I really loved this 🥹

There are so many loveable characters from all walks of life, but Clayton was so wholesome. I really enjoyed how we were given clues about his birth story through puzzles and quizzes (which I genuinely sat and tried to work out!)

Overall, this is such a lovely, unique, heartwarming book about friendship and found family, and it will warm your heart and make you smile - and at times, sob.

I couldn't recommend this one enough!

The quirky characters and unusual premise made this a page turner that I was sorry to see end! We switch from past to present throughout the book and learn more about the character who has devised this puzzle for her son to be solved after her death. All of the puzzle makers were interesting and well written. I really enjoyed this book and hope to read more by this author.

Clayton Stumper’s arrival at the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers was unorthodox: tucked inside a hatbox left on the front porch as an infant, with no hints as to who left him there or why they chose the Fellowship. A group of enigmatologists (yes, I looked it up and no, it’s not a word made up solely for the purpose of this book, as much as it may seem to be), the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is a collection of the best puzzle creators in the UK. Pippa Allsbrook, the head of the Fellowship and a renowned crossword compiler, raises Clayton with assistance from the other members. As one of her final acts, she created a puzzle-based scavenger hunt to help Clayton learn the truth behind his history and parentage.

The novel flips back and forth between Clayton’s journey and the formation of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers. The changes can feel abrupt, but the pacing of the stories works well. While it’s not a book that I would say go out and find a copy immediately, if you’re looking for something while waiting to get off the holds list for the next big thing at your library, this might be your answer.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.

This one went just a little too deep into the puzzle niche for this reader. Anyone picking up this book who’s ready to put their thinking cap on and scratch their puzzling itch will enjoy this one. I also just couldn’t manage to suspend my disbelief that a community like the one in this story would actually exist and that the events could happen in any way close to what is described.

The premise of The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers drew me right in. I love doing crossword puzzles, acrostics, jigsaw puzzles and more. (I also do Wordle and Connections every day.) Here we have a group of expert puzzle makers who band together into a commune of sorts, starting around 1980. The group was the brainchild of Pippa, a woman who never married and is an expert at constructing fiendish crossword puzzles for a London newspaper (hiding behind a male alias, alas). In 1991, a baby is abandoned at their group home and in her mid-60s, Pippa becomes the mother she always wanted to be. Twenty-five years later, Pippa dies and gives Clayton a series of clues so he can discover the mystery of his parentage.

This all sounded terrific to me, but it fell a bit short in the delivery. First of all, I’m not a huge fan of dual timeline books, especially those that bounce back and forth, chapter by chapter. I find that I’m settling into one story and then I’m yanked out of it for the other story, and then back again. If you don’t mind this, you will probably enjoy this book more than I did.

I found that the various members of the puzzle maker fellowship blurred together. One of them, Earl, is a maze maker (on paper and in landscapes!) and Hector paints and then creates jigsaw puzzles from his art. Along with Pippa and her crosswords, those are the only ones I could really keep straight. Also Nancy/Nance, a much younger woman who was amazing at trivia, but she left the fellowship around when Clayton was abandoned there. I loved her character: a female London cabbie, which was very unusual at the time (no idea if it’s still unusual). Another oddball character was Angel, the housekeeper. But the bulk of puzzle makers were forgettable.

I was more interested in Clayton’s hunt for clues to his parentage, but it was kind of boring. (Honestly, Clayton was boring!) Instead of the adventures, Pippa hints he will have, we follow him to London, where he visits Nance, gets another clue, and so on and so forth, visiting the British Museum, finding a safety deposit box at Harrods (I had no idea they did that there!), befriending an old woman he meets on a park bench. He finds a companion due to his visit to Nance, and they get mugged while walking together, but somehow only Clayton is injured. That confused me.

I was hoping for more puzzles to solve along with Clayton, but the one crossword puzzle that Pippa left for Clayton was pretty easy to solve and even had a weird errors of sorts - when a clue is phrased in a way that the answer should be a noun, it’s odd to have the answer be a verb! (A hungry desire = Crave! Nope, make the clue agree with the answer!)

I normally love stories with found family but this one didn’t quite hit the right notes for me.

Thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

A boy abandoned at birth and raised by a group of puzzlers, after the death of his adoptive mother searches for the truth about his origins by following the clues she left him and, in doing so, discovers himself. Cozy mystery, easy summer reading and, all in all, feel good story, but nothing really unforgettable.

1991- A baby is left on the front stoop of Pippa's house where she lives with other members of the Fellowship of Puzzle Makers. She takes the boy in and raises him as her own. Now- the boy is in his twenties, Pippa is gone, and he wants to find out where he came from. Who left him all alone in that hat box? In order to figure out his past, he'll have to look toward the future and solve the puzzles that Pippa left along the way. Good thing he has a group of puzzle masters to help him.

