Between the Lines: The Rosie Project

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This month for Between the Lines with Anne and Kristyn, we read and are reviewing The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (buy it from Amazon or from iTunes!).

The Book Synopses via Amazon: 

The art of love is never a science: Meet Don Tillman, a brilliant yet socially inept professor of genetics, who’s decided it’s time he found a wife. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which Don approaches all things, he designs the Wife Project to find his perfect partner: a sixteen-page, scientifically valid survey to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the late arrivers.

Rosie Jarman possesses all these qualities. Don easily disqualifies her as a candidate for The Wife Project (even if she is “quite intelligent for a barmaid”). But Don is intrigued by Rosie’s own quest to identify her biological father. When an unlikely relationship develops as they collaborate  on The Father Project, Don is forced

to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie―and the realization that, despite your best scientific efforts, you don’t find love, it finds you.



Here is a video from Graeme Simsion himself talking about the book!

And now on to the Blogger Book Club Questions:

1. Were you surprised at the ultimate revelation of Rosie’s biological father? Did you suspect someone else?
About half way through I kinda suspected the outcome. It's so funny, though, that Don was able to help Gene work on his own relationship in the end after all Gene's help with Don's.

2. Do Don’s Asperger’s conditions help him or hinder him? Does Don’s having autism offer any advantages in his life?
I think he did quite well for himself. His schedule and thought process worked for him. But falling in Love alters just about everything in your life, and the fact that he was willing to change for Rosie is a wonderful thing! Change is pretty hard for people with Asperger's and Autism, so it was HUGE for him to do it.

3. Do you feel happy for Don when he gets rid of some of his unique mannerisms in order to win Rosie or do you feel that he lost a part of himself?
I feel proud of him rather than happy for him. Like I said, it takes a lot for people to change, but through in Asperger's or Autism and it's even harder. I don't think he lost himself, I think he grew as a person. I think he and Rosie were able to make some compromises around his mannerisms, that is part of the reason she fell for him ya know!

4. Does Gene get his comeuppance? What do you think of his marriage situation?
I felt bad for Gene's wife, Claudia, the entire book. She always seemed so sad when her marriage was brought up. She was trying to be a "good wife" by giving Gene what he wanted, but it ultimately taxed their relationship far more than she expected. What's horrible, is that Gene didn't even notice. I don't think he wanted to. I applaud Don for standing up to Gene and opening his eyes about the state of his marriage.

My personal thoughts:

I absolutely loved this book! I have recommended it several times already, and I really want to read the sequel, The Rosie Effect (buy it on Amazon or iTunes!). I feel like it was extremely well written and provided a refreshing change reading a love story from the male perspective. The added element of Asperger's was an interesting twist. I felt like I could totally relate and understand Rosie's reactions to Don's schedule, unique way of thinking, and his scientific honesty about everything. I enjoyed the similarities between Don and Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, even if Simsion wasn't intending for this to be the case. If you haven't read this, add to you list now!


Next Month we are reading All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (buy it on Amazon or iTunes!)


Have you read The Rosie Project? 
Are you going to participate in next months Between The Lines Blogger Book Club?

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Between the Lines: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

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This is the first month of Between the Lines: A Blogger Book Club with Anne and Kristyn. For January we read Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn and Anne was right, this book is a doozy. But it's so good! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Book Synapsis from Amazon

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” She survived—and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club—a secret society obsessed with notorious crimes—locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history: She’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club—for a fee. As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started—on the run from a killer.

For the Book Club, we've got some thought provoking questions to answer from the author herself! So here it goes.

1. Libby became famous as a victim—how do you think this strange fame effected her?
I think it made her resent people and become even more of a reclusive. She learned at a young age to exploit her "fame" and the her mission in this book started out as just that.

2. What do you think of Patty Day as a mother? Is she doing the best she can, or is she making excuses for herself?
I want to like Patty Day, but in the end I just couldn't. I feel like she lets the people in her life run over her and make decisions for her. She lost control and couldn't figure out how to get it back. Granted she had some pretty ridiculous circumstances handed to her, but instead of being strong and doing whatever it takes to make a life for herself and her children, she makes excuses for their poverty and relies heavily on handouts from her sister Diane.

3. Why do you think the author chose to set the murders on a farm? What images and themes does the heartland and farming evoke?
I think Flynn chose the farm and the heartland location because it's unusual. Generally we hear about murders in metropolitan cities, but not tiny farm towns. You want to think their town is safe, slow moving, and simple. But in reality it's got just as many dangers as a city: guns, drugs, sex, gambling, extreme religious zealots, poverty, molestation, etc. The contrast between societal views of what a farm town is like and what occurs in this book is striking.

4. What do you believe in Diondra’s motivation throughout the story? Does her relationship with Ben change him?
Diondra is selfish. Plain and simple. She desperately wants to escape this small town, but I think she's also afraid to do so. I don't think she really likes herself much and craves attention and validation from others due to her absentee parents. Her rebellious behavior is a clear cry for help and affection from her parents, and she's begun to poison Ben against his own family. Misery loves company. Somehow she tricks this sweet, but seriously confused boy into thinking he's important to her, when really she's just using him. Deep down I think Ben knows this, but is just as desperate for love and attention as Diondra is, that he stays with her anyway convincing himself he's in love and doing the "right thing" for her.


I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers or whodunits. The characters are just as complex as the storyline, and even the smallest roles have a significance in the big picture. It's easy to read and follow, while keeping you guessing until the very last moments.

Have you read Dark Places? What did you think?

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