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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
I enjoyed the first part of this somewhat more than "The Rosie Project", but it pretty much went downhill as soon as it became difficult to figure out why people suddenly reacted the way they did (possible spoiler: Rosie went from being a loving wife to a self-obsessed, intolerant bitch in just a few pages and without a rational explanation - surely/hopefully the author is not suggesting that this is a direct side effect of pregnacy?)
Again, it's quite funny at times and occasionally even touching, but just too. damn. long.
Again, it's quite funny at times and occasionally even touching, but just too. damn. long.
This second book tries way too hard and spoils the effect.
loved it. Don is a unique man nothing short of the world's best problem solver!
Ugh. For all the love I had for Don's quirks and his overcoming then in the Rosie Project, I feel he was endearing. But in this book it seems as if he unlearned everything that he had accommodated in the last book
I get that he is socially inept, but it's almost as if he has no concept of human interaction and how his actions would be perceived by others. I find it implausible that he is so scientifically focused and great in his job, but so horrible at even being aware that his actions/ statements leave him in trouble with police on multiple occasions.
And this is all after having been married for a year. It's inconceivable to me that in that time before Rosie became pregnant that he was so out of tune with being able to interact with people. Yet he was able to step in and help others with their relationship issues. It was very inconsistent.
Sadly, also is that it wasn't until the end of the book that any of his friends stepped in to help him with the basics of being in a relationship. This man was close with his parents. Prior to moving to NY, he often visited with Gene and Claudia with their family. He saw how relationships work. He should have been able to have that base knowledge.
I get that he is socially inept, but it's almost as if he has no concept of human interaction and how his actions would be perceived by others. I find it implausible that he is so scientifically focused and great in his job, but so horrible at even being aware that his actions/ statements leave him in trouble with police on multiple occasions.
And this is all after having been married for a year. It's inconceivable to me that in that time before Rosie became pregnant that he was so out of tune with being able to interact with people. Yet he was able to step in and help others with their relationship issues. It was very inconsistent.
Sadly, also is that it wasn't until the end of the book that any of his friends stepped in to help him with the basics of being in a relationship. This man was close with his parents. Prior to moving to NY, he often visited with Gene and Claudia with their family. He saw how relationships work. He should have been able to have that base knowledge.
I read The Rosie Project last year, and I really really enjoyed it. I put off reading this sequel for months because the reviews all said it wasn't as good. I disagree. I thought this book was just as good as book 1.
We come back to Don and Rosie, who at the end of book 1 got married. This time, we find out early on that Rosie is pregnant. She's very happy about this, Don isn't so sure it's a good idea and starts a new project to work out how to be a good father. But along the way, there's a lot of trouble in Rosie and Don't marriage, and they almost break up. I found this difficult to read because I really loved them as a couple, and I thought Rosie was a bit harsh at times. I did understand how frustrating it would be to be pregnant, hormonal, and having a partner like Don who, let's face it, isn't the most supportive husband in the world. I was really invested in their relationship, so I was pleased they worked it out in the end, and baby Hudson was born happy and healthy. This is a cute ending to the story of Rosie and Don, and I'm really glad I picked it up.
We come back to Don and Rosie, who at the end of book 1 got married. This time, we find out early on that Rosie is pregnant. She's very happy about this, Don isn't so sure it's a good idea and starts a new project to work out how to be a good father. But along the way, there's a lot of trouble in Rosie and Don't marriage, and they almost break up. I found this difficult to read because I really loved them as a couple, and I thought Rosie was a bit harsh at times. I did understand how frustrating it would be to be pregnant, hormonal, and having a partner like Don who, let's face it, isn't the most supportive husband in the world. I was really invested in their relationship, so I was pleased they worked it out in the end, and baby Hudson was born happy and healthy. This is a cute ending to the story of Rosie and Don, and I'm really glad I picked it up.
challenging
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not going to deny that it took me a long time to get to this book. In fact, it has been well over a year, because I read 'The Rosie Project' while on holiday last year. Chick Lit is not my usual thing, but I enjoyed the first book so much that there was no way I wouldn't be excited about the second, and just recently I've been in the real mood for a book to make me laugh, which I KNOW the first book did. There's also the matter of Don being such a different narrator to the kind usually found in comedic stories, and I love the promotion of diverse characters and inclusion of mental health issues in this series.
