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cmw276's review against another edition
2.0
The Rosie Effect" was a disappointment compared to the first book. It took things to extreme levels that felt unrealistic and lost the charm of the original. Rosie's character became annoying, and I couldn't fully enjoy the story. It had its moments, but overall, it fell short of my expectations.
bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
I adored the first Book, but this one just mostly made me mad. Don is still a great character, but I came to really hate Rosie. More complete review to come.
Full review:
Graeme Simsion's first Don Tillman book, The Rosie Project, was almost irresistible. I was immediately drawn into Don's inner dialog, even though his way of viewing the world is so different from mine. Knowing what was actually going on in his head, I felt so sorry for him whenever he experienced one of the many misunderstandings caused by his inability to understand social nuances. Let's face it: grasping those nuances is complicated even for those of us with finely honed interpersonal skills. The book made me think a lot about the way humans tend to assume their worldview is the standard when, in fact, there's really no such thing as a "standard" way of viewing anything. It was a great book for helping me to develop my empathy skills.
So why the low rating for this second book? Well, the problem lies not with Don, who is the same character I loved from the first book, but with Rosie. And for as much as I do love Don as a character, this book also felt more contrived to me than the previous book, which was another thing working against it. Both books are at their most interesting when Don's inability to read social cues leads to problems that could be quickly and easily resolved. Both books are at their weakest when the standard madcap romantic comedy-type situations are thrown into them. This book seems to have more of those situations than the previous.
Rosie wasn't all that well developed in the first book, but developing secondary characters in a book told from a first-person point of view is always a tricky business. In that book she came across as somewhat flighty but as someone who seemed a good match for Don because she appeared able to see past his flaws to his assets. While she seemed frequently (and understandably) exasperated with Don's missteps in the first book, in this book she just comes across as downright mean. She fell in love with Don and married him, so I would think it's safe to assume that she's ready for their partnership to be different than other partnerships. Once Rosie's pregnancy is revealed, though, it's as if it's the perfect excuse to mistreat Don she's been waiting for. Suddenly, every last one of Don's idiosyncrasies become glaring flaws that she must do her best to expose. She doesn't give him the benefit of the doubt once, instead jumping all over his every mistake and magnifying them to make them even worse. I thought she was quirky in the first book, but in this book I downright disliked her. You know it's bad when you're kind of rooting against the distraught character reconciling with his wife because you can't stand his wife.
As for the central tension of the story, Don's fears about being a parent, it was problematic as well. I think it makes sense for a character to feel this way, but I also thought they were overblown and something of a weak thing to hang the entire story on. Rosie takes every minute thing Don does and uses it as evidence that he'll be a bad father, and he believes her. But what about all the things Rosie does wrong? I think the book would have been better served had the focus been more on Don's trying to deal with the idea of impending parenthood, something with which many a father-to-be--and mother-to-be--has struggled. The thought of being responsible for another human being's well being is terrifying for most of us, and I think this would have been a better book had it stayed away from the plot contrivances and focused more on Don and Rosie trying to come to an understanding. The whole subplot with Don's exploits on the playground, while not feeling out of character, was the bad kind of absurd, not the hilarious type that can be played to great effect.
Disappointed as I am in this book, I would read another Don Tillman novel just because I love him so much. I read many, many books each year, but I rarely come across characters like Don. I'm glad to see diversity like this in literature but am sorry it's so underserved by this book.
Full review:
Graeme Simsion's first Don Tillman book, The Rosie Project, was almost irresistible. I was immediately drawn into Don's inner dialog, even though his way of viewing the world is so different from mine. Knowing what was actually going on in his head, I felt so sorry for him whenever he experienced one of the many misunderstandings caused by his inability to understand social nuances. Let's face it: grasping those nuances is complicated even for those of us with finely honed interpersonal skills. The book made me think a lot about the way humans tend to assume their worldview is the standard when, in fact, there's really no such thing as a "standard" way of viewing anything. It was a great book for helping me to develop my empathy skills.
So why the low rating for this second book? Well, the problem lies not with Don, who is the same character I loved from the first book, but with Rosie. And for as much as I do love Don as a character, this book also felt more contrived to me than the previous book, which was another thing working against it. Both books are at their most interesting when Don's inability to read social cues leads to problems that could be quickly and easily resolved. Both books are at their weakest when the standard madcap romantic comedy-type situations are thrown into them. This book seems to have more of those situations than the previous.
Rosie wasn't all that well developed in the first book, but developing secondary characters in a book told from a first-person point of view is always a tricky business. In that book she came across as somewhat flighty but as someone who seemed a good match for Don because she appeared able to see past his flaws to his assets. While she seemed frequently (and understandably) exasperated with Don's missteps in the first book, in this book she just comes across as downright mean. She fell in love with Don and married him, so I would think it's safe to assume that she's ready for their partnership to be different than other partnerships. Once Rosie's pregnancy is revealed, though, it's as if it's the perfect excuse to mistreat Don she's been waiting for. Suddenly, every last one of Don's idiosyncrasies become glaring flaws that she must do her best to expose. She doesn't give him the benefit of the doubt once, instead jumping all over his every mistake and magnifying them to make them even worse. I thought she was quirky in the first book, but in this book I downright disliked her. You know it's bad when you're kind of rooting against the distraught character reconciling with his wife because you can't stand his wife.
As for the central tension of the story, Don's fears about being a parent, it was problematic as well. I think it makes sense for a character to feel this way, but I also thought they were overblown and something of a weak thing to hang the entire story on. Rosie takes every minute thing Don does and uses it as evidence that he'll be a bad father, and he believes her. But what about all the things Rosie does wrong? I think the book would have been better served had the focus been more on Don's trying to deal with the idea of impending parenthood, something with which many a father-to-be--and mother-to-be--has struggled. The thought of being responsible for another human being's well being is terrifying for most of us, and I think this would have been a better book had it stayed away from the plot contrivances and focused more on Don and Rosie trying to come to an understanding. The whole subplot with Don's exploits on the playground, while not feeling out of character, was the bad kind of absurd, not the hilarious type that can be played to great effect.
Disappointed as I am in this book, I would read another Don Tillman novel just because I love him so much. I read many, many books each year, but I rarely come across characters like Don. I'm glad to see diversity like this in literature but am sorry it's so underserved by this book.
jrmarr's review against another edition
4.0
While I did enjoy this book, it was not nearly as delightful or affirming as The Rosie Project for me. I do like Don and Rosie as characters, and I love seeing the world through Don's eyes, but this book is repetitive at times, and while it never got tiresome for me, I can see how it might be for others. I'd give it a rating at the upper end of 3.5-4 stars.
jane_carr's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lilj200230's review against another edition
2.0
Its main conflict is all over the place the reasoning keep changing and is taken way beyond a believable point the last scene Christmas party is also very unbelievable and rushed and the whole thing is very unpleasant to read because of so many misunderstandings — overall it feels less empathetic than the first book which is disappointing
bdmoody's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
weeties's review against another edition
1.0
Totally predictable and lacked the originality of the first book. It feels like the author wrote the book just to sell the movie rights and try milk the concept. Did have one or two good moments ... but otherwise don't rush to read this one.
sandiet's review against another edition
3.0
I could not imagine being in a relationship with Don...so literal, unable to decipher nuances, emotions. He loves Rosie though and this second book about their relationship and impending birth of "BUD" (baby under development) is fun and heartwarming as Don tries to figure out this whole living with someone thing. If you liked The Rosie Project you'll enjoy this one as well, it's not a standalone book because there are a number of references made to frst book.
bibliophilekiera's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
jkun's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0