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Solomon's Puzzle
Everyone in Annapolis knows "honest" Tom MacBride. An Academy grad who ran a soup kitchen for the poor and poor in spirit, he's devoted hustband, father of four, and the beloved basketball coach at CCS.
His sworn enemy, Colonel Max Hunter wants him dead.
Max Hunter won custody of the infant Ben in a fight he shudders to remember. For nearly sixteen years, he's lived in fear of someone finding out the truth.
When Ben enrolls at CCS, the lies - including those Ben tells to hide the misery of his home life - start to unravel. Why does Tom welcome Ben, yet forbid him to date his daughter? Is Tom MacBride what he seems, or did he do something terrible enough to arouse Max Hunter's violent fury?
His sworn enemy, Colonel Max Hunter wants him dead.
Max Hunter won custody of the infant Ben in a fight he shudders to remember. For nearly sixteen years, he's lived in fear of someone finding out the truth.
When Ben enrolls at CCS, the lies - including those Ben tells to hide the misery of his home life - start to unravel. Why does Tom welcome Ben, yet forbid him to date his daughter? Is Tom MacBride what he seems, or did he do something terrible enough to arouse Max Hunter's violent fury?
781 pages, Paperback
First published November 26, 2010
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33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
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April 29, 2012It's different and worth reading. I love the ending, even though I wrote it.
September 28, 2011
Okay, so this is a good book, but I did something silly that sucked some of the fun out of it for me. I misread a sentence. And so I was completely confused and in suspense, only to realize that I had simply missed the word "and." Nice. Anyway, don't be intimidated by its size - it is actually a pretty quick read! Definitely worth your time, especially if you have an affinity for Annapolis or another similar small, historic, friendly town.
October 29, 2011
Probably would have given this book 5 stars, except that it was a little too long and some of the scenes were a bit unrealistic. Kept me on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out what the secrets were and how they all pulled together. Themes of forgiveness and Christianity are woven through the story. Is set in Annapolis, and much of the action happens in and around the Naval Academy.
May 23, 2013
As someone who reads a lot of self-published and boutique published fiction, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two kinds of editors––those who work for the author and those who work for the reader. Author-centric editors view their main goal as helping the author say what s/he wants to say with less concern about whether the reader will have problems sticking with the author while s/he spins her yarn. Reader-centric authors believe protecting the reader is their primary objective. Those editors scream when the author inserts conflicting or confusing details, wanders off the main path or gets bogged down. To that end, reader-centric editors are actually more helpful to authors than author-centric editors. They understand that the ship cannot sail unless the reader is on board.
How does this apply to Solomon’s Puzzle? The editorial services provided Loris Nebbia may have been helpful to her in ways the reader can’t see, but they failed to help her in ways that are clear just by reading some of the reviews posted on Goodreads and Amazon. While the majority of readers loved the book because of the characters and the story, a significant few felt it was too long, didn’t ring true in places and injected too much religion.
I disagree with the latter criticism. I thought Nebbia handled the religious aspects of the story skillfully without proselytising or inventing overnight conversions, but the other criticisms are on target.
The length of the book is a problem. It is 781 pages long or approximately 300,000 words––three times the length of most novels. What could have been cut? Nebbia could have eliminated small scenes and dialogue that are not essential to the story. She loves her characters––after all, she spent 12 years with them, and she couldn’t resist telling us about customers of Laurie’s quilting shop and sleep-overs at the MacBrides. That’s where the editor needed to jump in, but that kind of editing might have reduced the length by a few thousand words at best. The primary factor that contributes to the extraordinary length of Solomon’s Puzzle is author’s desire to bring the story to its conclusion between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Solomon’s Puzzle begins with the new school year. Ben, the story’s protagonist, is turning 16 and entering a new (private Christian) school because his family moved to Annapolis so his father Max could take up a post at the Naval Academy as a recruiter for the Marine Corps.
Max is bringing his family back to the scene of events that happened 16 years before––events he has been hiding from Ben since they involve questions of his parentage and the basis of Max’s anger and violence towards Ben.
To get the story to conclude at Christmas, Nebbia needs to prevent Ben from discovering the truth through out the entire fall. To accomplish this, she needs to invent events, such as having Ben’s friend Joe take a blood test that Ben was supposed to take, that prolong the uncovering. Several readers point to the failure of adults to tell Ben the truth as their main objection to the story and the rationale––they want him to discover it himself is flimsy.
