Reviews for The Rosie effect : a novel

Library Journal
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Starred Review. Don and Rosie are back! Simsion created these delightful characters in his acclaimed first novel, The Rosie Project (a LibraryReads top pick). Now they are living in New York City, where Don is a visiting professor at Columbia University's medical school and Rosie is working on her PhD. Marriage has complicated Don's life, but he is coping. Rosie convinced him to give up the standardized meal system and told him that sex could not be scheduled. As Don determines other ways to manage their lives with the utmost efficiency, Rosie announces that they have something to celebrate. She says, "We are pregnant." This declaration throws Don into a tailspin, but he manages to bounce back. Comic adventures follow as he researches pregnancy, how to be a dad, and dealing with Rosie's late-night cravings. VERDICT Readers who loved the first book are in for another treat. [See Prepub Alert, 7/28/14.]-Robin Nesbitt, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OH (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

This sequel to 2013's The Rosie Project finds brilliant but socially inept Australian geneticist Don Tillman married to medical grad student Rosie Jarman and living in N.Y.C. Don's orderly life is upended when Rosie gets pregnant and Don's friend Gene moves in with them. Much of the humor involves Don's mishaps as he struggles to manage things in a logical way, while misinterpreting social situations and taking people's words too literally (he doesn't get sarcasm, rhetorical questions, or hyperbole). In the wrong hands, this type of character might come across as unemotional or cold, but Australian narrator O'Grady strikes the perfect chord, conveying Don's earnest desire to do the right thing, his befuddlement when he messes up, and his genuine love for Rosie-all with Don's rigid thought process and likable quirkiness. O'Grady also does a good job differentiating between different characters: he speaks in a higher register for women and uses a tough-guy voice for a cop, and even makes a somewhat successful attempt at a New York accent for several characters. This is an excellent narration of a highly entertaining story. A S&S hardcover. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Don Tillman is back in this sequel to The Rosie Project. After the extremely logical genetics professor discovered his surprising ability to connect emotionally with Rosie, they married and are now living in New York City. They've settled into their happily ever after when life is seriously disrupted by Rosie's unexpected (by Don) pregnancy. As Don tries to cope with the introduction of a third party into their relationship and figure out if he's capable of being a father, the growing distance between him and Rosie becomes almost insurmountable. The chain of events that unfolds involves a run-in with the NYPD, a washed-up English musician, a pregnant cow, a lot of research, a lot of alcohol, and the Transportation Security Administration. Simsion offers plenty of insights through Don's unique take on the world before wrapping things up neatly. Narrator Dan O'Grady reprises his role with a perfect mixture of warm Australian drawl and deadpan delivery, allowing the humor in Don's various predicaments to shine through. VERDICT While the sequel isn't quite up to the level of The Rosie Project, it retains much of the first book's charm and humor-readers will be rooting for Don and Rosie all the way. ["Readers who loved the first book are in for another treat," read the starred review of the S. & S. hc, LJ 11/1/14.]-Anna Mickelsen, Springfield City Lib., MA (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

*Starred Review* In this winning sequel to his best-selling debut novel, The Rosie Project (2013), Simsion throws the life-altering complication of fatherhood at Don Tillman. Although the genetics professor has not formally been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, he is extremely driven by logic, finds it difficult to read people, and very much dislikes being touched. He is now married to his ideal woman, but when Rosie announces she's pregnant, it touches off a series of events that leads Don to the brink of losing his freedom, his job, and his new life. It's a credit to Simsion's creation and his exceptionally observant narration that the reader usually understands what Don's family and friends are thinking better than he does. The awkwardness that results, labeled by Don with such monikers as the Playground Incident or the Antenatal Uproar, is both hilarious in its execution and striking when seen through Don's eyes. Notably, Simsion never pokes fun at Don for his challenges. His friend tells him he can solve problems in his own unique way, and he does so delightfully. Readers will cringe when Don responds inappropriately or plunges ahead unaware of the emotional undercurrents, and cheer when he gets it right. 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.--Thoreson, Bridget Copyright 2014 Booklist


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comesa baby that Don Tillman, lovable genius, has certainly not factored into his current life plan.The Aussie genetics professor who warmed hearts in The Rosie Project (2013) succeeded in snatching "The World's Most Beautiful Woman." But pragmatic Don thinks his situation might be too good to last forever. He's right. Enter Bud: Baby Under Development. After 10 blissful months of marriage, Rosie announces she's pregnant, uprooting the carefully balanced life they've created in New York. Complicating matters is a secret Don's keeping from Rosie: A lunch with friends turned disastrous when a new acquaintance, a social worker, diagnosed Don as unfit for fatherhood. This puts Don under a lot of stress, which he tries to combat by learning as much as he can about fetal development. He's as lovably frustrating as ever, handling this unexpected situation with utmost practicality. Rosie, though, is having none of it. She's Don's emotional opposite, dismissing Don's suggestions and turning fonder of the f-word by the minute. After creating such a successful offbeat relationship in his first book, author Simsion chooses to dismantle it, leaving the quirky lovebirds unable to communicate. Really, it's Rosie's fault. She's become entirely unlikable, failing to see that underneath Don's unconventional methods is a man who cares. Instead, she finds him "embarrassing," and it's heartbreaking. The impending failure of their relationship feels sudden, most likely due to the book's many side stories: Gene, Don's best friend, is in New York after the breakup of his marriage. George, a rock star who lives upstairs, has issues of his own, as does a fellow pregnant couple with financial troubles. While Don tries to solve all these problemsexercising his winning analytic voicehis marriage is fading into the background, as is readers' support of the Don-Rosie combo. Simsion tries to swiftly mend what's been broken, but the happily-ever-after is lacking confidence. Don prides himself on meticulous consideration of all scenarios; not even he could've imagined that the sparkle of his love story wouldn't last. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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