View all 32 comments. This does for Autism what Pretty Woman did for prostitutes. It uses it for entertainment, it plays on it for laughter. It's a 's sitcom of a book. She's too trite and quirky to be believable. Don himself is simply a figure of fun, he moves form scene to scene for our amusement in a "what will he do now? The book groans plot wise, nothing is surprising and though it is an easy read it is an utterly underwhelming one. At every stage Don tells. He is created simply to amuse. I guess this is meant to be an entertaining book but given the subject matter it should have been more than a collection of "smirk at the autistic dude, it's ok cause the author had him say we could" sequences.
View all 54 comments. What a shame Graeme Simsion wrote this offering "quickly" and that he went with a "comedy rather than a drama". What a shame that the opportunity to educate and illuminate was squandered and traded for gratuitous laughs ,extreme generalisations and blatant stereotyping. My initial delight at realising the subject matter of this book meant I was immediately enrolled in ' the project'. A third of the way into the book, I became uncomfortable with the tenor and theme.
The premise that hi What a shame! The premise that higher functioning individuals on the Autistic Spectrum , or anyone for that matter who sits outside societies 'normal' framework accepts their position matter-of-factly is absurd. Don knows he is 'weird' , inappropriate and that people make fun of him and the author suggests that Don is OK with it.
So accepting of ridicule is he that he purposefully resorts to self-promotion as the class clown and nutty professor as a means of gaining some form of acceptance or acknowledgment. Don tells us that he is "an expert at being laughed at" , but Simsion never let him tell us how he felt about being so. Instead the author invites us to laugh along with an inexhaustable number of accounts of 'crazy' behaviours , thoughts and incidents throughout this 'comedy'. I waited and hoped for for the opportunity to feel Don's pain; but unfortunately his distress, sadness, vulnerability and loneliness if touched on were labels without feeling, what we regular people experience, but Asperger individuals according to Simsion only know if they score highly on a questionnaire!
The idea that the Don's of this world do not feel the aguish associated with isolation and rejection is no less inaccurate than they are incapable of feeling empathy or knowing how to show love. In the movie "as Good As It Gets " mentioned in The Rosie Project , screenwriter Mark Andrus ensures that whilst revealing the prescriptive anxiety-provoking world of Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder , he never loses sight of the anguish and humanity that underscores the day to day reality of a person who fails to conform to societal norms.
He offers the audience an opportunity to empathise as well as laugh at seemingly 'weird' behaviours of the main character Unfortunately, in his 'Rosie Project' , Simsion misses the opportunity to be a champion for his protagonist, failing to show that although Don is hard-wired neurologically to behave and respond in what makes make him a target for ridicule and isolation , that his acute awareness of how he is perceived comprimises his inner struggle and peace.
The Rosie Project
Even at the end, when it seems Don has found happiness and acceptance, it was dependant on his adjustment and conformity to societies sensabilities. Obviously I found some positives in this book. Well written, engaging and with plenty of local flavour being set in Melbourne , making for an enjoyable read. The insights offered about the inconsistencies of what society accepts of human behaviour depending on who you are or your position in life were welcomed. I also felt heartened that along with laughing at Don, the audience were also shown that if you move beyond the visible and audible irregularities of a person, we all have something to offer; that we all have value and strengths and all deserve respect and to be treated with dignity.
I hope that maybe, some readers will also see beyond the comedy to the human side and perhaps even accept that maybe, we 'neurotypicals' all need to change a little , tolerate a little bit more and accept a different way of seeing things so that the marginalised in society can fit in a little bit more. I share my life with a 'Don' and I think 'the Rosie Project' has not done his cause any favours and does not represent him faithfully, with respect or the humanity he deserves. View all 68 comments.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Nevertheless I thought the first pages of the book were charming. I read the first two-thirds of the book in a couple days, smiling a lot throughout. And then I got to the final third which took me over a week and ruined the book for me. The final third is all about convention and it opens with a scene in New York.
