fiction, audiobook
I enjoyed The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers despite
the fact that it took me weeks to read. It's a nice book to meander through; I never really felt any urgency to finish.
The story follows two paths. In 2016, Clayton Stumper is overseeing the funeral of Pippa Allsbrook, the woman who took him in as an infant and raised him as her own within the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, which is exactly as it sounds - a commune of wonderfully bright and nerdy individuals who live together creating games and puzzles. Upon Pippa's death, Clayton is set upon one final puzzle - the secret of his parentage. Can he follow Pippa's final clues to unlock the truth of who he is and where he came from. The other story begins in 1979 and follows the founding of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers and how this collection of individuals came to live, work and even raise a baby together at their home in Creighton Hall.
Samuel Burr has created a lovely story full of delightful individuals and a scenario that was easy to imagine: aging puzzlers whose intelligence often outpaced their social skills, wanting to find a community rather than grow old alone. I think a lot of people can relate. I enjoyed learning about each of them and about how the fellowship grew and changed over time.
Interestingly, as much as I enjoyed Clayton's journey to discover himself, I found the mystery of his parentage to be the least interesting part of this novel; I actually thought it was pretty obvious from the beginning and expected to be disappointed by its reveal; and I was.
But I did enjoy the journey to get there, which is why this book gets 3.5 stars. For those who enjoy such things, you can solve Clayton's puzzle along the way, which adds a layer of fun.
I read the book and listened to the audiobook. The audiobook's narration was shared between Penelope Keith reading Pippa's chapters and Russell Tovey reading Clayton's chapters. I enjoyed both of them and their variety of voices - they did a marvelous job.
If you're looking for an easy read full of delightful characters, this a great choice.
The story follows two paths. In 2016, Clayton Stumper is overseeing the funeral of Pippa Allsbrook, the woman who took him in as an infant and raised him as her own within the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, which is exactly as it sounds - a commune of wonderfully bright and nerdy individuals who live together creating games and puzzles. Upon Pippa's death, Clayton is set upon one final puzzle - the secret of his parentage. Can he follow Pippa's final clues to unlock the truth of who he is and where he came from. The other story begins in 1979 and follows the founding of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers and how this collection of individuals came to live, work and even raise a baby together at their home in Creighton Hall.
Samuel Burr has created a lovely story full of delightful individuals and a scenario that was easy to imagine: aging puzzlers whose intelligence often outpaced their social skills, wanting to find a community rather than grow old alone. I think a lot of people can relate. I enjoyed learning about each of them and about how the fellowship grew and changed over time.
Interestingly, as much as I enjoyed Clayton's journey to discover himself, I found the mystery of his parentage to be the least interesting part of this novel; I actually thought it was pretty obvious from the beginning and expected to be disappointed by its reveal; and I was.
But I did enjoy the journey to get there, which is why this book gets 3.5 stars. For those who enjoy such things, you can solve Clayton's puzzle along the way, which adds a layer of fun.
I read the book and listened to the audiobook. The audiobook's narration was shared between Penelope Keith reading Pippa's chapters and Russell Tovey reading Clayton's chapters. I enjoyed both of them and their variety of voices - they did a marvelous job.
If you're looking for an easy read full of delightful characters, this a great choice.
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