Jigsaw Puzzling: Essays in a Time of Pestilence

by Denise Low

The 15 essays in this book explore the pop culture of jigsaw puzzlers while reflecting on art, geography, history, and more. Denise Low considers mosaics, reassembled pottery shards, play as rehearsal for life, and more. She quotes other literary jigsaw authors like Susan Sontag, Gaston Bachelard, Margaret Drabble and poets James Merrill and Dick Allen. “I never underestimate the power of a single puzzle piece. It fits within a whole, like each moment of my unfolding life story.” —Denise Low

Paperback

Published November 1, 2022

Reviews

[DeniseLow DeniseLow]

Geez, just don't want to review my own book!! But it was a lot of fun to write, plus it kept me sane during COVID-19.

[Ronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprise favorite read for me this New Year has been Jigsaw Puzzling: Essays in a Time of Pestilence by former Kansas Poet Laureate Denise Low. While I have been a huge fan of her poetry, memoir writings and prose, I did not see myself enjoying a book, written by anyone, about puzzling.

Jigsaw puzzles are something I have witnessed on tables in a variety of homes since I was a child. But I was never taken with them. I have always avoided board games - which I refer to as bored games.

As someone who has witnessed from afar the variety of puzzles Low and her husband have completed over the past couple of years, I was intrigued by the question, what can she possibly be writing when writing about her puzzle passion? It puzzled me!

I was immediately pulled into the variety of items Low wrote about: movies, art, history…. I began to understand the draw of puzzling. Now to avoid the pestilence!

I highly recommend Jigsaw Puzzling: Essays in a Time of Pestilence to puzzle enthusiasts. If you are like me and simply curious about this growing passion, you will learn far more about puzzling than you likely thought possible.

[Shirleynature · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juxtaposing a deep dive into diversion with reality, this thought-provoking collection uses metaphors relating our communal, pandemic-riddled lives with visually descriptive geography, puzzle strategy, and other writers’ profound considerations related to jigsaw puzzles.

[Thomas Weso · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tells the history of jigsaw puzzles and also the author's reflections as she assembles puzzles during Covid-19 lockdown--wise, funny, surprisingly fun.