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'the rosie project' will charm you with science.

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The Rosie Project

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He's a socially inept scientist who's tone deaf to irony. She's an edgy young woman whose fallback mode is sarcasm. Put them together, and hilarity ensues in Australian IT consultant Graeme Simsion's first novel, The Rosie Project . It's an utterly winning screwball comedy about a brilliant, emotionally challenged geneticist who's determined to find a suitable wife with the help of a carefully designed questionnaire, and the patently unsuitable woman who keeps distracting him from his search. If you're looking for sparkling entertainment along the lines of Where'd You Go Bernadette and When Harry Met Sally , The Rosie Project is this season's fix. The book wouldn't work, of course, if we couldn't see the sweetness and charm beneath Don Tillman's geekiness. But Simsion's hyper-efficient, fastidious 39-year-old narrator endears us from the moment he starts explaining his Wife Problem, which of course is directly related to his People Problem. Like Christopher Boone, the 15-year-old narrator of Mark Haddon's 2003 novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time , he's appealing not just despite his eccentricities but because of them.

The running joke in The Rosie Project is that "Humans often fail to see what is close to them and obvious to others." This applies first and foremost to Don, who's clearly somewhere on the autism spectrum, and just as clearly oblivious about it. He's also oblivious about his attraction to Rosie Jarman, a beautiful doctoral candidate in psychology who first contacts him to settle a bet about an outlandish genetic question concerning the relationship between testicle size and monogamy.

Missing social cues right and left, Don is under the impression that Rosie has been sent by his best friend and colleague, Gene, as a candidate for his Wife Project. He also mistakes her part-time bartending job for her full-time identity, and finds her a spectacularly unsuitable prospect because she smokes, doesn't cook, and is always late.

Yet, in spite of himself – and his programmed-to-the-minute schedule – he gets pulled into Rosie's Father Project, a wild quest to identify her biological father. Their ribald pursuit of DNA swabs takes them all the way to New York, "where being weird is acceptable."

Graeme Simsion was an IT consultant before publishing The Rosie Project. James Penlidis hide caption

Graeme Simsion was an IT consultant before publishing The Rosie Project.

Don isn't stupid, and he knows he has problems with intimacy. But he finds it hard to understand why people have trouble with his time-saving Standardized Meal System (which reduces "cognitive load" by rotating seven hilariously elaborate dishes on a strict weekly schedule), or why his impermeable, clearly superior Gore-Tex jacket won't do at a posh restaurant where jackets are required. Over their first dinner together, he tells Rosie that she seems "quite intelligent for a barmaid." "The compliments just keep on coming," Rosie responds tartly — at which point Don reflects that "It seemed I was doing well, and I allowed myself a moment of satisfaction, which I shared with Rosie."

Although set in his ways and distinctly disadvantaged when it comes to tact, Don isn't immutable — and The Rosie Project is in part about the joy that can come from openness to change. A firm believer in self-improvement, he's convinced one can master anything through discipline and application, including boning quail, cocktail mixology, ballroom dancing and sexual positions, (the latter two learned from books and practiced with a skeleton from the university's anatomy department). When his philandering friend Gene asks if he's ever had sex, he says, "Of course ... It's just that adding a second person makes it more complicated."

"Fortunately I am accustomed to creating amusement inadvertently," Don remarks after cracking up his students by taking a personal call during a lecture. This charming, warm-hearted escapade, which celebrates the havoc — and pleasure — emotions can unleash, offers amusement aplenty. Sharp dialogue, terrific pacing, physical hijinks, slapstick, a couple to root for, and more twists than a pack of Twizzlers — it's no surprise that The Rosie Project is bound for the big screen. But read it first.

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Kirkus Reviews' Best Books Of 2013

THE ROSIE PROJECT

by Graeme Simsion ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2013

A sparkling, laugh-out-loud novel.

Polished debut fiction, from Australian author Simsion, about a brilliant but emotionally challenged geneticist who develops a questionnaire to screen potential mates but finds love instead. The book won the 2012 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an unpublished manuscript. 

“I became aware of applause. It seemed natural. I had been living in the world of romantic comedy and this was the final scene. But it was real.” So Don Tillman, our perfectly imperfect narrator and protagonist, tells us. While he makes this observation near the end of the book, it comes as no surprise—this story plays the rom-com card from the first sentence. Don is challenged, almost robotic. He cannot understand social cues, barely feels emotion and can’t stand to be touched. Don’s best friends are Gene and Claudia, psychologists. Gene brought Don as a postdoc to the prestigious university where he is now an associate professor. Gene is a cad, a philanderer who chooses women based on nationality—he aims to sleep with a woman from every country. Claudia is tolerant until she’s not. Gene sends Rosie, a graduate student in his department, to Don as a joke, a ringer for the Wife Project. Finding her woefully unsuitable, Don agrees to help the beautiful but fragile Rosie learn the identity of her biological father. Pursuing this Father Project, Rosie and Don collide like particles in an atom smasher: hilarity, dismay and carbonated hormones ensue. The story lurches from one set piece of deadpan nudge-nudge, wink-wink humor to another: We laugh at, and with, Don as he tries to navigate our hopelessly emotional, nonliteral world, learning as he goes. Simsion can plot a story, set a scene, write a sentence, finesse a detail. A pity more popular fiction isn’t this well-written. If you liked Australian author Toni Jordan's  Addition  (2009), with its math-obsessed, quirky heroine, this book is for you.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4767-2908-4

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: April 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2013

ROMANCE | GENERAL FICTION

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by Graeme Simsion & Anne Buist

by Graeme Simsion

New York Times Bestseller

IndieBound Bestseller

IT ENDS WITH US

by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 2, 2016

Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...

Hoover’s ( November 9 , 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.

At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.

Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016

GENERAL ROMANCE | ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

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by Colleen Hoover

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A LITTLE LIFE

by Hanya Yanagihara ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2015

The phrase “tour de force” could have been invented for this audacious novel.

Four men who meet as college roommates move to New York and spend the next three decades gaining renown in their professions—as an architect, painter, actor and lawyer—and struggling with demons in their intertwined personal lives.

