Ryan DeJonghe - The Avid Reader

Yes, this book is as good as everyone says. After half a decade of editing, polishing, and even consulting with Hollywood heavy-hitters, Graeme Simsion has reason to be proud. His book, THE ROSIE PROJECT, is a story that most anyone will enjoy.

It took me a few attempts to get into THE ROSIE PROJECT. I was a bit off-put by the similarities to the Big Bang Theory’s character Sheldon Lee Cooper, but people love Sheldon for a reason. The protagonist in this book, Don Tillman, is also a highly educated professor who struggles to fit into social norms due to having Asperger’s. The author did a fantastic job at making Don realistic and lovable.

Don’s main conflict is to find a suitable wife, and as the book’s title would suggest, a woman by the name of Rosie steps into the picture. Without giving away too many spoilers, Don and Rosie begin to work together to find Rosie’s real father. The project is appropriately named The Father Project. I felt some of The Father Project may have dragged on a bit, but hang in there, because the author gives you good reason for the length.

And that’s just it: the book has a high level of polish. The foreshadowing, the thematic elements, the comedy—everything—comes off well. Anyone looking for a raw read should move on to something else; this book comes off as effortless (when really it took many people many hours to complete).

The whole story concludes nicely with some nice little twists. Most of it is funny and heartwarming with a few frustrations that the characters face, but nothing that will produce rivers of tears (as is the trend in a lot of novels in this genre).

Bottom line: if you want something lighthearted to read, this is it.