The Rosie Project (The Rosie Project) (Don Tillman, #1)

by Graeme Simsion

[nitzan_schwarz]

4.5 stars
Originally posted on my blog.

Okay, the Rosie Project was high on my TBR pile for a while - and I finally got my hands on a copy and dived in!! 

I'm going to start with my few (and minor) complaints. 

At first, I had a very hard time grasping how the characters look and appear. They've changed themselves in my mind a few times during the course of the first 100 pages because of crucial information about them that was withheld at first. For example; Gene. He is over fifty, but we don't get that info until 60 pages or so in. Suddenly, my whole image for Gene had to shift. It was hard to get a fix.

And... that's it. 

Yep, that's the entire of my complaints about this book!! The rest are just great things.

The main character, Don, is just so adorable, sweet, and relate-able - despite the fact he has some syndrome (possibly Asperger's). Because we're inside his head, everything makes sense. Aside for us, the "normal" people. We're terribly irrational, aren't we?... Even though he claims not to feel love/emotions, he shows a lot of these (between the lines) throughout this book and I loved it! I also adored the small change in him. Who he is did not change, but he learned to be more in tune with what other people are feelings, and that - same as everyone else on the planet - he can "fake" fitting in.

Rosie is not necessarily my favorite character in the book, nor is she in the top 10. I loved that she forced Don out of his comfort zone and expended said zone. I loved what she brought in him. But she herself, with all her "daddy issues" and the way she "rebelled", was not someone I particularity liked. I mean, I didn't hate her or anything similar, not at all, but... 

The rest of the cast were pretty awesome. I loved the Gene plot-line, and I liked how eventually Gene realized - thanks to Don!! - that what he was doing was wrong. I loved Claudia and how she was such a place for support. I loved the Dean (even though we didn't see much of her), and the cast of daddy candidates. 

In short: I really really loved this book! It was the first book in a long time I basically read in one sitting, and felt compelled to read once I got it. I'm really looking forward to the sequel - though I have no idea what it might be about. 

Another cool aspect is that there is a twitter account for Don, the MC here, and he answers and interacts with readers talking about the Rosie Project as Don! Dunno if its something supported by the author (or if it is the author, but still cool 'cause it sounds like the character actually talks with you, which is awesome the the extreme). I checked in my copy of the book, and there isn't a real Don.