Yanagihara ( The People in the Trees , 2013) takes the still-bold leap of writing about characters who don’t share her background; in addition to being male, JB is African-American, Malcolm has a black father and white mother, Willem is white, and “Jude’s race was undetermined”—deserted at birth, he was raised in a monastery and had an unspeakably traumatic childhood that’s revealed slowly over the course of the book. Two of them are gay, one straight and one bisexual. There isn’t a single significant female character, and for a long novel, there isn’t much plot. There aren’t even many markers of what’s happening in the outside world; Jude moves to a loft in SoHo as a young man, but we don’t see the neighborhood change from gritty artists’ enclave to glitzy tourist destination. What we get instead is an intensely interior look at the friends’ psyches and relationships, and it’s utterly enthralling. The four men think about work and creativity and success and failure; they cook for each other, compete with each other and jostle for each other’s affection. JB bases his entire artistic career on painting portraits of his friends, while Malcolm takes care of them by designing their apartments and houses. When Jude, as an adult, is adopted by his favorite Harvard law professor, his friends join him for Thanksgiving in Cambridge every year. And when Willem becomes a movie star, they all bask in his glow. Eventually, the tone darkens and the story narrows to focus on Jude as the pain of his past cuts deep into his carefully constructed life.  

Pub Date: March 10, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-385-53925-8

Page Count: 720

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015

GENERAL FICTION

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The Rosie Project

By graeme simsion, a lighthearted and comedic love story for the overly logical.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is a lighthearted, funny, and highly enjoyable love story for all the nerds out there. Professor Don Tillman is a geneticist with Asperger’s Syndrome who embarks on a project to find a “suitable mate” (the “Wife Project”). But instead, he gets sidetracked by a woman named Rosie and her search for her biological father (the “Rosie Project”). Of course, the two projects end up coming together and what results is a delightful love story.

I finished this a while ago but hadn’t gotten around to reviewing it until now. It, along with its sequel, The Rosie Effect , comes highly recommended from Bill Gates’ blog , which is what piqued my interest to begin with.

The Rosie Project is unabashedly a love story, through and through, so you know pretty much from the onset where it’s going to end up, but listening in to the thought processes of our protagonist is genuinely funny and revealing, especially if you know people with Aspergers or who are just logical to a fault. It’s a romance and a book about accepting and embracing yourself and about two people coming together — with a pinch of mystery and adventure as Rosie and Don sleuth to figure out who Rosie’s father is. In all, it has a lot of heart and is very funny; the humor is dead-pan and a little sardonic, but very present.

This book is definitely not your typical “chick lit”-type book, but it’s lighthearted enough that it still makes for a good beach-slash-casual read. I think most people could find something to like about it, but the lovers of logic out there would especially appreciate it. It’s an easy and enjoyable book, so I’d definitely recommend giving it a shot.

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Review: The Rosie Project, By Graeme Simsion

A rom-com with a dash of curious dna, article bookmarked.

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The debut novel of Graeme Simsion, an Australian IT consultant turned writer, The Rosie Project is a romantic comedy with sublime character precision and soppy but gratifying genre fulfilment. Don Tillman is a professor of genetics; he's also somewhere on the autistic spectrum. Despite being a smart, fit, wealthy 39-year-old, he's had little luck in love. Don hits on the idea of "The Wife Project": a strict, 16-page questionnaire to find the perfect woman by systematically eliminating non-suitable partners. ("The vegans, the sports watchers, the creationists, the smokers, the scientifically illiterate, the homeopaths …")

Into his life bursts a young woman named Rosie, who works in a bar, smokes and has daddy issues; "the world's most incompatible woman," he decides. Yet somehow Don finds himself embarking on a new project: to help find her biological father with secretive DNA testing. And he finds that life and love don't always adhere to best-laid scientific protocols.

The Rosie Project , however, follows the rules of a rom-com to the letter: the "just friends" male-female relationship; a reliance on unlikely coincidences to zip the plot along; light-bulb moments of realisation. Comic set-pieces, including a public dancing humiliation turned triumph, see Don's superhuman capacity for memorising correct procedures come into its own. You can practically see the film montage unfolding, and it's no surprise to discover that the novel started life as a screenplay.

There are downsides to this. The quirky female as saviour of a lonely male is an infuriating trope in the rom-com genre, and some readers may find the message that happiness lies in embracing irrationally and your emotions simplistic and sentimental. However, The Rosie Project is a cut above Jennifer Aniston movies for two reasons. First, Don's narration is pitch perfect; a precise, formal, geeky tone conveying his rigidly scheduled, rationally detached world-view. It's easily as impressive as in an obvious predecessor, Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time .

Second, The Rosie Project is extremely funny. The reader is in a privileged position, able to see Don's faux pas when he doesn't, but also has a huge amount of affection for the character, whose dispassionate view of illogical social norms is captured with snort-inducing deadpan accuracy. Warmly recommended.

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The Rosie Project: A Novel Paperback – June 3, 2014

• Book 1 of 3 Don Tillman
• Print length 295 pages
• Language English
• Publication date June 3, 2014
• Dimensions 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.38 inches
• ISBN-10 1476729093
• ISBN-13 978-1476729091
• See all details

Editorial Reviews

About the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books; Reprint edition (June 3, 2014)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 295 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1476729093
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1476729091
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.5 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.38 inches
• #205 in Humorous Fiction
• #1,592 in Romantic Comedy (Books)
• #5,293 in Contemporary Romance (Books)

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Graeme Simsion on The Rosie Project

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Don, meet Rosie, Rosie, meet Don

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About the author

Graeme simsion.

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 say

Customers find the tone uplifting, relaxed, and fun. They also describe the writing quality as adorable, quirky, and quick to read. Readers find the plot immensely compelling, honest, and built around a predictable structure. They find the depth of ideas amazingly insightful, capable, and insightful. They describe the characters as likable and complementary. Customers also mention the romance as cute and different, with a satisfying ending. They praise the writing style as worth every effort to read quickly, with always a light touch. They mention the humor as unbelievable entertaining and interesting facts that are well displayed.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the humor in the book unbelievable, surprising, and sweet. They also say it's absurd and a great summer read.

