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morainjay's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.75
This book is full of lots of interesting facts about crosswords and I enjoyed reading it on my bus commute to and from work.
Where I found frustrations: After a few chapters the organization started to bother me. It felt like a chapter could stand alone, but then put into the book as a whole it didn't seem to flow as well. There were a lot of instances where a person, etc. was described extensively every time they were mentioned, which is repetitive - I was told once, I don't need to be told again. There was also a lot of superfluous pieces of trivia that did not relate to crosswords enough for me to understand why it was mentioned.
Where I found frustrations: After a few chapters the organization started to bother me. It felt like a chapter could stand alone, but then put into the book as a whole it didn't seem to flow as well. There were a lot of instances where a person, etc. was described extensively every time they were mentioned, which is repetitive - I was told once, I don't need to be told again. There was also a lot of superfluous pieces of trivia that did not relate to crosswords enough for me to understand why it was mentioned.
nuttytwitchy22's review against another edition
4.0
I would say this is more of a 3.5 rating, almost a four so I rounded up. I really enjoyed the background of crosswords and learned a lot reading this. There were some parts that were more interesting than others and with most informative books, it takes me longer to read cause I take frequent breaks from it. But overall, I found this book interesting and fun read.
gemmamilne's review against another edition
5.0
This is a wonderful read. I thought it would be a lovely whimsical history of crosswords with lovely stories woven in, and it was this but also so much more - I loved the commentary around *why* we do puzzles and the effect they have on people. The writing is stunning too. Highly recommend for a Sunday afternoon read.
lillfisch's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars - As a fan of the NYT Mini I was really excited to pick this up and learn more about the history of crossword puzzles. I was intrigued for the first 100 pages before losing most of my interest. Still very fascinating and a recommendation for anyone who has wondered about the “science” of crosswords!
trekbicycles's review against another edition
4.0
Do not read my review. Read the other reviews on this site because they are CRAZY.
mike_brough's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the idea of the book and some parts did indeed measure up to that idea. But there was an awful lot of filler and many tangents that made it an unsatisfactory read.
It didn't affect my rating but it's worth noting that this is focused on USA-style crosswords, especially the New York Tines puzzle, and cryptics don't feature much.
It didn't affect my rating but it's worth noting that this is focused on USA-style crosswords, especially the New York Tines puzzle, and cryptics don't feature much.
sebswann's review against another edition
4.0
If you like cruciverbalists; Raphel delightfully explores the world, history, and people of crosswords.