# The Rosie Project

By Graeme Simsion · The Rosie Project, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/the-rosie-project-406fbc71/

Genetics professor Don Tillman devises a questionnaire to find a compatible wife. Rosie Jarman fails his screening, yet he agrees to help her identify her biological father. Their work together keeps disrupting the rules he intended to follow.

## What makes it funny?

On a date, Don tries to settle an ice-cream disagreement with a blind taste test. He orders the samples, turns to conduct his experiment, and discovers that his date has left. His account treats the failed encounter as a problem with the evidence.

### The comedy at work

Don describes ordinary social encounters with the precision he brings to research. Readers can spot implications that he misses, while his literal questions expose how much conversation depends on hints and assumptions. Simsion uses that access to Don's thoughts alongside the novel's brisk succession of scenes.

### Try this if…

A warm romantic comedy for readers who enjoy elaborate dating schemes and a narrator whose certainty keeps meeting inconvenient human behavior. Rosie's search for her father gives the pair something practical to pursue while their relationship develops.

### Good to know

Autism is a recurring subject, and the book uses the term Asperger's syndrome. The opening chapter includes sexual references, particularly in Don's descriptions of his friend Gene's behavior.

## What to expect

- Genre: Romance
- On the shelf: Romantic comedy
- Kind of humor: Dry wit · Situational comedy
- The atmosphere: Warmhearted
- Format: Novel
- Length: 320 pages
- Audiobook: 7 hr 32 min
- Published: 2013

## A few distinguishing details

- A questionnaire designed to screen potential wives
- A failed date turned into an ice-cream experiment
- A genetics project entangled with courtship

## Sources & further reading

- Review: [Review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/graeme-simsion/rosie-project)
- Book information: [Series and audiobook edition](https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/the-rosie-project-unabridged/id1439503556)
- Reading sample: [Opening chapter](https://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/the-rosie-project/excerpt)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Rosie-Project/Graeme-Simsion/9781476729091)
- Publisher: [Audiobook edition](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Rosie-Project/Graeme-Simsion/9781442363021)