"...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..." Read more

"...A warm, very funny and romantic story with delightful, quirky characters, there is still enough "meat" and subtext to add much to any discussion...." Read more

"Loved this book. So funny and laugh out loud moments" Read more

"...However, overall, this is a great summer read . It's a perfect follow-up if you've just read something really intense or heavy...." Read more

Customers find the writing style enjoyable, light, and fun. They also say the story moves at a good pace and isn't draggy. Readers also mention that the book is extremely organized.

"...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..." Read more

"I enjoyed the writing very much . The plot was silly - downright ridiculous but it worked due to the writing...." Read more

"...The Rosie Project is light , humorous and filled with likable characters.Like my review? Check out my blog!" Read more

"...But it does not push the romance in your face which makes it good for anyone to read ...." Read more

Customers find the characters in the book likable.

"...A warm, very funny and romantic story with delightful, quirky characters , there is still enough "meat" and subtext to add much to any discussion...." Read more

"...The Rosie Project is light, humorous and filled with likable characters .Like my review? Check out my blog!" Read more

"...They are both appealing characters , wise in many ways and kind to others even though they struggle with experiencing emotions...." Read more

"...The Rosie Project is fairly predictable, Don and Rosie's characters are so charming , so enjoyable, you want to keep reading their story...." Read more

Customers find the romance in the book quirky, sweet, poignant, and bursting with heart. They also say the story concept is intriguing and the ending satisfying.

"...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..." Read more

"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...." Read more

"...I highly recommend this book. It is bursting with heart and good will and even a laugh-out-loud moment.Happy Reader" Read more

Customers find the book insightful, smart, and funny. They also enjoy the premise and appreciate the insight into autism.

"...They are both appealing characters, wise in many ways and kind to others even though they struggle with experiencing emotions...." Read more

"...You learn a lot of things by reading this book. It’s full of useful information and interesting facts that are very well displayed and used to build..." Read more

"...However the real clincher for this book is this man is whip smart, book smart but he has limited to no social skills...." Read more

"...The Rosie Project is an amazing book. It is funny, thoughtful, and intelligent . It is interesting form start to finish...." Read more

Customers find the plot compelling, pleasantly surprised by its realism, rational, and real. They also love the twists and turns and the realness of the characters. Readers describe the book as light, humorous, and honest. They say it's built around a predictable structure, but these qualities give the book a feel-good feel.

"...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..." Read more

"...Nenertheless, I found that this novel seems to really capture well the characteristics , behaviour and perspective of people with this condition...." Read more

"...Project is a tremendously enjoyable book that makes those facts immensely compelling ." Read more

"I enjoyed the writing very much. The plot was silly - downright ridiculous but it worked due to the writing...." Read more

Customers find the writing quality of the book adorable and quirky.

"...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..." Read more

"...In the end, I thought the book was a sweet love story that had an endearing and charming leading man...." Read more

"...every day, except that "The Rosie Project" is a very funny and loving portrait of a man doing so...." Read more

"...But she has her charms and Don cannot deny that. She is beautiful and outgoing and so, so charming. The opposite of Don...." Read more

Customers find the tone uplifting, insightful, and engrossing. They also say it's an easy read with deep meanings. Readers describe the book as a good read and stress therapy book. They say the characters are well-drawn and fleshed out.

"...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..." Read more

"Sometimes, you just need to read a story that's sweet and makes you feel good ...." Read more

"...This book made me chuckle, laugh at times, and just kept me smiling throughout ...." Read more

"...He became a whole other person with her! Confident, relaxed , FUN. She brought out the best (worst?) in him...." Read more

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Dear Author

Romance, Historical, Contemporary, Paranormal, Young Adult, Book reviews, industry news, and commentary from a reader's point of view

REVIEW: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Dear Mr. Simsion:

Sarah Wendell talked this book up quite a bit on her podcast and then one morning I opened my Kindle and there the book was. Like magic.  So of course I had to read it.

Don Tillman, a professor of genetics, has a difficult time interacting with people generally and women specifically. He hasn’t even made it to a second date.  Early on he explains it is because some women are late, which he hates, or that they don’t really understand the pragmatic and obvious things in life. For instance, at the end of one date, the woman suggests she’d like apricot ice cream.  Don insists that because all ice cream tastes essentially the same, owing to the chilling of the tastes buds, particularly fruit flavored ones.  He suggests a taste test to prove his point. “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.”

Don decides that he wants to get married, though, and the best way to do this is to create a questionnaire and The Wife Project becomes his main focus.  The reader knows that Don is autistic, on some level. He has a difficult time understanding and connecting to other individuals and recognizing the importance of social rituals.

He wants a woman who is punctual, doesn’t smoke, is logical. Like him. Enter Rosie Jarman who is a barmaid, late, drinks, smokes, and is on a quest to find out who her father is.  Don becomes intrigued by The Father Project, as he dubs it, and then by Rosie herself.

The hardest part of the book was understanding how Don connects with Rosie. We’re told that he does and I found Rosie fun as a reader, but it was difficult to find consistency with Don “all ice creams are the same why are you leaving upset?” with Don “I don’t care that you violate every principle that I thought was important to me and I’ll change for you.”  Essentially, as Don and Rosie begin to interact more, Don’s feelings for her begin to have an affect on his behavior. In some ways I felt like Rosie almost cured Don of his autism.

Hurtling back to town, in a red Porsche driven by a beautiful woman, with the song playing, I had the sense of standing on the brink of another world. I recognized the feeling, which, if anything, became stronger as the rain started falling and the convertible roof malfunctioned so we were unable to raise it. It was the same feeling that I had experienced looking over the city after the Balcony Meal, and again after Rosie had written down her phone number. Another world, another life, proximate but inaccessible.

As a romance reader, the romance was unconvincing despite the fact that I enjoyed both Don and Rosie individually. But I struggled with Don’s presentation. His ability to pick up on social cues depended on what the scene called for. If we were supposed to laugh, his social cue inference skill was low. If we were supposed to see him falling in love with Rosie, his social cue inference skill was high.

Juxtapose this passage, for instance:

“What’s your poison?” said Amghad. “Poison?” “What do you want to drink?” Of course. But why, why, why can’t people just say what they mean?’

