Reviews
Turchi invites us to think about books as mysteries unfolding in time, giving us clues that we piece together." — Washington Post One of the country's foremost thinkers on the art of writing....Turchi argues that writers are like magicians who aim to lead us to a state of wonder." — Houston Chronicle "Although Turchi's knack for drawing connections can seem like a sleight of hand in itself, his writing is consistently engaging, lively, and thought provoking. The interactive element is also a delight, as there are actual puzzles scattered throughout (answers are provided in the back) to demonstrate the challenges and rewards offered by puzzles—and by good writing. And though Turchi's volume seems most tailored to writers, readers and puzzle lovers should find much of value as well."— Publishers Weekly "Altogether stimulating."—Brain Pickings "Full of lush illustrations, embedded puzzles, and notes on Harry Houdini, Alison Bechdel, tangrams, labyrinths, and sudoku."—Fiction Advocate "The wide-ranging connections he draws are convincing, provocative, and not infrequently funny, drawing the reader into a labyrinth of reflection where each turn brings a new surprise."-- Santa Fe New Mexican, "Turchi invites us to think about books as mysteries unfolding in time, giving us clues that we piece together." -- Washington Post "One of the country's foremost thinkers on the art of writing....Turchi argues that writers are like magicians who aim to lead us to a state of wonder." -- Houston Chronicle "Although Turchi's knack for drawing connections can seem like a sleight of hand in itself, his writing is consistently engaging, lively, and thought provoking. The interactive element is also a delight, as there are actual puzzles scattered throughout (answers are provided in the back) to demonstrate the challenges and rewards offered by puzzles--and by good writing. And though Turchi's volume seems most tailored to writers, readers and puzzle lovers should find much of value as well."-- Publishers Weekly "Altogether stimulating."--Brain Pickings "Full of lush illustrations, embedded puzzles, and notes on Harry Houdini, Alison Bechdel, tangrams, labyrinths, and sudoku."--Fiction Advocate "The wide-ranging connections he draws are convincing, provocative, and not infrequently funny, drawing the reader into a labyrinth of reflection where each turn brings a new surprise."-- Santa Fe New Mexican "Informed and informative....thoughtful and thought provoking."--Midwest Book Review "Turchi combines puzzles and discussions of magic tricks as well as conventional literary analysis to show how arranging information to deepen the sense of mystery can make writing more interesting."-- Chicago Reader "A MUSE AND A MAZE is my favorite book about literature. The prose is engaging, and the mind behind is filled with insight, depth and a great sense of play. Anyone who likes books should read it." --Chris Offutt, author of No Heroes: A Memoir of Coming Home, "Turchi invites us to think about books as mysteries unfolding in time, giving us clues that we piece together." -- Washington Post "One of the country''s foremost thinkers on the art of writing....Turchi argues that writers are like magicians who aim to lead us to a state of wonder." -- Houston Chronicle "Altogether stimulating." -- Brain Pickings "Consistently engaging, lively, and thought provoking. The interactive element is also a delight, as there are actual puzzles scattered throughout (answers are provided in the back) to demonstrate the challenges and rewards offered by puzzles--and by good writing....Readers and puzzle lovers should find much of value." -- Publishers Weekly "My favorite book about literature. . . . Anyone who likes books should read it." -- Chris Offutt , author of No Heroes "A brilliant book on writing craft, providing the reader with a new way to think about composing fiction. It''s also simply a delight to read-smart, well organized, and full of muscular writing and funny anecdotes."