This book was originally a screenplay and these scenes felt very cinematic and included so that film backers would have recognisable locations for their film to make it easier to sell, rather than serving the story. As such it feels really contrived and dull, like the scene in the movie where the two romantic leads get to do a kind of montage sequence of things. Despite my criticisms, I was quite happy to give this book 3 stars - until I read the end.
And I really, really hated that. Don all but says what I was feeling in the second-to-final sentence of the book and I immediately dropped the book down another star. This book definitely has some good moments and Don is a memorable and oftentimes delightful character, but the final third of the book really frustrated me.
If the book had been more tightly edited with the NY sequence thrown out and had had a less predictable ending, I would be enthusiastically recommending this novel. View all 6 comments. To review this project book. Although the timing is particularly annoying, I realized that the several options I faced made my choice incredibly clear. Not reviewing this book , resulting in damage to this book's fame, which would be appalling due to the fact that it's fucking awesome.
Rescheduling this review to another time , resulting in loss of memories and leading to a probable abandonment of t Actual rating: After a prompt analyze of this data, I take the decision to write this review which will be as evidence-based as possible, that is to say, close to none. Average, but the presence of a six-pack due to extreme Aikido training deserves to be mentioned. The clothing is practical, highly influenced by a the weather, b that's about it. Please don't talk about jacket if your meaning is limited to "conventional jacket" , otherwise you would have to face an hilarious misunderstanding.
Now that I think about it, please mislead us, that's too deliciously funny to forget. After realizing that many women didn't get his over-organized way of living, Don decided to start the Wife Project , following the batshit crazy idea where women have to apply to a questionnaire - I KNOW!! Well, you'll probably be annoyed by him at some point, but don't worry, subject 2 is coming.
In order to prevent further violence, I was forced to sit on him. I'll fucking kill you,' he said. On that basis, it seemed illogical to grant his request. I know, big word, right? I'm not a scientist by any means. You want to know who Rosie is? Smart, strong-minded, sarcastic, sure of her value as a person , the madness she personifies stirs up the winds of freedom in Don's life and damn, I enjoyed that something fierce. Note that by madness I mean "not as overly strict as Don" , so her description can be applied to any woman who doesn't want to be imprisoned in an artificial straightjacket, and loathes that some guys think that women are only good to cook and fuck.
I say yes to this. At this point you might wonder why I'm only giving it 3. The fact is, as awesome as I found the idea and the execution of it, I felt underwhelmed at times. In a word, it lacked feels for me. As it is, I'm able to point that's The Rosie Project is an original and cute read , but the butterflies were too rare, even if they were here for sure note that several scenes will make you Awww out loud. What can I say? I need my shoot at butterflies. However, I can't deny that the character of Don, the fact that's his POV, drives this lack of feels so maybe that's the point , you know?
That's why I rounded up my rating to a 4. Why should you read this book? Because The Rosie Project is a tale of metamorphose, by the acceptance of others for who they truly are and the acceptance of who WE are. For all his awkwardness, and surely because of it , Don is an adorable and heartbreaking character whose desire to fit in moved me - because the world we're living in doesn't always accept differences and that's a shame in my opinion.
A fucking huge one. Such an originally written cute romance. June ] For more of my reviews, please visit: View all 39 comments. Nov 10, Fabian rated it really liked it. The singular voice of the main character is enough to convince the reader that a love story exists in anything. View all 4 comments. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very amusing and clever. He sits on the very end of the spectrum and embodies every single stereotypical attribute of an Aspie.
At one point I cringed at the end of the book when he is struggling about whether he feels love or not. Not accurate for someone with Asperger's - they actually have intense emotions but are unable I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not accurate for someone with Asperger's - they actually have intense emotions but are unable to express them very well. But the author redeems himself by communicating that in the end and adds a very insightful point which is that perhaps Rosie needs to also be more accepting and not expect Don to change his core being.
Very much a neurodiversity message. It is brilliant and very amusing. And I knew I liked Don the moment he decided the following about Asperger's: Jan 30, Paula Weston rated it it was amazing Shelves: How addictive was this book? I read it in a day - a day when I should have been doing other things. It's a fun, quirky and erudite love story. It's laugh-out-loud funny and unexpectedly touching.
