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'The Rosie Effect' sells well in the US, receives mixed reviews

'Effect' is Graeme Simsion's sequel to his bestselling romantic comedy novel 'The Rosie Project.'

'The Rosie Effect' is by Graeme Simsion.
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

Following its release in America, Graeme Simsion’s sequel “The Rosie Effect” is selling well and has received some positive reviews.

“Effect” was published in the US on Dec. 30 and debuted at number six on the IndieBound hardcover fiction bestseller list for the week of Jan. 8.

The book continues the story of scientist Don Tillman, who in Simsion’s first book about the character, “The Rosie Effect,” embarked on a search for a wife. Now, in "Effect," his wife Rosie tells him she's pregnant. (This is not a spoiler: a stork is on the book cover.) As we previously reported, “Effect” received some mixed reviews when it was released in the UK and Australia. 

Now that it’s reached America, Washington Post writer Christina Ianzito called the book a “romantic comedy that’s just as smart, funny and heartwarming as the original…. As a reader, it’s hard not to cheer for this well-meaning misfit [Don].” And Library Journal gave the work a starred review, with Robin Nesbitt of Ohio’s Columbus Metropolitan Library writing, “Delightful characters…. Readers who loved the first book are in for another treat," while Shelf Awareness writer Katie Noah Gibson found it to be "heartwarming, poignant and often hilarious[.] 'The Rosie Effect' is a worthy second chapter in Don and Rosie's story."

However, Kirkus Reviews delivered a more mixed verdict, writing that “[Rosie, Don’s wife has] become completely unlikable…. Simsion tries to swiftly mend what's been broken, but the happily-ever-after is lacking confidence.” And A.V. Club critic Samantha Edwards gave the book a B-, writing that “the second half of the book, in which Rosie is demoted to playing the stock pregnant woman, drags along as [Don’s] behavior progresses from cringeworthy to tiresome…. The rom-com genre is known for these breakneck-speed resolutions and, sure, it’s the ending that will make Hollywood execs happy, but it feels phony for a book that has spent 300-plus pages slowly constructing a realistic narrative.”

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