I nodded in polite agreement. Bianca was exhibiting exactly the characteristics I was looking for. There was every chance she would be perfect. But for some reason, my instincts were rebelling. *** In the taxi, Rosie said to me, “You should have practiced with different beats. You’re not as smart as I thought you were.” I just looked out the window of the taxi. Then she said, “No way. No fucking way. You did, didn’t you?  That’s worse. You’d rather make a fool of yourself in front of everyone than tell her she didn’t float your boat.”

Even at the end, Don talks about falling in love which seems to be such an emotion based, rather than evidenced based statement. It was these obvious variances that made the book have a certain manipulative feel to it. But setting that aside, the story is cute and often quite humorous. And more importantly, it felt different than the books I’d be reading before.

I didn’t like The Father Project part of the book. I understood that it brought them together but it overtakes part of the story and has a fairly unsatisfactory ending but I chalked that up to being Literature.  Literature books don’t like clean endings no matter if the entire book spends its time hurtling toward it

Don is the narrator of the entire book (no switching alternate points of view). As with any first person book, if a reader doesn’t respond to Don, the book is going to be an utter failure. .  B-

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Jane Litte is the founder of Dear Author, a lawyer, and a lover of pencil skirts. She self publishes NA and contemporaries (and publishes with Berkley and Montlake) and spends her downtime reading romances and writing about them. Her TBR pile is much larger than the one shown in the picture and not as pretty. You can reach Jane by email at jane @ dearauthor dot com

I felt the same way about this book. I really liked both Don and Rosie, but I just don’t understand what they saw in each other at all. They were polar opposites and I just don’t see a relationship like theirs working out in the long run.

The thing that really bothered me, though, was how easy it was for Don to change after spending his entire life living in his structured world. No matter how good a therapist Claudia was (and there really wasn’t any evidence that she was good at all) there is no way he would have been able to change himself that quickly. His schedules were extremely important to him and I don’t understand how Simsion could expect us to believe that he could just erase them from his life the way he did the Standardized Menu. It is actually rather insulting to autistic people. The only thing that saved the ending for me was that Rosie didn’t immediately jump at the chance of marriage with the “New and Improved” Don because he wasn’t the Don that she fell in love with.

I think this was my problem with “Soulless” by Gail Carringer and to a lesser extent, Bones on “Bones.” I know the heroine in “Soulless” wasn’t autistic, but I felt like her lack of a soul popped in and out of her emotional/social interactions when it was convenient for the story. Same with Bones. sometimes she’s socially awkward, other times she’s very perceptive or sensitive. At least with Bones they’ve had a long time to show this as a character arc for her.

I listened to this one so my experience might be different because the medium was different. I really liked it. (The narrator was good, but not great).

In the end I decided that Don made friends/had relationships with the people who stuck around. The people who wrote him off and disappeared, well, Don didn’t have time to become comfortable with them. Once Don is comfortable with someone, he is 100% loyal, so, added with the sexual attraction he felt for Rosie, I didn’t have a problem with why he wanted to be with her. It was less clear why he suggested The Father Project in the first place – possibly merely because that sort of endeavour interests him and it was nothing to do with Rosie at all. That meant proximity and that meant Don had a chance to become comfortable.

As for why Rosie liked Don, well, I liked Don when I listened to the book so I didn’t have any trouble believing she would. Don is also very much a what you see is what you get person and I think Rosie appreciated that. Don is also (apparently) very good looking – Gregory Peck is HOT!! :D

The change of behaviour at the end was, I agree, less clear – although, there is a comment that weirdness is better accepted where they end up (trying to avoid spoilers) so maybe that helped. Perhaps it was just that Don was never motivated before? I’m no expert on autism spectrum – although I do know that social cues etc can be learned – I listened to a podcast about that very thing recently.

It wasn’t perfect, but I had a lot of fun with it and was prepared to overlook some things and go with it – but then, I tend to be more adventurous in audio for some reason.

I really enjoyed The Rosie Project and decided to buy it after listening to the DBSA podcast. I found it hard to put down and read it in a couple of days – very fast for me these days!

While I can understand some of Jane’s concerns about the book – I too wasn’t completely sold on the Bianca episode – overall I thought it was really good and a breath of fresh air while also being an enjoyable and interesting read.

I have to wonder if having a good friend with diagnosed Asperger’s syndrome (high-functioning autism) made the book and Don seem more real and believable for me. People with these conditions do operate on a spectrum and like those not considered autistic, they have day’s when they are more clued into those around them and days when they are less so. They are not without emotion at all but often don’t easily identify what they are feeling (like Don) or recognise those feelings in others. I agree with many of Kaetrin’s points – when there is motivation to learn these, often very academically intelligent people, apply themselves with great diligence! They do what they do eg use schedules etc because this makes logical sense and streamlines their lives, but this doesn’t mean they can’t change them when there is an equally logical reason to do so and having Rosie be part of his life ultimately gave Don sufficient logical reason to change, and I found that completely believable given my personal experience of someone similar.

I thought the author did a wonderful job of maintaining Don’s voice throughout the book and of making Don, who could have been hard to like and/or understand, very accessible. You warm to him and really want him to win. The author does makes his own job more challenging by writing in First. If we were able to see Don through Rosie’s eyes it would undoubtedly have been easier to understand why she liked him so much – even though as a reader I liked Don and agree that this makes it easy to understand why Rosie did too.

And on a side note, I actually thought the way that the Father Project concluded was great – exactly the outcome I’d been hoping for! :)

Guys, Don had a mild form of Aspergers Syndromeand I know the type. We just separated after 14 years. I am a psychiatric nurse. This book is a profile of a man I care about and cannot live with. He is a PhD scientist. I have several friends I have shared the book with as each of us has a variation on Don. PhD, scientist, brilliant, socially clueless. it is real.

Please try not to say “different than.” unless you are an American. The phrase “different from” works well as an antonym for “similar to”. The perfect “push, pull” structure

I loved this book, and could not put it down! While some may not understand the magnetic force between Don and Rosie, I completely understand it. My husband has many behaviours similar to Don’s, while I am much like Rosie. We have few interests in common, but we are interested in (and fascinated by!) one another. News flash: Opposites DO attract!