---- Robert Boswell , author of Tumbledown "The wide-ranging connections Turchi draws are convincing, provocative, and not infrequently funny, drawing the reader into a labyrinth of reflection where each turn brings a new surprise." -- Santa Fe New Mexican "He''s done it again. Peter Turchi, the best-selling author who inspires artists, designers, and anyone trying to understand how to capture an audience''s imagination through storytelling, has written a book that aligns the art of literature with puzzle creation and illusions." -- World Literature Today "Turchi combines puzzles and discussions of magic tricks as well as conventional literary analysis to show how arranging information to deepen the sense of mystery can make writing more interesting." -- Chicago Reader "A glorious craft book--absolutely delightful." -- Julia Larios "Full of lush illustrations, embedded puzzles, and notes on Harry Houdini, Alison Bechdel, tangrams, labyrinths, and sudoku." -- Fiction Advocate "To leave readers slightly bewildered, to leave them with some questions answered but also with the understanding that other questions are unanswerable, to challenge readers to be satisfied with uncertainty - that''s exactly what Turchi encourages in this book." -- Numéro Cinq "But as much as A Muse & a Maze seeks to explore the inner workings of the craft of writing, the book isn''t interested in pulling aside the curtain on the art form''s intrinsic wondrousness. If anything, Turchi''s collection of citations, motivations, riddles and games yields as many questions as it answers." -- Mountain Xpress "Informed and informative....thoughtful and thought provoking." -- Midwest Book Review "Turchi combines puzzles and discussions of magic tricks as well as conventional literary analysis to show how arranging information to deepen the sense of mystery can make writing more interesting." -- Chicago Reader "The tension between these concepts--puzzle and mystery--forms the center of Turchi''s learned, funny, and uncategorizable book, part writing guide, part literary criticism, and part playful compendium of tricks, games, and problems." -- Colorado Review "In A Muse and a Maze, Peter Turchi skillfully draws the reader through some of the most fundamental and challenging questions that writers face, tricking us into learning more about ourselves and our writing process by making us think we are learning about something unrelated to writing: games and puzzles. But herein lies the brilliance of his approach--we drop our writerly defenses and open ourselves to receiving information via a new angle, and before we know it, revelations about writing and process become apparent." -- Brooklyn Rail "A Muse and A Maze offers sharp insights into the craft of writing, illuminating the process of puzzle-making and mystery-building that makes reading novels so absorbing and rewarding. " -- West and Grand, Turchi invites us to think about books as mysteries unfolding in time, giving us clues that we piece together." — Washington Post One of the country's foremost thinkers on the art of writing....Turchi argues that writers are like magicians who aim to lead us to a state of wonder." — Houston Chronicle "Although Turchi's knack for drawing connections can seem like a sleight of hand in itself, his writing is consistently engaging, lively, and thought provoking. The interactive element is also a delight, as there are actual puzzles scattered throughout (answers are provided in the back) to demonstrate the challenges and rewards offered by puzzles—and by good writing. And though Turchi's volume seems most tailored to writers, readers and puzzle lovers should find much of value as well."— Publishers Weekly "Altogether stimulating."—Brain Pickings "Full of lush illustrations, embedded puzzles, and notes on Harry Houdini, Alison Bechdel, tangrams, labyrinths, and sudoku."—Fiction Advocate, "Although Turchi's knack for drawing connections can seem like a sleight of hand in itself, his writing is consistently engaging, lively, and thought provoking. The interactive element is also a delight, as there are actual puzzles scattered throughout (answers are provided in the back) to demonstrate the challenges and rewards offered by puzzles—and by good writing. And though Turchi's volume seems most tailored to writers, readers and puzzle lovers should find much of value as well."-- Publishers Weekly "Altogether stimulating."--Brain Pickings "Full of lush illustrations, embedded puzzles, and notes on Harry Houdini, Alison Bechdel, tangrams, labyrinths, and sudoku."--Fiction Advocate, Turchi invites us to think about books as mysteries unfolding in time, giving us clues that we piece together." — Washington Post One of the country's foremost thinkers on the art of writing....Turchi argues that writers are like magicians who aim to lead us to a state of wonder." — Houston Chronicle "Although Turchi's knack for drawing connections can seem like a sleight of hand in itself, his writing is consistently engaging, lively, and thought provoking. The interactive element is also a delight, as there are actual puzzles scattered throughout (answers are provided in the back) to demonstrate the challenges and rewards offered by puzzles—and by good writing. And though Turchi's volume seems most tailored to writers, readers and puzzle lovers should find much of value as well."