Don is a wonderfully offbeat narrative character and Rosie is his perfect foil. Graeme Simsion writes both characters pitch perfect. I think one of the reasons the story is so appealing is that it's written by a man, from a man's perspective. And it's definitely not lad lit. This book is going to be a huge How addictive was this book? This book is going to be a huge hit and deservedly so. The whole premise felt predictable, horribly predictable, I found that main character incredibly annoying and the humor did not amuse me.
I know I am swimming against the tide of most readers, especially my GR friends but it was just all very ho-hum for me. View all 23 comments. Jun 26, Maureen rated it really liked it. I actually ended up enjoying this book much more than I originally thought I would. At the forefront it seems extremely sexist and not that great plot-wise, but it definitely addresses those issues and works through them with character development, which I found to be fantastic.
The only thing I'm not sure on is the depiction of Asperger's. If someone wants to tell me that would be awesome! Overall enj I actually ended up enjoying this book much more than I originally thought I would. Overall enjoyable and pretty interesting romance. Read this over two very busy days. I fell in love with Don, the protagonist. I loved the ways he measured and evaluated life. I want to embrace his rigid meal plan and have lobster in my bathtub every Tuesday night.
Although Don is a highly esteemed genetics scientist, he views life with a beautiful naivety, he knows the workings and technicalities of people, but just can't grasp that element that makes us chaotic, individual works of art. Yep, I finally came to understand the inte Read this over two very busy days.
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Yep, I finally came to understand the intent behind LOL. There is a particularly amusing dance scene. I also enjoyed the talk on Aspergers. Don is obviously bordering on being dysfunctional in life and yet, his idiosyncracies started to make sense to me. I found myself agreeing with his practical approach many times. Now there needs to be a movie! This has become a favourite, and I'd read it again. View all 5 comments. Oct 28, Whitney Atkinson rated it liked it Shelves: This book started out really great.
For the first pages I was entertained and even got a kick out of the quirky narration. Then I sat back and thought about who I was reading into the mind of. Don is a sort of disturbed man. I was very uncomfortable throughout the last half of this book because he needed serious help dealing with the world that he wasn't receiving. Rather, people-- his friends -- would watch his actions and laugh.
Don was such an unreliable narrator and what was an attempt at This book started out really great. Don was such an unreliable narrator and what was an attempt at making a unique character read as someone who was creepy and deranged, and I disagree with how this book ended. I'm gonna have to ponder this one for a while.
This book was so completely adorable and had me actually laughing out loud several times! He compiles an extensive and logical list of the qualities he wants in a wife to start "The Wife Project," but gets sidetracked by "The Father Project" of a twenty-something woman named Rosie. Their story takes place around a mission to grab sneaky DNA samples from a bunch of men in order This book was so completely adorable and had me actually laughing out loud several times! Their story takes place around a mission to grab sneaky DNA samples from a bunch of men in order to find Rosie's dad.
The author perfectly captured Don's voice and it's the strongest part of the story by far. A couple people close to me have Asperger's and I think they'd actually be entertained by this story instead of feel alienated. Some parts where he knew he didn't fit in were a little sad, but it was pretty optimistic for the most part. It's nothing terribly complex or fast-paced, but it was a genuinely fun read with really cute characters!
This book made me laugh. Not many books can do that. This was a truly delightful book to read and I would never ask for a minute of the time spent reading it back. Made all the more amazing by the fact that it is the first novel of Melbourne writer Graeme Simsion, The Rosie Project will rank highly amongst my reads. Written from a unique perspective, this is one of the few, if not the only, romantic comedies with a male protagonist. And not only male, but autistic. Don Tillman is a brillian This book made me laugh. Don Tillman is a brilliant scientist, but a hapless socialist I mean that with no political leanings, Don literally sucks at being social.
Rosie is beautiful, smart and nowhere close to what Don sees as a perfect life partner. This book is one of those rare gems that most people could relate to on some level. Does he love me? Does she love me? Can two people really be destined for one another? Is mankind meant for monogamy? Can anyone really love? Written with a one of a kind voice, you experience all of Don's ups and downs as he over-analyses, fears and then embraces change and eventually learns how to love.
