Publishers Weekly
04/22/2019
Simsion concludes the Don Tillman trilogy (after The Rosie Effect), set in present-day Melbourne, with a whimsical tale of devoted, if rather unorthodox, parenting. Don’s 11-year-old son, Hudson, has some social difficulties, and Hudson’s teacher suggests the boy may be autistic. Don, who has been resistant to similar suggestions about himself, decides to help Hudson in ways he wished others had helped him when he was young. He leaves his job (after a well-meant lecture on genetics leads to him being misconstrued as racist), enlists assistance from friends and family, and develops a lesson plan, trying to teach his son ways to fit in. Meanwhile, Hudson is making changes and learning more about autism on his own, granting Don insight into himself and demonstrating how introspective a child can be. Don learns from his son that accepting oneself results in the ultimate happiness. Fans will find this sensitive and sometimes humorous look at Don’s relationship with his son to be the ideal ending to the trilogy. Agent: David Forrer, InkWell Management. (June)
From the Publisher
"[Don Tillman] has almost transcended the boundaries of fiction to become a geek icon."—The Guardian
"One of the most endearing, charming and fascinating literary characters I have met in a long time."—The Times
THE ROSIE PROJECT
"Sometimes you just need a smart love story that will make anyone, man or woman, laugh out loud."—San Francisco Chronicle
"Move over, Sheldon Cooper. There’s a new brilliant, socially inept scientist poised to win over a huge audience, and his name is Don Tillman."—Entertainment Weekly
"Simsion’s attention to detail brings to life Don’s wonderful, weird world. Instead of using Don’s Asperger’s syndrome as a fault, or a lead-in to a tragic turn of events, Simsion creates a heartwarming story of an extraordinary man learning to live in an ordinary world, and to love. As Don would say, this book is ‘great fun.’’—USA Today
"An utterly winning screwball comedy. . . This charming, warmhearted escapade, which celebrates the havoc—and pleasure—emotions can unleash, offers amusement aplenty. Sharp dialogue, terrific pacing, physical hijinks, slapstick, a couple to root for, and more twists than a pack of Twizzlers."—NPR.org
"Filled with humor and plenty of heart, The Rosie Project is a delightful reminder that all of us, no matter how we’re wired, just want to fit in."—Chicago Tribune
"One of the year’s most promising and original novelists."—The Wall Street Journal
"A high-functioning but emotionally illiterate guy like Don makes a perfect unreliable narrator. . . . Happily, Simsion doesn’t give Don an unbelievable emotional makeover. Our man just learns to live by a more complicated algorithm."—Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
"Funny, touching, and hard to put down, The Rosie Project is certain to entertain even as readers delve into deep themes. . . immensely enjoyable."—Booklist (starred review)
"Read-out-loud laughter begins by page two in Simsion’s debut novel about a thirty-nine-year-old genetics professor with Asperger’s—but utterly unaware of it—looking to solve his Wife Problem. . . . What follows are his utterly clueless but more often thoroughly charming exploits in exploring his capacity for romance. . . . This novel is perfectly timed."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
THE ROSIE EFFECT
"In his bestselling debut, The Rosie Project, Simsion introduced the delightfully original character of Don Tillman, an Australian geneticist with Asperger’s syndrome who sets out to find the perfect wife by using the scientific method. In the sequel, set in New York, Don takes on impending fatherhood in the same clumsy yet endearing way, with results both funny and moving. This charming new chapter in the Tillman chronicles leaves you hoping it won’t be the last."—People
"Though painfully aware of his emotional shortcomings, Don determinedly sets out to be a good dad. Hilarity ensues. . . .Simsion’s tale offers a playful look at a how a family of two fare when a third. . . . enters the mix. . . .There’s a moral to this quirky story: The best things in life can’t be planned on a spreadsheet."—Good Housekeeping
"Loveable science prof Don Tillman’s perfect (-ly concocted) marriage is about to hit a major bump."—Cosmopolitan
"The hilarious follow-up to The Rosie Project, one of the best novels I’ve read in ages. . . . Simsion brings back some of the best characters and gags from the first novel while also bringing in enough new elements to keep it fresh. It’s a funny novel that also made me think about relationships: what makes them work and how we have to keep investing time and energy to make them better. A sweet, entertaining, and thought-provoking book."—Bill Gates, "Top Five Books of 2014"
"Don and Rosie are back!...Readers who loved the first book are in for another treat."—Library Journal (starred review)
"A celebration of the best attributes to be found in a friend, a husband, or a father, regardless of the way they are expressed."—Booklist (starred review)
"Just as smart, funny and heartwarming as the original."—Washington Post
Kirkus Reviews
2019-03-04
Raising a preteen turns Don Tillman's whole life around in this finale to the well-loved Rosie Trilogy (The Rosie Effect, 2014, etc.).
Time has passed since readers last saw the Tillman family. Don, Rosie, and Hudson have packed up and moved back to Australia after Rosie was offered a dream job. Hudson, who has the same analytical mind as his father, is unhappy about leaving New York and has trouble fitting in at his new school. Don, back in his position at the university, is also in trouble after a class exercise goes viral for all the wrong reasons. At a turning point, Don decides to leave his job and devote himself to one thing: The Hudson Project. As Don finds himself wrapped up in many different issues, from developing a cocktail bar to dealing with school and other parents to his relationship with his own father, he discovers that maybe things aren't as bad as he feared. Having an 11-year time jump between the last book and this one is a risky choice by Simsion (Two Steps Forward, 2018, etc.); on the one hand, it lets him explore Don's life as a father, but on the other, there are strange moments when Don encounters people he hasn't spoken to in more than a decade who remember their last conversation instantaneously. All of Don and Rosie's memorable friends make reappearances, and there are some new acquaintances who push the couple to explore their parenting choices. This book has a much heavier focus on autism than the previous two, with Don and Rosie struggling over whether to have Hudson tested, and also some darker themes. It's still very much a charmer, however, with everything coming to a proper close.
A fitting end to this delightful trilogy that doesn't pull punches.