Loved the dual perspectives and the mystery of it all. I found the puzzles challenging but not unsolvable and thought it was really well done. I recommend getting the print version, I had both the audio and print and it was much easier to have a physical representation of the puzzles. I will be recommending this as a book for my adult book club here at my library!

This book is so much! I enjoyed the plot and characters. I loved the found family aspect of this book. The puzzles were a great bonus! Recommending this to all of our patrons!

It took me a bit to get completely into this book, but once I did, I fell in love with this group of complicated characters. Pippa has formed a group with fellow puzzlemakers and purchased her old family home where they live. They are quite a bunch of unusual characters. Clayton was left there in a basket as a baby and the group raised him as their own. No one has any idea where he came from. As the group aged, Pippa has told Clayton she will give him the answers about his parentage and prepare him for living as an adult. When she dies, she leaves Clayton a puzzlebox with clues for the answers he seeks. Naturally, all the clues are in the form of a puzzle. His quest reveals the history of the group and reveals many things about his past, present and eventually his future.

Also reviewed on B&N (1IrishEyes430) and Kobo (IrishEyes430)

For fans of heartfelt novels filled with found family The Fellowship of the Puzzlemakers is a great choice. This story centers the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, which is a group of eccentric individuals who adore puzzles, from crossword pros to maze makers, from word sleuths to jigsaw creators. This unlikely group of people are drawn together by Pippa, the crossword queen, who decides they should create a fellowship, even deciding to live together at a large estate. Then one day the puzzlemakers open their door to find a baby in a hat box abandoned on their front steps. So begins the story of how baby Clayton was raised by the fellowship.

The story really gets going as Clayton a now 26-year-old going on 80 at heart, is grieving the loss of Pippa who served as a maternal figure for him and who has now left him one last puzzle in her passing. And its the puzzle Clayton has always pondered... that of his origins. Clayton’s final riddle will not only shed light on his own history, but send shockwaves through the fellowship. Now its up to Clayton to not only find the answers he’s always been looking for, but also see what future exists for him outside of the puzzlemakers.This book reads like a mixture of The Reading List and A Man Called Ove with its sweet cast of characters, including some curmudgeons, and it’s lessons of letting both the good and bard parts of life help propel us forward. This sweet book is filled with enough friendships, family, and puzzles to make it a great summer read.

“The magic was always in the solving, never in the solution.”

There's a puzzle that ends this book (at least in the ARC edition) and I find it interesting that no one has asked a question about it here on Goodreads or commented about it on their review. Again, maybe it was the ARC typesetting but I didn't understand the order Clayton was hunting the clues or when they were happening. Once in a while there would be a word in boldface but I had no idea what it meant. Perhaps in a paper book you could refer back to the original puzzle to see?

I'm sad to say that this was a predictable book for the main mystery. The main character, Clayton, is supposed to be "old beyond his years" but did that have to include not knowing how to google anything, or photo recognition? Sure, <spoiler>when you need to interpret a Greek word the first reaction is, "Let's go to the British Museum!" :/ I understand him being mugged, but it sounded as if his friend, standing right next to him, wasn't?

As someone who just turned 65 I had misgivings about the foster parenting plotline. I don't know who the person was who objected, but I bet it was the housekeeper. You know she would have been the one to do all the heavy lifting--grocery shopping, cooking, driving, etc--not Pippa. Obviously they dealt with a baby without the housekeeper and that worked out, but I sure wouldn't have been enthusiastic about the idea.</spoiler>

I wonder if the book had taken place now if corn mazes would have filled in for the landscape mazes.

<img src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRKOX0T0iaftwb8v-Mr0SbfedAc3gbelanM6A&s" width="400" height="300" alt="corn maze for seniors"/>

Yeah, yeah laugh it up. (photo of senior citizen corn maze)

My thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for an advance copy of this book.

An enchanting book. Told in alternating chapters of the birth of the Fellowship and the months leading up to a baby left on their doorstep, and the grown man who was that baby trying to find out who his birth parents are.
The book is riddled with puzzles of all sorts. You can choose to try to solve it or keep reading for the answer.
Life is about finding that missing piece for you. Whether it's a hobby, a hubby, a baby, a degree, whatever.
I really like the motto "To go further, go together"
This was a fun book to read and I would recommend it.

I am a puzzler and love everything puzzles - I love the Marlowe Murder mysteries and the Hallmark Crossword Mysteries series. I was surprised that this book was a bit more serious and very uplifting. A hidden gem that I am recommending to patrons looking for uplifting fiction and who love puzzles.

Told in alternating timelines of past and present, this book really weaves an interesting tale of found family (in more ways than one.) I loved all the different elements of puzzling that each character brought to the table to make quite an eccentric bunch. I also loved the twisty puzzle the main character was sent on. This was a touching, and sometimes heartbreaking story!

