The Rosie Project

1. General Impressions 

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• Are you satisfied with the “happily ever after” ending of the book? Does it feel genuine to the characters and narrative?
• The author, Graeme Simsion, has a Ph.D. in data modeling. Though this is not the field of the protagonist, Don, who is a geneticist, they are both analytical STEM fields. Does the author’s STEM expertise come through in the novel’s content and themes?
• This book is followed by two sequels, The Rosie Effect and The Rosie Result. Are you motivated to finish the trilogy?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection 

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• This novel is unique in that it draws on themes of bildungsroman—a character growing and learning and coming of age—with a character in his late thirties. Do you have any interests, hobbies, or relationships that you discovered in adulthood but that you feel helped you “come of age” in a way?
• Do you relate to Don’s romantic and relationship foibles? Why or why not?
• Don initially adopts an analytical approach to seeking a romantic partner. He develops the Rosie Project to sort through women’s features of compatibility.