— Publishers Weekly "Altogether stimulating."—Brain Pickings "Full of lush illustrations, embedded puzzles, and notes on Harry Houdini, Alison Bechdel, tangrams, labyrinths, and sudoku."—Fiction Advocate "The wide-ranging connections he draws are convincing, provocative, and not infrequently funny, drawing the reader into a labyrinth of reflection where each turn brings a new surprise."— Santa Fe New Mexican "Informed and informative....thoughtful and thought provoking."--Midwest Book Review, "Turchi invites us to think about books as mysteries unfolding in time, giving us clues that we piece together." -- Washington Post "One of the country's foremost thinkers on the art of writing....Turchi argues that writers are like magicians who aim to lead us to a state of wonder." -- Houston Chronicle "Although Turchi's knack for drawing connections can seem like a sleight of hand in itself, his writing is consistently engaging, lively, and thought provoking. The interactive element is also a delight, as there are actual puzzles scattered throughout (answers are provided in the back) to demonstrate the challenges and rewards offered by puzzles--and by good writing. And though Turchi's volume seems most tailored to writers, readers and puzzle lovers should find much of value as well."-- Publishers Weekly "Altogether stimulating."--Brain Pickings "Full of lush illustrations, embedded puzzles, and notes on Harry Houdini, Alison Bechdel, tangrams, labyrinths, and sudoku."--Fiction Advocate "The wide-ranging connections he draws are convincing, provocative, and not infrequently funny, drawing the reader into a labyrinth of reflection where each turn brings a new surprise."-- Santa Fe New Mexican "Informed and informative....thoughtful and thought provoking."--Midwest Book Review "Turchi combines puzzles and discussions of magic tricks as well as conventional literary analysis to show how arranging information to deepen the sense of mystery can make writing more interesting."-- Chicago Reader "A MUSE AND A MAZE is my favorite book about literature. The prose is engaging, and the mind behind is filled with insight, depth and a great sense of play. Anyone who likes books should read it." --Chris Offutt, author of No Heroes: A Memoir of Coming Home "He's done it again. Peter Turchi, the best-selling author who inspires artists, designers, and anyone trying to understand how to capture an audience's imagination through storytelling, has written a book that aligns the art of literature with puzzle creation and illusions."-- World Literature Today, "Although Turchi's knack for drawing connections can seem like a sleight of hand in itself, his writing is consistently engaging, lively, and thought provoking. The interactive element is also a delight, as there are actual puzzles scattered throughout (answers are provided in the back) to demonstrate the challenges and rewards offered by puzzles—and by good writing. And though Turchi's volume seems most tailored to writers, readers and puzzle lovers should find much of value as well."— Publishers Weekly, "Turchi invites us to think about books as mysteries unfolding in time, giving us clues that we piece together." -- Washington Post "One of the country's foremost thinkers on the art of writing....Turchi argues that writers are like magicians who aim to lead us to a state of wonder." -- Houston Chronicle "Although Turchi's knack for drawing connections can seem like a sleight of hand in itself, his writing is consistently engaging, lively, and thought provoking. The interactive element is also a delight, as there are actual puzzles scattered throughout (answers are provided in the back) to demonstrate the challenges and rewards offered by puzzles--and by good writing. And though Turchi's volume seems most tailored to writers, readers and puzzle lovers should find much of value as well."-- Publishers Weekly "Altogether stimulating."--Brain Pickings "Full of lush illustrations, embedded puzzles, and notes on Harry Houdini, Alison Bechdel, tangrams, labyrinths, and sudoku."--Fiction Advocate "The wide-ranging connections he draws are convincing, provocative, and not infrequently funny, drawing the reader into a labyrinth of reflection where each turn brings a new surprise."-- Santa Fe New Mexican "Informed and informative....thoughtful and thought provoking."--Midwest Book Review "Turchi combines puzzles and discussions of magic tricks as well as conventional literary analysis to show how arranging information to deepen the sense of mystery can make writing more interesting."