A heartwarming story that chronicles the lives of a group of puzzle makers. A mysterious baby, a death, chosen family and finding your tribe. Thoroughly enjoyable.

**I appreciated the opportunity to read and review the electronic ARC. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher.

Pippa Allsbrook is a 50+ year old, unmarried, crossword puzzle enthusiast. She she feels a bit empty in her life, and would like to socialize with others who share her interest in puzzles. She starts a club and recruits a number of other puzzle enthusiasts with diverse interests and talents.
Still, though, Pippa doesn't quite feel fulfilled. That all changes one day when a black, leather hatbox is left on the steps of the home that the puzzle club members share and in that hatbox is a baby boy, only a couple of days old.

Pippa becomes the boy's guardian. He is named Clayton Stumper and the entire club helps to raise him. He leads a pleasant enough life, but he wants to know more about his background. Who were his parents? Why was he left, abandoned the way he was? He is never able to get any answers.

When Clayton is about 25, Pippa passes away, leaving a series of puzzles for Clayton. The puzzles appear to lead Clayton to getting some of the answers he's been looking for, regarding his parents. But solving puzzles isn't always as easy as it looks, even for someone like Clayton who was raised on them. And the answers take Clayton, who led a very pleasant, but sheltered life to far away places.

I really liked the premise for this book, and the characters - the different puzzle-solvers - were so much fun.

The book is told in two different time frames - 'now,' as Clayton works on the puzzles Pippa left for him, and the twenty-plus years ago when he just came into the lives of the puzzlemakers.

I was honestly bored with the 'now' section. Clayton is a pleasant young man on his own journey of discovery, but he's not particularly remarkable. It's Pippa, and coterie of puzzlers that were most interesting. Of course there's a reason we get to know more about them, and the book definitely provides an uplifting story, but it does so by sacrificing that challenge that makes puzzles so interesting to so many. That challenge is told to us, rather than shown to us, and it just didn't work well for me.

Looking for a good book? The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samual Burr is a charming, sweet tale, but lacks the real attraction of a puzzle. It's the difference between a 1000 piece puzzle and a 250 piece puzzle.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

New author for me and fresh storyline involving the craft of puzzlemaking and its wide effects on games, contests. and people

Synopsis: As a baby, Clayton Stumper was abandoned at the headquarters of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers; a group of the brightest brains in Britain. He grows up amongst mostly elderly people, Clayton dresses and acts beyond his years. But when, aged 25, his surrogate mother, Pippa, dies Clayton starts wondering about his past and where he comes from. Luckily for him, his inheritance is the greatest puzzle Pippa has ever created: one that will unlock the answers Clayton is so desperately looking for. Will he solve the most important puzzle of his life?

My thoughts: I long for a place as magnificent as the Fellowship's headquarters and wish it truly existed. I also have a weak spot for stories with older main characters and a found family trope, which The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers delivers. This is the kind of book we need in the world. The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is warm hearted, gentle and uplifting without a hint of saccharine sentimentality. The members living together are representative of so many layers of society that they appeal and relate to many readers. I especially appreciated the fact that, apart from those like Clayton and Angel, the majority are older, but are not the frail token characters of other books. Instead we have strong, sharp witted, artistic and talented people who can be head strong as well as generous and supportive.

I love the secrets and actual puzzles throughout the story, however the biggest puzzle is who is Clayton related to? Samuel Burr has created a most charming world demonstrating how our interactions with one another are the connections we need to solve the puzzle, that is life.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is full of fun with its puzzles and quirky characters. Most of all, this book it is a beautiful tale of self-discovery and a coming-of-age story. It left me feeling all warm and fuzzy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Vintage Anchor/ Doubleday for introducing me to a cast of likeable characters and puzzle contests.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is what I would classify as a lovely book. I don’t think anyone would dislike it, but I didn’t walk away from this book loving it -I was just in like with it.

What works for this book - the dual timeline/pov, the cast of characters, the puzzles. What doesn’t work for this book - a slow start that does not hook you right away, an idea that the “main” puzzle of the book in ways feels cruel during the first 2/3rd of the book.

I think this book has so many lovely parts, some boring parts, and some parts that make you go, “now why are we doing that?” I wish the ending hadn’t felt so rushed. If you want something cozy and love puzzles, I think you will enjoy this book.

I will give this 3 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review,

The beginning: a baby is left on the doorstep in a hatbox at the home of the Puzzlemakers.
The story: Clayton [the grown up baby] is trying to learn who his parents are. Pippi who has been his 'mother' has died. But she left clues which he must follow. This is a challenge for him as this adventure takes him outside his comfort zone.
Read and learn about the many types of puzzles there are in the world and the results of Clayton's challenge.