Book Review:
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr
Published 9 May 2024, Orion

Synopsis:
Sometimes, finding your place in the world is the greatest puzzle of all.

Clayton Stumper is an enigma.
He might be twenty-five years old, but he dresses like your grandad and drinks sherry like your aunt.
Abandoned at birth on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, he was raised by the sharpest minds in the British Isles and finds himself amongst the last survivors of a fading institution.

When the esteemed crossword compiler, Pippa Allsbrook, passes away, she bestows her final puzzle to him: a promise to reveal the mystery of his parentage and prepare him for his future.
Yet 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 will change everything...

Review:
What an incredibly joyful and unique book! Prior to reading, I had seen this all over Twitter/X, and the hype didn't disappoint.
Bursting at the seams with wondrous characters, the Fellowship is truly an example of astonishing writing that pulls you in from the very first page. I longed to join the Fellowship, to meet the people, and to share in Clay's adventure.
A book to get lost in, to live in, and to take great delight in. Bravo Samuel Burr! 🙌
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
*I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley. This is my unbiased review. Thanks to @samuelburr
@orionbooks @netgalley
#BookReview #Puzzlemakers #SamuelBurr #NetGalley

I completely fell in love with the characters in The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr.

The story begins with Clayton Stumper, who has lost his adoptive mother, Pippa. He had been left in a hat box on the steps to the house Pippa shared with her fellow puzzlemakers in Bedfordshire.

The story moves between two timelines. In the present Clayton begins his quest to discover where he came from and you really believe that he is on a journey of self-discovery.

In the timeline running in the past, you discover Pippa’s journey to establishing a place for the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers to live and support each other.

Pippa is a wonderful character and so thoughtful, caring and supportive. You sort of wish you are lucky enough to have someone like Pippa in your life. Whilst there are several puzzlemakers living in the house, you get to know Hector and Nancy really well who are both are really interesting characters.

I particularly loved the way in which actual puzzles were used in the book and how chapters began with crossword clues!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Orion Publishing Group, for the e-ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will definitely be looking out for future books by Samuel Barr.

This was a well written story, I enjoyed the narrative. Liked the characters and and how they develop throughout the story.

The book is well-written and captures your attention from the start. It probably stands out as one of the most entertaining and unique reads I’ve read in a while - simply brilliant!

I very much enjoyed The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers. The plot is interesting, the characters are well-developed and the puzzles are not too difficult. Throw in a charming and sensitive love story and nothing else is needed.

A lovely gentle book for a cosy evening by the fire.

Book Review 📚
The Fellowship of Puzzle Makers by Samuel Burr - 4/5 ⭐

I thoroughly enjoyed this quirky, unique and fast book! It's easily read, very quick to get through and keeps you intrigued throughout.

The theme from the book is puzzles - clue was in the title but I didn't figure that out until I started reading! There's little story's throughout that you try and work through to unravel certain parts of the story.

The characters were brilliant, such eccentric and overwhelmingly amazing in description and development. There is so much depth to each and every one of them. You'll fall in love with Clayton really quickly, without a doubt.

The story of family was heartwarming and truly magical. I loved every aspect of the book and was truly enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

Unique, Compelling…
Unique, clever and compelling as well as endearingly heartwarming. The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, an abandoned baby, an esteemed crossword compiler and one final puzzle to solve. Taking the reader on a journey of crossed paths, mystery and clues towards its final destination - is the greatest puzzle of all, our own place in this world? Rather delightful.

A gloriously quirky book with a whole raft of eccentric characters. The book totally captivated me being thoroughly engaging throughout. Just utterly brilliant with puzzles to keep the readers mind wondering what next. Past and present timelines which just flowed together as the ultimate puzzle is solved. Wonderful with a heartwarming feel without being cloying with a tremendous sense of community and a thread of humour. One of the most entertaining and unique books I've read in a long time, just brilliant.

This book was written really well and captivated you from the beginning, it was very heart warming and engrossing would love to read another one from this author. I would thoroughly recommend this book

Well, you’d never guess this is a debut novel. It was absolutely phenomenal. I loved everything about this story, from the characters, the quest Clay is on, the very existence of the fellowship itself… its perfection in novel form. I really enjoyed the format of the story and the way you switched between Philippa setting up the fellowship and her earlier life to Clayton then going on his own adventure to find out about his past. It was so beautifully written and I adored all of the characters. I particularly enjoyed Neil and seeing their relationship play out as if it were destined all along. I really hope there’s more books to come from Samuel Burr!

