I enjoyed the concept - a group of like-minded people who are somewhat lonely form their own community. The group enjoys all kinds of puzzles - words, numbers, codes, mazes, jigsaw - but each specializes in creating a certain type. Following the timeline of how the group formed and developed over time was interesting though some of the characters' actions are hard to believe. I was less interested in the journey of the man who grew up in the fellowship because he was left on the doorstep as a baby. His mother dies at the start of the novel and he decides to find out about his birth mother. The narrative proceeds in dual timelines, with the past eventually informing the present. I found the resolution of Clayton's story to be too contrived. I was also annoyed at the author's apparent lack of understanding of how to work a jigsaw puzzle! So, a good idea for a setting but the execution was lacking in skill. ( )

This is a coming of age story, even though the main character is 25 years old. Clayton has lived with, and been protected by, a quirky group of adults his whole life. As an infant, he was found on the doorstep of a group of adults united by their love of various types of puzzles, and has never really been independent in any way. After the group's founder and mother figure Pippa dies, Clayton embarks on a quest to learn about his parentage. Before her death, Pippa organized his way with a series of puzzles to solve. Although I enjoy puzzles, I found the pace of this novel to be slow enough that I had no interest in engaging in the puzzles embedded in the narrative. Somewhat predictably, Clayton learns a great deal about himself and while his world opens up, solving many puzzles in the process. ( )

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr is a tale about the joy of puzzles and a young man solving a puzzle and finding himself. It is a highly recommended feel-good novel.

As a baby Clayton Stumper was left in a hatbox on the steps of the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers in Bedfordshire, England. Now 25, he was raised by Fellowship founder Pippa Allsbrook, the esteemed and prolific maker of crossword puzzles, along with the other older members, all enigmatologists living together in the commune. Now Pippa has passed away, and Clayton wants to know who his birth parents were. Lucky for him, Pippa left a series of puzzles that will provide him with the answers he seeks if he can solve them.

The narrative follows dual story lines, alternating between the past, when Pippa started the Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, and the present, as Clayton solves the puzzles and clues left for him. The past allows us the meet Pippa and the other members of the Fellowship before Clayton arrived. It's a look into who raised Clayton. The present follows Clayton's quest to find out who he is as an individual apart from the Fellowship.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is a sweet-tempered, gentle, cozy tale that has pleasant, appealing characters, and many types of puzzles. The main focus of the novel are puzzles of all types and varieties. They are embedded in the novel and part of all plot threads in the narrative with the characters circling around the puzzles. The pace is slow, almost glacially at times, but if you adore puzzles and novels about finding your family, then this will be a good choice. Thanks to Knopf Doubleday for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2024/03/the-fellowship-of-puzzlemakers.html ( )