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chickadee21 's review for:
The Rosie Effect
by Graeme Simsion
[b:The Rosie Project|16181775|The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1)|Graeme Simsion|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371651741s/16181775.jpg|22084678] is one of my favorite books. I found it clever, charming, and moving. I had high hopes for the sequel, The Rosie Effect. Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations.
I had a number of problems with this book.
1. Don is way over the top. In The Rosie Project, he often spoke technically - but not every single sentence, and you saw him do activities (cooking, cocktail making, etc.) that made him charming. In The Rosie Effect, the book is primarily talk, talk, talk. The stuff that was fun in The Rosie Project has all but disappeared, and Don comes off as much more of a robot. The development he experienced in The Rosie Project is all but gone.
2. Way too many boys nights. I couldn't care less about George, Dave, or Gene. Meanwhile, some of the secondary characters I actually would have liked to have seen more of - Phil (who I don't think gets a single line in the book), Claudia, etc., have very minor roles.
3. The character development was not well done. Characters also don't act consistently. Rosie knows Don, she knows he has problems with surprises and emotional connection. So the basic premise of the book - getting pregnant without talking to him - does not fit with her compassion and love for Don at all. Simison could have written a much better book on Rosie and Don preparing for a baby by eliminating a lot of the tensions in their marriage. A supportive Rosie and Don who have adventures together to prepare for a bouncing baby? Now that would have been a fun book!
4. There is basically no plot. The Rosie Project had several interesting plots - will Don and Rosie fall in love? Will Rosie find her father? that the story moved around. In The Rosie Effect, it's all just talk about Rosie and Don's marriage and the baby. There's no real action. Don and Rosie's slow romance was the great part of The Rosie Project. By having Rosie and Don upset at each other for most of the book, Simison has taken all the joy out of The Rosie Effect.
5. The Rosie Project was charming and funny in so many ways. It made me smile, laugh, and cry. The Rosie Effect just made me tense. It is a darker story, but tries too hard to be funny, and mostly misses. I read the book mostly just to finish it rather than enjoying every page, as I had with The Rosie Project.
If you have read The Rosie Project, then you'll still probably want to read The Rosie Effect. Just keep your expectations low. I do hope Simison writes another book on Rosie and Don - a book about raising the baby could be fun. Just keep their marriage happy next time!
Also, here is a link to my highly effusive review of The Rosie Project. You can see how much I loved it. Link
I had a number of problems with this book.
1. Don is way over the top. In The Rosie Project, he often spoke technically - but not every single sentence, and you saw him do activities (cooking, cocktail making, etc.) that made him charming. In The Rosie Effect, the book is primarily talk, talk, talk. The stuff that was fun in The Rosie Project has all but disappeared, and Don comes off as much more of a robot. The development he experienced in The Rosie Project is all but gone.
2. Way too many boys nights. I couldn't care less about George, Dave, or Gene. Meanwhile, some of the secondary characters I actually would have liked to have seen more of - Phil (who I don't think gets a single line in the book), Claudia, etc., have very minor roles.
3. The character development was not well done. Characters also don't act consistently. Rosie knows Don, she knows he has problems with surprises and emotional connection. So the basic premise of the book - getting pregnant without talking to him - does not fit with her compassion and love for Don at all. Simison could have written a much better book on Rosie and Don preparing for a baby by eliminating a lot of the tensions in their marriage. A supportive Rosie and Don who have adventures together to prepare for a bouncing baby? Now that would have been a fun book!
4. There is basically no plot. The Rosie Project had several interesting plots - will Don and Rosie fall in love? Will Rosie find her father? that the story moved around. In The Rosie Effect, it's all just talk about Rosie and Don's marriage and the baby. There's no real action. Don and Rosie's slow romance was the great part of The Rosie Project. By having Rosie and Don upset at each other for most of the book, Simison has taken all the joy out of The Rosie Effect.
5. The Rosie Project was charming and funny in so many ways. It made me smile, laugh, and cry. The Rosie Effect just made me tense. It is a darker story, but tries too hard to be funny, and mostly misses. I read the book mostly just to finish it rather than enjoying every page, as I had with The Rosie Project.
If you have read The Rosie Project, then you'll still probably want to read The Rosie Effect. Just keep your expectations low. I do hope Simison writes another book on Rosie and Don - a book about raising the baby could be fun. Just keep their marriage happy next time!
Also, here is a link to my highly effusive review of The Rosie Project. You can see how much I loved it. Link