book review | bookgirl

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is the story of Don Tillman and his quest to find the perfect wife using an exhaustive questionnaire. Don is an echo of Sheldon, from “The Big Bang Theory”, so I imagine you can see the difficulty in his task (picture a science professor geek with extremely inadequate social skills). Simsion has formed the character of Don with such expertise that we, the reader, come to appreciate and understand him in all his awkwardness.

The underlying theme of the book is that we are all different, yet all the same, all anyone wants is to be loved and valued. Simsion’s skill is in the humour, it moves the story along at an enjoyable pace.

This is one of those books that produce spontaneous laughter if you don’t want to be known as the crazy, laughing, train, person, it‘s probably best to save your reading for home. Option two is you celebrate your inner crazy and let people see the Dustjacket, and, they’ll think what a good book that must be. Think of it as spreading The Rosie Project word. The movie rights have been optioned, and this book will convert fabulously into a film, and I’m buying a ticket.

Sometimes you need a doctorate to keep your finger on the pulse of the publishing world.New books, new authors, emerging every minute, it can do your head in. When the latest, hottest thing is buzzed about, I get excited and worried. I know I’m going to read it, but I worry whether I’ve succumbed to the hype. This brings me to the much hyped book “The Bone Season” by Samantha Shannon, likened, of course, to J.K Rowlings. Publishers are very quick to put this on a sleeve, but just this once what if it’s justified. i mean she did get an eight book publishing deal – amazing!
So what was it like?
It’s a dystopian world set in London and Oxford, England in the year 2025, with an alternative history. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and like any “good read” I was sad when it ended. The book did have some obstacles. The beginning is a bit of a slog, it takes some concentration to get through Samantha Shannons comprehensive world building, but once I locked it in my brain, i was fine. I just hope I don’t have to wait too long for the second book as my brain tends to leak and that stored information may have left and formed it’s own alternative universe elsewhere.