I’m surprised people are pointing out character inconsistencies. Seriously? People are complex. Throw unexpected/unfamiliar emotions and personalities at even the most stable person, and their responses are likely to be completely unpredictable. More importantly – people grow, and growth is full of inconsistent thoughts and responses…

BTW – I recently read an interview with the author, and he said (not quotes) Don’s character was based on people he knew (mostly from academic and IT backgrounds) – he did not build Don’s character based on autism research. In fact, he said he did very little research on autism and deliberately chose to not identify Don as autistic. I laughed all the way through the book, but the interview made me laugh too, since my husband is also an IT professional.

I loved loved loved the book however I am not certain who Rosie’s biological father was. Was it Phil all along or was it Gene? Or perhas Case. Can you PLEASE tell me as I really need to know. Thank you so so much Lisa

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The Rosie Project: The joyously heartwarming international million-copy bestseller: 1 (The Rosie Project Series, 1) Paperback – 2 Jan. 2014

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 . . . 'T ouching 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 The Rosie Project has sold over 1 million copies globally, The Bookseller, November 2018

• Book 1 of 3 Don Tillman
• Print length 368 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Penguin
• Publication date 2 Jan. 2014
• Dimensions 12.9 x 2.2 x 19.8 cm
• ISBN-10 9781405912792
• ISBN-13 978-1405912792
• See all details

From the Publisher

Product description

About the author, product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1405912790
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin; 1st edition (2 Jan. 2014)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781405912792
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1405912792
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.9 x 2.2 x 19.8 cm
• 477 in Clean & Wholesome Romance (Books)
• 889 in Women's Literary Fiction (Books)
• 2,085 in Romantic Comedy (Books)

About the author

Graeme c. simsion.

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.

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 54% 29% 11% 3% 2% 54%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 54% 29% 11% 3% 2% 29%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 54% 29% 11% 3% 2% 11%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 54% 29% 11% 3% 2% 3%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 54% 29% 11% 3% 2% 2%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

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Customers say

Customers find the book very funny, thoughtful, and attractive. They also describe the storyline as wonderful, refreshing, and easy to fall in love with. Readers say the characters are fully developed and believable. They describe the book as an enjoyable, intriguing read that flows easily. Customers praise the writing quality as incredibly well written, relatable, and quick to get the reader on side. They find the content analytical, insightful, and good for discussion within a book group. Customers also appreciate the quirkiness, saying it's different and interesting. Opinions are mixed on the ending, with some finding it entertaining and moving, while others say it'd be better with a bit more mystery.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the book enjoyable, engaging, and perfect. They also say the author depicts the characters well. Customers also mention that the book flows easily.

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

"Witty, poignant and engaging . Don Tillman reminds me of several people I know! An enjoyable read. I look forward to reading The Rosie Result." Read more

"...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..." Read more

"...The Rosie Project is on the whole, an enjoyable , unique romantic comedy but for me, there were a few shortfalls...." Read more

Customers find the book very funny, joyful, and heartwarming. They also say the whole Rosie scenario is fun. Readers also mention that the book is enthralling, mixed with pathos, and a lovely story.

"...But that aside, its touching and funny ...." Read more

" Witty , poignant and engaging. Don Tillman reminds me of several people I know! An enjoyable read. I look forward to reading The Rosie Result." Read more

"...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..." 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

Customers find the writing quality incredibly well written, with brilliant, witty outbursts. They also say the book is unusual, relatable, and accessible. Readers also mention that the clever depiction of a man who clearly is a bit inept at human is totally believable and quickly gets the reader on side.

"...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..." 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

"...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

Customers find the storyline wonderful, warm-hearted, and humorous. They also say it's thought-provoking, touching, and unique. Readers also mention that the book is refreshing, bittersweet, and easy to fall in love with.

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

"Witty, poignant and engaging. Don Tillman reminds me of several people I know! An enjoyable read. I look forward to reading The Rosie Result." Read more

"...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

"...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

Customers find the characters fully developed and believable. They also say the story provides good insight into the mindset and way of thinking of the characters.

"...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

"...Don is a wonderful character – funny, intelligent and unassuming...." Read more

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

"...Don as the central character is utterly delightful , and hard not to warm to despite all his oddities...." Read more

Customers find the content analytical, insightful, and well-drawn. They say the basic premise is good, and the book is alternately revealing, funny, and moving. Readers also appreciate the author's knowledge of genetics.

"...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

"...Don is a wonderful character – funny, intelligent and unassuming ...." Read more

"...character, and the supporting characters, especially Rosie, are fully realised , three dimensional and very likeable also...." Read more

"...and frustrated at what was seen and actually I think, rightly, as a saccharine , unrealistic & occasionally stereotypical depiction...." Read more

Customers find the plot quirky, deliciously different, and heartwarming. They also say the Rosie project is brilliant and offers insight into the Aspie world.

"...There's a lot to like about The Rosie Project, particularly many witty scenarios and turns of phrase...." Read more

"...I found this a strange book , certainly different to anything I have read before...." Read more

"...Yes, it was predictable - even by the fact the sequel is entitled The Rosie Effect, you didn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure it out...." Read more

Customers are mixed about the ending. Some find the storyline enjoyable, believable, and positive. They also say the plot keeps them guessing until the end. However, some readers feel the ending is fairly predictable.

"...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

"...Put simply, The Rosie Project is a fabulous book. It is warm, believable and often laugh out loud funny, and despite the characters seemingly odd..." Read more

"...The ending seemed rushed and predictable , which in standard romcom’s is expected, but in a book such as this which is not only about differences,..." Read more

"...This book is fairly predictable , however, I feel that Simsion has tried to encourage reader's to see the strengths and flaws in both Don and Rosie,..." Read more

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Very comical with underlying spectrum issues.

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Booklover Book Reviews

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, Review: Non-neurotypical humour

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is a modern take on the classic screwball romance tackling tough societal issues with compassion and hilarity. Read on for why I think this is groundbreaking contemporary literature.

The Rosie Project  Synopsis

The art of love is never a science.

Meet Don Tillman, a brilliant yet socially inept professor of genetics, who’s decided it’s time he found a wife.