So without further ado, how did it compare? Many people don't think that the second book had the same charm as the first and I would have to agree with them on some level. I feel that while Simsion tried very hard to keep the factors that made 'The Rosie Project' great in this book, he lost some of it in the process of trying to convey a more serious message. Book One was fun, light-hearted and made me laugh out loud a number of times. 'The Rosie Effect' included a lot of heavy discussions on a variety of topics such as nature vs. nurture, the suitability of parenting in those with mental health issues, normal and abnormal parenting models etc. These inclusions were not necessarily a bad thing, but they did change the tone of the book and I didn't find myself laughing quite as much as I ended up doing before. It made some characters, such as Rosie, less likeable too because instead of portraying them in a way that is funny, there was a lot more analysis on their actions and consequences.
That being said, I don't think that this installment in the series ruined it in anyway. I still ended up rooting for Don and Rosie as a couple (though the amount of alcohol she ended up consuming during the pregnancy was RIDICULOUS), and Simsion's writing was still witty and had that familiar free-fall of things going wrong before the climax of everything being resolved that I liked before. In fact, Simsion writes very well and I love how easy his books are to follow, even when a lengthy amount of time is left between them. Don is still by far the best-written character of any book and I grew to enjoy his very serious commentary on certain situations as well as his funny moments. For me, this was a great book that will be liked by fans of Book One though perhaps lacks some of the less serious 'relief' moments that I enjoyed before.
4 Stars
For a full review, see here: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/book-review-rosie-effect-graeme-simsion.html
So without further ado, how did it compare? Many people don't think that the second book had the same charm as the first and I would have to agree with them on some level. I feel that while Simsion tried very hard to keep the factors that made 'The Rosie Project' great in this book, he lost some of it in the process of trying to convey a more serious message. Book One was fun, light-hearted and made me laugh out loud a number of times. 'The Rosie Effect' included a lot of heavy discussions on a variety of topics such as nature vs. nurture, the suitability of parenting in those with mental health issues, normal and abnormal parenting models etc. These inclusions were not necessarily a bad thing, but they did change the tone of the book and I didn't find myself laughing quite as much as I ended up doing before. It made some characters, such as Rosie, less likeable too because instead of portraying them in a way that is funny, there was a lot more analysis on their actions and consequences.
That being said, I don't think that this installment in the series ruined it in anyway. I still ended up rooting for Don and Rosie as a couple (though the amount of alcohol she ended up consuming during the pregnancy was RIDICULOUS), and Simsion's writing was still witty and had that familiar free-fall of things going wrong before the climax of everything being resolved that I liked before. In fact, Simsion writes very well and I love how easy his books are to follow, even when a lengthy amount of time is left between them. Don is still by far the best-written character of any book and I grew to enjoy his very serious commentary on certain situations as well as his funny moments. For me, this was a great book that will be liked by fans of Book One though perhaps lacks some of the less serious 'relief' moments that I enjoyed before.
4 Stars
For a full review, see here: http://chasedbymyimagination.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/book-review-rosie-effect-graeme-simsion.html
The second Don Tillman story is not nearly as good as the first, but I still enjoyed revisiting Don and Rosie.
The Rosie Effect is the second book in the Rosie trilogy. You definitely need to read The Rosie Project first. In The Rosie Effect, Don and Rosie are married and have moved to New York City so that Rosie can go to medical school at Columbia. They are both surprised when Rosie finds out she’s pregnant. If you know Don, you can guess how well he deals with the unexpected.
The Rosie Effect was just as funny as The Rosie Project. The scene where Don gets arrested at a playground after he follows his friend Gene’s advice to “watch some kids” to figure out how they behave is particularly hilarious. However, I found the drama between Don and Rosie to be somewhat manufactured. I didn’t like Rosie much in this book and I liked her a lot in The Rosie Project. It didn’t feel like her character took an authentic turn in this book. That being said, I still enjoyed The Rosie Effect and I definitely recommend it if you read and liked The Rosie Project.
The Rosie Effect was just as funny as The Rosie Project. The scene where Don gets arrested at a playground after he follows his friend Gene’s advice to “watch some kids” to figure out how they behave is particularly hilarious. However, I found the drama between Don and Rosie to be somewhat manufactured. I didn’t like Rosie much in this book and I liked her a lot in The Rosie Project. It didn’t feel like her character took an authentic turn in this book. That being said, I still enjoyed The Rosie Effect and I definitely recommend it if you read and liked The Rosie Project.