This is a beautiful love story. This wasn't a traditional romance novel, but I enjoyed the romantic aspect of this story quite a bit. There was also a fun and interesting journey with Don and Rosie gathering dozens of samples of DNA to determine who might be Rosie's biological father. It made me laugh quite a few times! He never believed that love, romance and marriage was for him. But when a f 4. But when a friend comments on his likeliness of being an excellent husband, he rethinks his possibilities. Because of his lack of social awareness he reaches out to his friend and co-worker, a professor of psychology, who is experienced in human relationships.
They devise a plan to help Don find a wife, and his buddy along with his wife advises Don nearly every step of the way.
In his quest to find the perfect wife, he creates an online dating profile with an extensive survey based on a wide range of desirable attributes, but in the meantime while he is waiting for Ms Perfect he devotes his time to helping a lady named Rosie find her biological father. This story had a lot of fun twists and turns, and a few predictable parts. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey these two took that ultimately had them discovering more about themselves and what is truly important. At first I couldn't imagine how the author was going to convince me that these two seemingly opposite types could fall in love and have a chance for happily-ever-after, but by the end I was a believer.
The Rosie Project is less of a romance and more of a tale of one mans journey to find love and discover some truths about himself. By the way, I listened to this one on audiobook, and loved the narrator! I highly recommended the audio format. A segunda tem tudo a ver com o Amor em si. Don e Rosie enquadram-se neste tipo de casais. View all 13 comments. Nov 12, Diane rated it really liked it. I was completely charmed by this novel.
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Don Tillman is a genetics professor in his late 30s who sets out to find a spouse by devising an elaborate questionnaire. Don is very fussy and regimented in his life, and allusions are made to him having Asperger's. Don thinks he can weed out any unsuitable partners and find someone well-matched for him. Meanwhile, he bumps into a woman named Rosie, who Don agrees is totally unsuitab I was completely charmed by this novel. Meanwhile, he bumps into a woman named Rosie, who Don agrees is totally unsuitable, but he likes spending time with her anyway.
This novel is essentially a romantic comedy, so if you like that genre, you will probably enjoy this. The writing is clever and amusing, and I frequently laughed out loud while reading. Of course Don makes social gaffes, but what I liked is how practical and resilient he was in such situations. He recognized his gifts, such as being smart, dedicated and having an excellent memory, and he used those talents to help him navigate this new world involving Rosie.
I was pleased to hear that a sequel was released earlier this year, and I look forward to reading more about Don and Rosie's adventures.
Editorial Reviews
Favorite Quotes "A questionnaire! Such an obvious solution. A purpose-built, scientifically valid instrument incorporating current best practice to filter out the time wasters, the disorganized, the ice-cream discriminators, the visual-harassment complainers, 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, or realistically, a manageable short list of candidates.
It's potentially a major advantage. In , Winston Churchill realized that if the Allies were to win the war, a new type of ship needed to be designed and constructed. A ship that could land directly on the beaches of Africa and Europe and discharge troops and equipment. But the United States was already at war and there was a shortage of men in the shipyards. It was the women that went to the shipyards and built the LSTs. These women were not riveters - they were welders.
These are the stories, remembered 60 years later, of the women welders who built the LSTs and the men who sailed on them. Would you like to tell us about a lower price? If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?
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Showing of 7 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. This was truly a different view on life in a world at war. Women and men building ships to defend our country and the type of people that applied to do the job. Truly an interesting and enlightened viewpoint to a time period I did not know.
My father served on one of those ships that were built and I would like to thank the women who carefully built the ships and the way they suffered through cold and nasty weather and long days to make sure they were top notch. Great book about the homefront during WWII.
The Rosie Project (Don Tillman, #1) by Graeme Simsion
The shipping was fast and the book exactly as described. I'm quite happy with my purchase. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject matter for sure! Excellent book, about a generation of glorious people we're too quickly loosing.