In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which Don approaches all things, he designs The Wife Project to find his perfect partner: a 16-page, scientifically valid survey to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the late arrivers. Yet, Rosie Jarman possesses all these qualities. Although Don easily disqualifies her as a suitable candidate (even if she is “quite intelligent for a barmaid”), he is intrigued by Rosie’s own quest to identify her biological father.

When an unlikely relationship develops as they collaborate on The Father Project, Don is forced to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie and the realisation that, despite your best scientific efforts, you don’t find love, it finds you.

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BOOK REVIEW

The Rosie Project  by Graeme Simsion has been labelled ‘the feel-good novel of 2013’ — it is that and so much more. This very modern take on the classic screwball romance tackles some tough societal issues with just the right mix of hilarity and compassion. The mystery plotline was sufficiently complex to be compelling in its own right also.

In Don Tillman, Simsion has created one of the most charming and endearing characters I have come across in literature – he’s quite hard to describe… perhaps think Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory  with a touch of Ben Stiller’s character in Meet the Parents  and a helping of old-world gallantry.

What I particularly liked about The Rosie Project is that it’s not just the behaviour of protagonist Don Tillman that is satirized. The whole ragtag cast of ostensibly more ‘normal’ and ‘socially acceptable’ characters Simsion has surrounded him with are considered through the same lens. In this way, Simsion highlights that there are more similarities than differences between us all.

Audio format

I listened to The Rosie Project in the audio format narrated by Dan O’Grady . I think his delivery really captured Don’s guilelessness and enthusiastic pursuit for happiness, coupled with the insecurities and frustrations he commonly felt when trying to negotiate the minefield of social interaction.

But why, why, why can’t people just say what they mean?

For all the laugh out loud moments, and there were many, the underlying messaging is mature and nuanced. Weaknesses can become strengths in the right context, but sometimes we can derive benefit (for ourselves, not just for others) by moderating our behaviour.

Groundbreaking contemporary fiction

The Rosie Project does not fit into any single fiction genre I can think of other than contemporary.

It is not quite chick-lit, nor is it quite lad-lit – it is something more unique. Male and female alike will be the better for having read this book.

It is easy to see why the rights for The Rosie Project have been sold to more than 30 countries. Graeme Simsion has combined the universal themes of acceptance and the pursuit of happiness with a wonderfully flawed leading man and a colourful ensemble cast. The end result is a truly memorable and uplifting reading experience.

UPDATE:  Graeme spoke candidly about the people in his life that inspired the Don Tillman character in a Brisbane Writers Festival session I was lucky enough to attend >>  Read full article .

BOOK RATING:  The Story 4.5 / 5 ; The Writing 5 / 5  —  Overall 4.75

Get your copy of The Rosie Project from:

Amazon Book Depository Booktopia OR listen to the audiobook FREE with Audible’s Trial (check eligibility)

Genre: Humour, Romance, Mystery, Audio, Drama

Related Reads: Read our reviews of Simsion’s sequel The Rosie Effect (2014), The Rosie Result (2019), his standalone novel The Best of Adam Sharp (2016) and Two Steps Forward (2017) & Two Steps Onward (2021) co-written with his wife Anne Buist.

* This review counts towards my participation in the Aussie Author Challenge 2013 .

About the Author, Graeme Simsion

Graeme Simsion was born in 1956 . He is an IT consultant and data analyst with an international reputation, has taught at four Australian universities and is currently a Senior Research Fellow at Melbourne University. He is a founder of Pinot Now, a wine importer and distributor, and is married to Anne Buist , a professor of psychiatry who writes erotic fiction. They have two children.

In 2007, Graeme completed his PhD in information systems and enrolled in the professional screenwriting course at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He has made a number of short films. His screenplay, The Rosie Project , won the Australian Writers Guild / Inception Award for Best Romantic Comedy Script in 2010. While waiting for this to be produced, he turned it into a novel which in June 2012 won the Victorian Premier’s award for an unpublished fiction manuscript .

Check out Graeme’s website or connect with him on Twitter .

A booklover with diverse reading interests, who has been reviewing books and sharing her views and opinions on this website and others since 2009.

Book Review: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

By: Author Laura

Posted on Published: 23rd March 2021  - Last updated: 28th February 2024

Categories Book Reviews , Books

After reading this The Rosie Project review you’ll know exactly why everyone raves about this wonderful story by Graeme Simsion. Keep reading for my full The Rosie Project book review!

The Rosie Project Summary

Don is a little different. He has Asperger’s syndrome (though fails to recognise this) and so can be rather blunt and socially awkward.

Often missing basic human signals Don frequently misinterprets situations and thus finds himself with very few friends and no wife. Here comes in: The Wife Project.

Don creates a questionnaire that he believes is a foolproof way of finding a wife. Although there are four answers to every question, only one of them is correct in Don’s eyes.

Furthermore, a woman must score 100% on the test before he’ll consider taking her out on a date.

But then there’s Rosie, the complete opposite of what Don is looking for, but something keeps bringing him back to her.

The Rosie Project Review

I’ve heard so many good things about  The Rosie Project  ever since it was published so I couldn’t wait to get my claws into this on my holiday away.

This is the perfect holiday read for those who are looking for something that is light-hearted and funny but not wishy-washy.

Whilst this book is about finding love, its not sappy in the slightest because it is written from the perspective of Don and he is the sort of man who listens to reason, and not his emotions (the few that he has).

It’s incredibly funny because you get to see right into the mind of Don, a man who doesn’t think like the rest of us.

His reactions to social situations and general human interaction are incredibly amusing, as is his lack of comprehension.

To the reader, it is obvious what is going on, but to Don it is not, so you yourself feel like you’re a part of the novel, keeping something from Don.

You know something that he doesn’t and there’s always something exciting about knowing something your favourite character does not.

I grew very fond of him as the novel progressed and his character development over the course of the story is truly heartwarming.

Rosie, too, is a character that you start to root for, and I really admired her for treating Don like an adult, like any other man, and didn’t change, adapt or explain anything to him, preferring to leave him to develop himself.