-- Chicago Reader "A MUSE AND A MAZE is my favorite book about literature. The prose is engaging, and the mind behind is filled with insight, depth and a great sense of play. Anyone who likes books should read it." --Chris Offutt, author of No Heroes: A Memoir of Coming Home "He's done it again. Peter Turchi, the best-selling author who inspires artists, designers, and anyone trying to understand how to capture an audience's imagination through storytelling, has written a book that aligns the art of literature with puzzle creation and illusions."-- World Literature Today "The tension between these concepts--puzzle and mystery--forms the center of Turchi's learned, funny, and uncategorizable book, part writing guide, part literary criticism, and part playful compendium of tricks, games, and problems."-- Colorado Review, "Turchi invites us to think about books as mysteries unfolding in time, giving us clues that we piece together."---- Washington Post "One of the country''s foremost thinkers on the art of writing....Turchi argues that writers are like magicians who aim to lead us to a state of wonder."---- Houston Chronicle "Altogether stimulating."---- Brain Pickings "Consistently engaging, lively, and thought provoking. The interactive element is also a delight, as there are actual puzzles scattered throughout (answers are provided in the back) to demonstrate the challenges and rewards offered by puzzles--and by good writing....Readers and puzzle lovers should find much of value."---- Publishers Weekly "My favorite book about literature. . . . Anyone who likes books should read it."---- Chris Offutt , author of No Heroes "A brilliant book on writing craft, providing the reader with a new way to think about composing fiction. It''s also simply a delight to read-smart, well organized, and full of muscular writing and funny anecdotes."---- Robert Boswell , author of Tumbledown "The wide-ranging connections Turchi draws are convincing, provocative, and not infrequently funny, drawing the reader into a labyrinth of reflection where each turn brings a new surprise."---- Santa Fe New Mexican "He''s done it again. Peter Turchi, the best-selling author who inspires artists, designers, and anyone trying to understand how to capture an audience''s imagination through storytelling, has written a book that aligns the art of literature with puzzle creation and illusions."---- World Literature Today "Turchi combines puzzles and discussions of magic tricks as well as conventional literary analysis to show how arranging information to deepen the sense of mystery can make writing more interesting."---- Chicago Reader "A glorious craft book--absolutely delightful."-- -- Julia Larios "Full of lush illustrations, embedded puzzles, and notes on Harry Houdini, Alison Bechdel, tangrams, labyrinths, and sudoku."-- Fiction Advocate "To leave readers slightly bewildered, to leave them with some questions answered but also with the understanding that other questions are unanswerable, to challenge readers to be satisfied with uncertainty - that''s exactly what Turchi encourages in this book."-- Numéro Cinq "But as much as A Muse & a Maze seeks to explore the inner workings of the craft of writing, the book isn''t interested in pulling aside the curtain on the art form''s intrinsic wondrousness. If anything, Turchi''s collection of citations, motivations, riddles and games yields as many questions as it answers."-- Mountain Xpress "Informed and informative....thoughtful and thought provoking."-- Midwest Book Review "Turchi combines puzzles and discussions of magic tricks as well as conventional literary analysis to show how arranging information to deepen the sense of mystery can make writing more interesting."-- Chicago Reader "The tension between these concepts--puzzle and mystery--forms the center of Turchi''s learned, funny, and uncategorizable book, part writing guide, part literary criticism, and part playful compendium of tricks, games, and problems."-- Colorado Review "In A Muse and a Maze, Peter Turchi skillfully draws the reader through some of the most fundamental and challenging questions that writers face, tricking us into learning more about ourselves and our writing process by making us think we are learning about something unrelated to writing: games and puzzles. But herein lies the brilliance of his approach--we drop our writerly defenses and open ourselves to receiving information via a new angle, and before we know it, revelations about writing and process become apparent."-- Brooklyn Rail "A Muse and A Maze offers sharp insights into the craft of writing, illuminating the process of puzzle-making and mystery-building that makes reading novels so absorbing and rewarding. "-- West and Grand
