The Rosie Project by – Graeme Simsion 304 pages
Book Blurb:
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.
My Review: 4.5 stars
The Rosie Project: First three words to describe this book: funny, quirky, Big Bang Theory. I adored this protagonist. He was rigid, ordered, socially inept, brilliant, humorous, spirited and fascinating. I learned so much about time, the waste of it, the words that are necessary in our language and the ones we can/should live without. His friendships with Gene and Claudia were endearing and oh so critical to the outcome of the romance. Readers with kids/partners/friends under the autism-aspergers umbrella, please know this man is just ONE example of falling into spectrum and any somewhat educated reader will understand that.
I read this in a day and had a smile on my face for the entirety of it. Highly recommend and would make an excellent discussion book.
Quotes I liked:
Feel! Feel, feel, feel! Feelings were disrupting my sense of well-being.”
-“Take notice of your emotions as well as logic. Emotions have their own logic.”