There are a lot of unspoken thoughts and feelings in  The Rosie Project , which are all glaringly obvious to the reader. The more you read, the more desperate you are for all to be revealed and a real sense of momentum builds up.

Despite this, I wouldn’t say that the story is all that predictable in that Graeme Simsion still leaves the possibility for sudden plot twists and as Don is not your typical man, you can never be quite sure what he’s going to do.

This isn’t the sort of romance that gives you butterflies, it’s not a whirlwind romance and it’s not love at first sight.

This story develops a beautiful relationship between two people who are both a bit quirky and it is because of that you keep reading.

It’s not full of grand gestures; this is about true love based on personalities, which I thought was very refreshing.

What’s more, the plot isn’t all about Don and Rosie, it’s much bigger than that. This pair work incredibly hard trying to solve the mystery of who Rosie’s father is – an experiment that leads them on many adventures, all of which are hilarious.

The ‘romance’ is at once one of the main features and one of the side notes. It’s always there but rarely explicitly discussed.

In addition to Rosie and Don there are Don’s best friends, Gene and his wife Claudia.

These supporting characters are essential to the plotline, slowly helping Don along without explicitly giving him a shove in the right direction.

Claudia acts as a sort of mother figure to Don, offering him kind advice whenever he is in need.

Gene is the opposite – he is a researcher in human attraction who’s trying to sleep with women from every single country. For research purposes of course.

There are lots of characters in The Rosie Project that have ‘clashing’ personalities, and yet somehow Graeme Simsion manages to mash them all together giving each individual character a different role in the novel.

All in all, The Rosie Project is a fantastic and hugely funny read. At the start of the novel, Don is the sort of man who has his weekly schedule planned out to the hour and throughout the novel we see huge changes taking place in life, all because of Rosie.

This novel is quite as predictable as it may first seem Rosie’s spontaneity mixed with Don’s unpredictability make it difficult to really know what’s coming next.

It’s rare to find a love story as gently and finely developed as this so I’d highly recommend this to anyone who’s bored of your stereotypical fictional romances.

If you loved Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman then you’ll love this too.

Buy The Rosie Project: Amazon

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[This article was first published in 2015 and updated in 2021]

secretplussizegoddess

Sunday 24th of January 2016

I've never heard of this book, but you have sold me on it. Going to look it up on my kindle now, as I really am at a loss for things to read at the moment! Thank you for the recommendation

Sounds like an interesting read. I need to start reading books again.

Stella Kashmoney

Saturday 23rd of January 2016

This sounds like a good holiday read. Will look it up.

Sounds interesting... now, can I have a holiday go to with the holiday read? :)

Tori Gabriel

This sounds like an interesting read. I'll have to give it a go. I will definitely be adding this to my reading list.

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Book summary and reviews of The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

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The Rosie Project

by Graeme Simsion

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• Genre: Literary Fiction
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About this book

Book 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. 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.

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Reader reviews.

"Starred Review. Read-out-loud laughter begins by page two...With Asperger's growing visibility in pop culture in recent years, as on CBS's The Big Bang Theory , this novel is perfectly timed." - Publishers Weekly "Starred Review. Polished debut fiction...A sparkling, laugh-out-loud novel." - Kirkus "Readers will root for Don and Rosie throughout Simsion's delightful romantic comedy. Fans of the TV show The Big Bang Theory will see shades of Sheldon and Penny in these characters." - Library Journal " The Rosie Project is an upbeat, quirky, impertinent gem of a read. As the novel makes its logically irrefutable progression, readers will become enchanted by what may well be the world's first rigorously evidence-based romantic comedy." - Chris Cleave, bestselling author of Little Bee and Gold "This clever and joyful book charmed me from the first. Professor Tillman is an unlikely romantic hero but a brave, winning soul, and his quest to find a wife goes to show that rationality is no match for love." - Maggie Shipstead, bestselling author of Seating Arrangements "Graeme Simsion has created an unforgettable and charming character unique in fiction. 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, bestselling author of Still Alice and Left Neglected "With the demands of children and work, it's rare that I find myself so caught up in a novel that I literally cannot put it down - not for food, nor for conversation, nor even for sleep. Charming and delightful, I was so enamored of The Rosie Project that I read it in a single, marathon sitting." - Ayelet Waldman, bestselling author of Red Hook Road , Bad Mother and Love and Other Impossible Pursuits "Although there are many laughs to be found in this marvelous novel, The Rosie Project is a serious reflection on our need for companionship and identity. Don Tillman is as awkward and confusing a narrator as he is lovable and charming." - John Boyne, bestselling author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Author Information

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Graeme Simsion Author Biography

Photograph: James Penlidis

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 and translation rights have been sold in over thirty-five languages. Graeme lives in Australia with his wife, Anne, and their two children.

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Other books by Graeme Simsion at BookBrowse

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By Gabriel Roth

• Oct. 18, 2013

Don Tillman doesn’t know he has Asperger’s syndrome, although his symptoms are obvious to friends and colleagues. He flinches from physical contact and cooks all his meals according to an unvarying schedule; his approach to courtship consists of handing women a detailed questionnaire to test their suitability.

It is a convention of romantic comedy that a man’s rigidly constrained existence must be disrupted by an impulsive and uninhibited woman, and Graeme Simsion’s “Rosie Project,” unlike its hero, is resolutely conventional. So along comes Rosie Jarman, “the world’s most incompatible woman . . . late, vegetarian, disorganized, irrational,” with her thick-soled boots and spiky red hair. (An associated convention dictates that this free-spirited heroine must appear to have stepped out of an issue of Sassy from 1994.)

Don becomes increasingly involved with Rosie, despite her evident unsuitability for his “Wife Project.” (He divides his endeavors into “projects” with capitalized names.) She wants to identify her biological father, and Don, a professor of genetics, offers to help surreptitiously collect and test samples of the candidates’ DNA. Forced out of his tightly structured routine by this “Father Project,” he finds adventure and, inevitably, love.

It’s cheering to read about, and root for, a romantic hero with a developmental disorder. “The Rosie Project,” Simsion’s debut and a best seller in his native Australia, reminds us that people who are neurologically atypical have many of the same concerns as the rest of us: companionship, ethics, alcohol.

