Margin Notes: A surprise hit for me, The Rosie Project

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

An international sensation, this hilarious, feel-good novel is narrated by an oddly charming and socially challenged genetics professor on an unusual quest: to find out if he is capable of true love.

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.

The Rosie Project is a moving and hilarious novel for anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of overwhelming challenges.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was just so much fun. I wasn't sure whether I was interested based on the description, but wow. I couldn't put it down! It's told from the perspective of a man with Asbergers. He's a genetics professor looking for a partner who puts an absurd questionnaire together to try and find his perfect mate. He doesn't have many friends, but they send someone his way who he thinks is absolutely wrong for him, but oh so right. You really grow to love him and root for him. I was laughing out loud at the hijinks he gets up to and just loved the personality, the plot, and the fun of this read. Highly recommended!

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