I absolutely loved The Rosie Project when I read it last year. There was something very funny, but also endearing about main character and narrator, Don, and his sincerity. It’s a book that divides opinion, there are those who say it pokes fun at people with Aspergers and autism, but I thought it embraced them – that this person with many quirks could turn out to be such a likeable character.
So I was very excited when The Rosie Effect came out. Don is now married to Rosie and they are living in New York. He is working at the university and she is studying. Then Rosie gets pregnant. Don thinks very deeply about Rosie’s pregnancy, but doesn’t share his thoughts with Rosie (for fear of stressing her out) and it actually starts to become quite a frustrating read.
I must admit, I was a bit disappointed by this book. Maybe because I already know Don’s character, it lacked the surprise element of the first book, but I think it was more Rosie-by-numbers. To me, it felt as if Simsion had found a winning formula with Don and Rosie and had rushed out a sequel which lacked the heart and the humour of the original.
The Rosie Effect was still an enjoyable read, but, to me, not a patch on The Rosie Project. I would be interested to know what others thought of it.
April 10, 2015
I agree with you. I adored The Rosie Project whereas I simply found The Rosie Effect frustrating, it seemed to lack the wit of the first book.
April 10, 2015
Definitely! Glad it’s not just me! I wondered if it was the lack of surprise about Don’s character that made it less enjoyable, but suspected it just wasn’t as good!
April 10, 2015
Think I’ll avoid this one but read the first one on holiday 🙂
April 10, 2015
Definitely! The first one is brilliant, I’m sure you’ll love it!
April 13, 2015
That’s a shame, I was planning on reading this, I loved The Rosie Project, but maybe I’ll wait until it’s a Kindle Daily Deal 🙂
April 13, 2015
You might like it, but I was quite underwhelmed by it 🙁 I bought it hardback too as I had some vouchers!