In fact, Don is a more complex character than he at first appears. What seems to be Asperger’s-induced haplessness turns out, at least some of the time, to be a kind of strategic buffoonery. Don’s differences are real, but he plays up his eccentricities: he likes to see himself as an independent thinker with too much integrity to make ordinary social and professional compromises. With a light touch, Simsion suggests that Asperger’s symptoms can interact, in opaque ways, with human qualities like pride and stubbornness.

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'The Rosie Project' by Graeme Simsion

Book Club Discussion Questions

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In some ways, by Graeme Simsion is a light, fun read for book clubs that need a break from heavy books. Simsion does, however, give groups plenty to discuss about Asperger syndrome , love, and relationships . Hopefully, these questions will help you have fun discussing the book.

Spoiler Warning: These questions contain details from the end of the novel. Finish the book before reading on.

Discussion Questions

• Don's character is both more aware of some dynamics (social, genetic, etc) and also very oblivious to some of these. Take, for instance, when he is giving the lecture on Asperger syndrome and he says, "A woman at the rear of the room raised her hand. I was focused on the argument now and made a minor social error, which I quickly corrected. 'The fat woman— ​ an overweight woman—at the back?'" (10) What are some other examples of this kind of behavior that you remember from the novel? How did this add humor?
• The reader is supposed to understand that Don has Asperger syndrome. If you know anyone with this diagnosis, did you think it was an accurate portrayal?
• There were several times in the novel when Don misses the social rules , but the case he makes for his side is very logical. One example is the "Jacket incident" (43) when he does not understand that "jacket required" means suit jacket and tries to argue all the ways his Gore-tex jacket is superior. Did you find this, and other times like it, amusing? What were some of your favorite scenes? Did hearing his perspective make you rethink social conventions? (Or consider using the standardized meal plan?)
• Why do you think Don is so drawn to Rosie? Why do you think Rosie is drawn to Don?
• At one point, Don says about one of the father candidates, "Apparently he had been an oncologist but had not detected the cancer in himself, a not-uncommon scenario. Humans often fail to see what is close to them and obvious to others" (82). How does this statement, about people failing to see what is in front of them, apply to the different characters in the novel?
• Why do you think Don was so successful at selling cocktails? Did you enjoy this scene?
• The novel mentions that Don struggled with depression in his early twenties and also talked about his strained relationship with his family. How did he cope with these issues? Are he and Rosie similar in the ways they deal with hard parts of their past?
• What did you think of Gene and Claudia's relationship? Was Gene's behavior humorous or frustrating to you?
• Did you think it was believable in the end that Don would be able to see from the Dean's perspective, the perspective of the student who cheated, Claudia's perspective, etc? Why or why not?
• Did you guess who Rosie's real father was? Which parts of the Father Project did you like the most (the basement confrontation, the bathroom escape, the trip to the nursing home, etc)?
• Graeme Simsion published a sequel to The Rosie Project in December 2014— The Rosie Effect . Do you think the story could go on? Would you read the sequel?
• Rate The Rosie Project on a scale of 1 to 5.
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Shinzo Abe understood that improving health is not only the right thing to do—it also makes the world safer and more prosperous.

Different ≠ Less Than

Graeme Simsion’s second Rosie book is just as smart, funny, and sweet as his first.

If somebody asked me, “what do you think your decades of working in technology have prepared you for?” my first answer definitely wouldn’t be, “writing a best-selling novel that beautifully explores the human condition.” But Australian author Graeme Simsion has taken his extensive experience in the data modeling industry and used it to do just that.

Melinda and I loved his first book, The Rosie Project . It starts when a geneticist who may or may not have Asperger’s Syndrome decides to put together a double-sided, 16-page questionnaire as the obvious first step to finding a wife. Ultimately the book is less about genetics or thinking too logically or the main character’s hilarious journey than it 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.

Since then, I must have given The Rosie Project to at least 50 friends. Graeme has been busy too, writing a sequel called The Rosie Effect . As soon as we heard about it, Melinda and I asked him for an advance copy, and we enjoyed it so much that we invited Graeme to come to Seattle to talk to us about it.

I was happy to learn that one of my favorite things about both books is also one of Graeme’s favorite things. Usually, when we meet people who are different from us, in whatever way, we tend to treat them as inferior, even though we say that’s not what we’re doing. We may not even consciously realize we’re doing it. But through Don Tillman, the hero of both books, Graeme casts the issue in a different light. True, Don may not be the best at picking up on subtle social cues. But if you need to secretly collect DNA samples from 117 people at a party, there’s nobody in the world who’s going to do a better job. Different doesn’t mean less than.

What Don allows readers to appreciate is that, just because somebody might not be highly literate in the language of emotions doesn’t mean he doesn’t have emotions, and powerful ones at that. He sees the world in terms of logic, but he feels just as deeply about that world as everybody else. That puts him in a difficult position, and Graeme puts you right there with him.

The Rosie Effect, the second book, shows that Graeme isn’t a one-trick pony. It’s got a lot of the same characters, and of course they have the same foibles as they did in the first book. They even find themselves in some of the same kinds of situations. But somehow Graeme manages to make everything look and feel totally new. Don does aikido in the first book, and so when you get to aikido in the second book you think, is this just going to be the same thing again? But then it turns out to be funny in a completely different way.

The Rosie Effect , which will be released in the United States at the end of the year, improves on its predecessor in one interesting way. In the first book, you won’t necessarily see yourself in Don. (I’d say most readers will see somebody they know in him, but not necessarily themselves.) Anybody who’s a parent, though, has experienced what Don goes through in the second book. Am I doing this right? Because this isn’t what the pregnancy book says to do. Or this professional is judging me. What if she’s right and I’m wrong? Will my child be ruined? These are powerful fears we all have, and seeing them in Don makes you feel like you’re not the only one. And the outlandish plot—at one point Don decides the most logical thing to do is to have a New York accountant pretend to be an Italian peasant pretending to be a Columbia medical student—makes it impossible not to laugh at it all.

Graeme says that his comedy mentor’s mantra is, “Make ’em laugh. Make ’em cry. Make ’em think.” I think that with The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect Graeme has written two books that would make his mentor proud. 

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