An absolute gem of a book. Well rounded interesting characters, a charming story of found family spanning through time, and a gorgeous ending. I particularly enjoyed the puzzles throughout and trying to solve them alongside Clayton. 5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc of this beautiful story.

I'm not sure I could love a book more! This was an absolute tonic for these troubling times and I thought the dual timelines were handled expertly, and I loved that the reader got to solve puzzles alongside the characters. Absolutely brilliant debut!

Wow what a beautiful endearing read. This book was a tale about friendship, love and finding yourself. I really enjoyed it!

The story follows Clayton and Pippa. We start by meeting Clayton who has just lost his adoptive mother. He was left on the doorstop of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers when he was a few days old. Pippa immediately took him in and raised him as her own.

Pippa’s story is set in the past, and explores how she came about setting up the Fellowship of the Puzzlemakers and their commune, how she had always yearned for a family of her own.

Just before Pippa passed away she set about solving the greatest puzzle of all. Where did Clayton come from. She leaves clues for Clayton to solve in order to the solve his mystery of who he is.

This is a fantastic debut novel and is a must read for fans of The Thursday Murder Club or anyone who loves to solve a good mystery (or just a puzzle).

Thank you to NetGalley, Orion Publishing Group and the author, Samuel Burr for this ARC!

It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel but it is. Such a story of friendship, love and mystery. I felt myself drawn into the story almost immediately, the characters were so believable and Clayton’s journey so intriguing. A heartwarming read

A beautiful story about finding answers in the unlikeliest of places. Our main character Clayton is looking to solve the mystery of why he was abandoned as a baby. The chapters alternate between present day and an account of how the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers started from the late 1970s. This enables us to build a solid picture of the characters and their backstories.
For me, a few questions were left a little open ended, but this didn’t affect my enjoyment. A very moving story with lots of humour and wisdom. “Veni, Vidi, Solvi”.

Pippa Allsbrook is a crossword compiler, a woman in a very male world, who decides to form a group of like-minded individuals who enjoy all types of puzzles.
Clayton Stumper (surname because they are all stumped by his origin) is a young man who was left as a baby on the Institute’s doorstep and raised by the members
When Clayton wishes to find out about his birth family he finds that Pippa has left him a series of clues to follow, in the form of puzzles, crosswords, a maze, a jigsaw.
The book has alternating chapters, Pippa’s journey a she sets up the fellowship, and Clayton’s search.
In both cases they discover the true meaning of friendship, and that family is not just blood relations.
A joyful and uplifting book, with a lot of puzzles thrown in too.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orion for the opportunity to read this book.

Absolutely loved this book, just brilliant!

Clayton Stumper wants to find out where he comes from, after being found on the doorstep of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers 25 years previously.

He is left clues by his late beloved adoptive mother, Pippa and the story is split between Clayton's hunt and how Pippa set up the Fellowship.

Just an absolutely wonderful read, highly recommended

I want to live there! (disclaimer- I am not a genius puzzle setter but nevertheless!)
This is a beautiful tale of love lost and found and new families forming to alleviate loneliness and to offer support.
Set across two timelines, the initial set up of the fellowship brings together a bunch of slightly odd, very intelligent and quite lonely souls.
The present timeline focusses on Clayton- an abandoned baby now trying to find out more about his birth parents.
The two timelines weave deftly around each other, providing just enough information to keep you rooting for Clayton as he solves his very personal puzzle whilst also wishing you could get your hands on the various puzzles created by the fellowship throughout their history!
Whilst the ending is not terribly surprising the journey to reach it is infinitely pleasing!

I'm not familiar with Sam Burr but found this an enjoyable read
Clayton lives at the Fellowship of Puzzle makers but has his own puzzle to solve in trying to find out how, as a baby, he ended up on the steps of the Fellowship.
The story changes between the past and present as we find out about the characters of the fellowship and the puzzle Clayton follows to get to the truth

I’m so pleased to have read this book. These characters will stay with me for a long time as they are so beautifully formed. I loved the idea of the puzzle makers and was intrigued by their different strengths. This book deserves to be a massive hit and I will be recommending it to everyone I know.