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Summary and Reviews of The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

The Rosie Effect

by Graeme Simsion
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  • First Published:
  • Dec 30, 2014, 304 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jul 2015, 304 pages
  • Reviewed by BookBrowse Book Reviewed by:
    Elena Spagnolie
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About This Book

Book Summary

The highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel The Rosie Project, starring the same extraordinary couple now living in New York and unexpectedly expecting their first child. Get ready to fall in love all over again.

Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman are back. The Wife Project is complete, and Don and Rosie are happily married and living in New York. But they're about to face a new challenge because - surprise - Rosie is pregnant.

Don sets about learning the protocols of becoming a father, but his unusual research style gets him into trouble with the law. Fortunately his best friend Gene is on hand to offer advice: he's left Claudia and moved in with Don and Rosie.

As Don tries to schedule time for pregnancy research, getting Gene and Claudia to reconcile, servicing the industrial refrigeration unit that occupies half his apartment, helping Dave the Baseball Fan save his business, and staying on the right side of Lydia the social worker, he almost misses the biggest problem of all: he might lose Rosie when she needs him the most.

Graeme Simsion first introduced these unforgettable characters in The Rosie Project, which NPR called "sparkling entertainment along the lines of Where'd You Go Bernadette and When Harry Met Sally." The San Francisco Chronicle said, "sometimes you just need a smart love story that will make anyone, man or woman, laugh out loud." If you were swept away by the book that's captivated a million readers worldwide, you will love The Rosie Effect.

ONE

Orange juice was not scheduled for Fridays. Although Rosie and I had abandoned the Standardized Meal System, resulting in an improvement in "spontaneity" at the expense of shopping time, food inventory, and wastage, we had agreed that each week should include three alcohol-free days. Without formal scheduling, this target proved difficult to achieve, as I had predicted. Rosie eventually saw the logic of my solution.

Fridays and Saturdays were obvious days on which to consume alcohol. Neither of us had classes on the weekend. We could sleep late and possibly have sex.

Sex was absolutely not allowed to be scheduled, at least not by explicit discussion, but I had become familiar with the sequence of events likely to precipitate it: a blueberry muffin from Blue Sky Bakery, a triple shot of espresso from Otha's, removal of my shirt, and my impersonation of Gregory Peck in the role of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. I had learned not to do all four in the same sequence ...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. At the beginning of The Rosie Effect, we see that Don has made significant progress in allowing more flexibility in his life. What do you think is the most impressive change?

  2. Don notes that Rosie is able to compartmentalize her organization skills. She is completely in control of her thesis research materials, but can't keep her bath towel in the same place. What do you compartmentalize in your life? How are you different at work versus home?

  3. Gene's theories about relationships are heavily influenced by his job as the head of the psychology department in Australia. Do you agree that there is always an inequality of social capital in marriages? How does Don's genetic research filter into his approach to love?

  4. Discuss the...
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Reviews

BookBrowse Review

BookBrowse

It’s difficult not to compare sequels to their original counterparts, and all too often sequels take something that was fresh and imaginative and repeat the same jokes until they aren’t funny, or make unique characters mere caricatures of themselves. And while I suppose there’s a hint of that in The Rosie Effect, I actually like the second book more than the first. It successfully maintains a light-hearted, comical tone, and the new scenarios are funnier (even if a little more suspension of disbelief is required). Fans of the original have plenty to look forward to...continued

Full Review Members Only (580 words)

(Reviewed by Elena Spagnolie).

Media Reviews

People
[S]et in New York, Don takes on impending fatherhood in the same clumsy yet endearing way, with results both funny and moving. This charming new chapter in the Tillman chronicles leaves you hoping it won’t be the last.

Good Housekeeping
Simsion’s tale offers a playful look at a how a family of two fare when a third…enters the mix...There’s a moral to this quirky story: The best things in life can’t be planned on a spreadsheet.

Sydney Morning Herald
This is a very funny book, possibly the funniest this year as Don organizes his and Rosie's life in New York…Every thought creates a smile for the reader who can't help responding to Don's comedic behavior…We can only hope the third installment is lurking around to produce another chuckle-filled triumph.

Booklist
Starred Review. The Rosie Effect is a celebration of the best attributes to be found in a friend, a husband, or a father, regardless of the way they are expressed.

Library Journal
Starred Review. Readers who loved the first book are in for another treat.

Kirkus Reviews
After creating such a successful offbeat relationship in his first book, author Simsion chooses to dismantle it, leaving the quirky lovebirds unable to communicate.

Reader Reviews

Cloggie Downunder

A funny, moving and sometimes thought-provoking read.
The Rosie Effect is the second novel by Australian author and playwright, Graeme Simsion, and the sequel to his highly popular novel, The Rosie Project. Now married, Don and Rosie are living in a cramped New York apartment while, as a visiting ...   Read More

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Beyond the Book



Asperger Syndrome

The star of Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Effect, Don Tillman, is a unique character to say the least. His awkwardness in social settings, his overly logical and mathematical mind, his knack for offending people with blunt truths, and his tendency to obsess over the details of Rosie's pregnancy all combine to create a charming and unwittingly entertaining protagonist. While it isn't explicitly discussed in the book, Don shows clear signs of Asperger syndrome (AS), a high-functioning form of autism that was first described by Dr. Hans Asperger, an Austrian pediatrician, in 1944.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), Asperger syndrome is "an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), one of a distinct group ...

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Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

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  • The Adults jacket

    The Adults

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    About this book

    A couple (now separated), plus their daughter, plus their new partners, all on an epic Christmas vacation. What could go wrong?

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