be because of the writing. I understand that the story is being told in Don’s POV and so the writing and the narrative has to reflect his way of thinking which when taken in that context, Graeme Simsion did a good job. But at times it was hard for me to keep my attention. There wasn’t a great flow at times stilted and robotic in tone which made it hard to read. I think the book could’ve also worked in the third person narrative. You can still project all of Don’s logical and rigid perspective while also being able to give an outside view of Don from other people. In this format, I think the storytelling would be more fluid and easier to pay attention to. In the end, I thought the book was a sweet love story that had an endearing and charming leading man. There were other books that were more impactful, leaving a stronger impression. Maybe my expectations were too high and that is why I am left feeling a little disappointed in my final reactions. If nothing else, Don really carried this book. He’s a character that you can easily root for because you know he’s sincere and truly a good guy. He makes this book worthwhile.

Once in a while I come across a gem of a book which, despite the fact that the year has only just started, will undoubtedly be in the list of the most memorable books I will read in 2014. "The Rosie Project" is an entertaining and amusing feel-good story that made me laugh, and sometimes cry and looked at love, personal relationships and self-discovery in a very different way. On the surface, Professor of Genetics, Don Tillman, appears to be living a successful life as a top academic. However, Don is different from other successful academics because he has Asperger's syndrome and is autistic with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). He strictly timetables and regiments his personal life with the same meal plan each week and has his time strictly organised, day in, day out. He gets angry when someone arrives early or late for a meeting because he believes that everyone should arrive exactly on time. Don knows that he is wired differently and has difficulty empathising and relating to others who don't meet his view of world - one of the defining criteria of the autism spectrum. Because of this Don has difficulty in finding a girlfriend who meets his precise standards. Following his need for precise information he starts up his own "Wife Project" by designing a multi-choice internet questionnaire to identify someone who completely meets his specific requirements for a wife. The outcome of his attempts to relate to girls who seem to pass his test is hilarious and sometimes a bit pathetic. Along comes Rosie, who on the face of it would fail most of Don's questionnaire, asking for his help as a geneticist to find her biological father. Her late mother told her that her father was one of her graduating class of budding medicos - and there were nearly 50 males in the class. Don and Rosie start a hilarious search to get the DNA of all surviving male students or their relatives and descendants without their knowledge - of course Don calls it the "Father Project". I found Don to be exasperating but I was always cheering him as he blundered around trying to discover his place in the world. Rosie is completely different, a delightful caring whirlwind who has her own deep seated problems. While she doesn't meet Don's expectations, a close and almost tender relationship develops between them which neither of them expects - hence "The Rosie Project". One of my New Year's resolutions was to read "outside the wheelhouse" of my usual choice of thrillers and historical sagas. It was very gratifying to find a different kind of book so early in the year that rewarded my choice of resolution. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a to read a different, amusing, fairly light and rewarding book. Last year I read and thoroughly enjoyed "600 Hours of Edward" about someone who has a much more extreme case of OCD than Don. The two books are very different, but if you enjoyed "The Rosie Project" I am sure that you would enjoy reading about how Edward faced up to major changes in his rigidly regimented life.

This was a truly fun read. I liked it so much that I'm sending it to all my friends to de-stress with over the holidays. It worked for me. Don, is a psychologist with OCD issues. He believes that by keeping to a strict schedule, down to the second, he is in control. Not surprisingly, he has had trouble even getting a date, much less a girlfriend. An expert at nailing down every aspect of a research project, he designs a criteria for "the perfect wife." He posts a questionnaire online and receives several hundred responses. He collates the data (not looking at any photos, fearing they might distract him from the important factors such as eating a healthy diet and being on time). Don's best friend, a fellow professor with an entirely different world view, sends a girl to see Don. Don assumes that his friend has chosen this girl because she meets nearly all his criteria; as it turns out, Rosie came to see Don about something completely unrelated to his search for a wife. Believing that Rosie is "pre-qualified" as a potential wife, Don asks her to dinner at a fancy restaurant which requires "jackets for gentlemen." Don believes his down jacket meets the definition of a jacket and an altercation with two bouncers commences. Don wins as he has been studying karate or something since age 7. Rosie arrives late (already breaking the rule against lateness), thinks it's hilarious and snaps a few photos. Don further learns that Rosie does not exercise - another black mark. When Rosie insists that she still wants dinner, Don then learns that she can't cook, so she already doesn't meet 3 of his most important qualities! Forced to take Rosie home with him to make dinner, Rosie learns that he cooks the exact dinner every Tuesday- lobster, mango and avocado salad with wasabi caviar, crispy seaweed and leek garnish. Rosie takes two 1/2 bottles of white wine from the refrigerator and Don tells her that alcohol is not scheduled for Tuesdays. Rosie's response is priceless. Soon, Don begins to think like everyone else. He begins to try to readjust his criteria to make the totally unsuitable Rosie fit within his completely unrealistic expectations and the results are just too funny. Rosie's mother died when she was young and she was raised by her stepfather. She does not know who her real father is. Don's vocabulary is strictly old world: His comment: "Do you mean," he asks Rosie in a horrified voice, "that your mother engaged in unprotected sexual activity outside her primary relationship?" Rosie's comeback lines are hilarious and, of course, more so because the clueless Don doesn't understand the concept of irony, taking every statement at face value. When Don confronts his friend Gene about why he would send a totally unsuitable woman to his office, Gene says, "I threw her in as a wild card." Don takes that statement at face value and thinks that Gene may be right and perhaps he could use Rosie as a "control group example," far outside the parameters of his research... which, of course, would make it necessary to spend a bit more time with her. Well, even Don realized that you can't have a control group of one, so he decides that he does have a really valid reason to see Rosie - and that would be in his capacity as a scientist. He would gather DNA from the likely candidates and assist Rosie with locating her biological father. Of course, he would need to gather Rosie's DNA first. And so on. Don is endearing in his completely clueless way but he sees the world in black and white. When he is called to the Dean's office and she tries to explain why it would not be a good idea to fail a foreign student simply because he quoted directly from a source, Don does not get it ... there is an hilarious scene where a medical student suggests that evolution is just a theory and creationism should be considered equally ... all in all, it's just good fun. Read it.

Loved it! Full of humor, could not help laughing out loud or smiling about the situations in the book. The main character is so well developed and so endearing!

理系大学教授の”変人”ドンの婚活からはじまる物語。ドンが語るスタイルなので、語彙や言い回しが、論文みたいな言い方です。話の筋がコメディなので、語彙の難しさにめげず、読み進められます。オーストラリアが舞台なので、いい方や度量衡は アメリカ英語とは異なります。

Un libro que cacha tu atención. Ligero y fácil de lectura te hace pasar momentos muy agradables. El tema de fondo es muy interesante.

Our book club had a great time with The Rosie Project. The main character, Don Tillman, is a brilliant genetics professor who struggles with social cues and routines—he’s quirky, and unintentionally funny. Don is determined to find a wife, and so he launches “The Wife Project,” a highly logical questionnaire designed to filter out unsuitable candidates and the resulting dates who chooses to go on are very funny. His logical plan starts to fall apart when he meets Rosie—who is spontaneous, unpredictable, and completely different from what he thinks he wants. Overall both Don and the supporting characters are likeable, and the story has a good balance between humor with some genuinely touching moments. Definitely a feel-good read that sparked great conversation in our group.

Super funny. Made me laugh out loud.