Early Reader Review: The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr

Source: From the Publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr  

Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date:  April 9, 2024

 

Format: Ebook


Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

An extraordinary, gloriously uplifting novel about the power of friendship and the puzzling ties that bind us

Clayton Stumper might be twenty-six years old, but he dresses like your grandpa and drinks sherry like your aunt. Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by a group of eccentric enigmatologists and now finds himself among the last survivors of a fading institution.

When the esteemed crossword compiler and main maternal presence in Clayton's life, Pippa Allsbrook, passes away, she bestows her final puzzle on him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for life beyond the walls of the commune. As Clay begins to unpick the clues, he uncovers something even the Fellowship have never been able to solve—and it's a secret that has the potential to change everything.

Review: 

I really like puzzles - jigsaw, crossword, searches, riddles. I wouldn't say that I am necessarily good at them but I do enjoy them. I almost always have a jigsaw puzzle on the table and I am a daily user of the New York Times mini games app. When I read about this book, it seemed like something that would be really interesting. 

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers alternates between the timeline of Pippa Allsbrook, creating her fellowship with likeminded- puzzlelovers and her adopted son, Clayton. Clayton was left on the stoop as a baby and after Pippa's death wants to learn more about who left him on the Fellowship's doorstep. 

There were a number of puzzles through the read, however the formatting on the review copy ebook was horrible and so I was unable to participate in that part of the book, and I think I would have loved this book all the more had I been able to solve out the clues in turn with Clayton. 

That said, I did enjoy this book. It was like a warm cup of tea on a rainy day -it just felt cozy. There was no big suspenseful bits, no shock and awe, but love and appreciation thoughout. I think that I enjoyed the Pippa story more than Clayton's more modern tale. I wanted more of the Fellowship group, the puzzles they worked on and the overall drama from their time together in the fellowship house. Clayton seemed too boring and blah for me. I read his sections to get to the Fellowship ones. 

Overall, this book was really rooted in found family and finding yourself. I liked that about it. Both stories were important in this depth and I think that others will enjoy it. Especially if you like puzzles.