As a gesture of support for a local author I picked up (i.e., bought) Solomon’s Puzzle during a visit to Annapolis this spring. What goes around might come around. This is Blessing House Press’ first and I believe only publication.
Solomon’s Puzzle is a character-driven novel and that’s its strength. Nebbia’s characters are unique and well-drawn––no stereotypes, no stick figures. Readers might quarrel with motivation in the case of the the villains (Max and his mother Emma), but the author resists the temptation to have them “see the light” in the end. Bravo.
Nebbia’s world of Annapolis is also artfully drawn. We never stop to wonder about the settings. We see what she wants us to see.
The story draws the reader in. We care about Ben and the other characters in the book. We suffer at Ben’s beatings. We celebrate the MacBride family and at the goodness of most of the other characters. We are happy to see Donna and Patty change for the better, but like most readers we just wish Nebbia hadn’t postponed the conclusion when we already knew the depth of Max’s depravity and had suffered Ben’s injuries enough.
We also wondered how a 16-year old could manage to be so healthy without eating food. In other words, repeating the same responses to events over and over weakens their impact.
According to her website, Nebbia is at work on a second novel. My guess is that the second one will show improvement in her mastery of story development without sacrificing her insights into human behavior and motivation. A reader-centric editor would be nice.
How does this apply to Solomon’s Puzzle? The editorial services provided Loris Nebbia may have been helpful to her in ways the reader can’t see, but they failed to help her in ways that are clear just by reading some of the reviews posted on Goodreads and Amazon. While the majority of readers loved the book because of the characters and the story, a significant few felt it was too long, didn’t ring true in places and injected too much religion.
I disagree with the latter criticism. I thought Nebbia handled the religious aspects of the story skillfully without proselytising or inventing overnight conversions, but the other criticisms are on target.
The length of the book is a problem. It is 781 pages long or approximately 300,000 words––three times the length of most novels. What could have been cut? Nebbia could have eliminated small scenes and dialogue that are not essential to the story. She loves her characters––after all, she spent 12 years with them, and she couldn’t resist telling us about customers of Laurie’s quilting shop and sleep-overs at the MacBrides. That’s where the editor needed to jump in, but that kind of editing might have reduced the length by a few thousand words at best. The primary factor that contributes to the extraordinary length of Solomon’s Puzzle is author’s desire to bring the story to its conclusion between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Solomon’s Puzzle begins with the new school year. Ben, the story’s protagonist, is turning 16 and entering a new (private Christian) school because his family moved to Annapolis so his father Max could take up a post at the Naval Academy as a recruiter for the Marine Corps.
Max is bringing his family back to the scene of events that happened 16 years before––events he has been hiding from Ben since they involve questions of his parentage and the basis of Max’s anger and violence towards Ben.
To get the story to conclude at Christmas, Nebbia needs to prevent Ben from discovering the truth through out the entire fall. To accomplish this, she needs to invent events, such as having Ben’s friend Joe take a blood test that Ben was supposed to take, that prolong the uncovering. Several readers point to the failure of adults to tell Ben the truth as their main objection to the story and the rationale––they want him to discover it himself is flimsy.
As a gesture of support for a local author I picked up (i.e., bought) Solomon’s Puzzle during a visit to Annapolis this spring. What goes around might come around. This is Blessing House Press’ first and I believe only publication.
Solomon’s Puzzle is a character-driven novel and that’s its strength. Nebbia’s characters are unique and well-drawn––no stereotypes, no stick figures. Readers might quarrel with motivation in the case of the the villains (Max and his mother Emma), but the author resists the temptation to have them “see the light” in the end. Bravo.
Nebbia’s world of Annapolis is also artfully drawn. We never stop to wonder about the settings. We see what she wants us to see.
The story draws the reader in. We care about Ben and the other characters in the book. We suffer at Ben’s beatings. We celebrate the MacBride family and at the goodness of most of the other characters. We are happy to see Donna and Patty change for the better, but like most readers we just wish Nebbia hadn’t postponed the conclusion when we already knew the depth of Max’s depravity and had suffered Ben’s injuries enough.
We also wondered how a 16-year old could manage to be so healthy without eating food. In other words, repeating the same responses to events over and over weakens their impact.
According to her website, Nebbia is at work on a second novel. My guess is that the second one will show improvement in her mastery of story development without sacrificing her insights into human behavior and motivation. A reader-centric editor would be nice.
September 29, 2011
Solomon's Puzzle by Loris NebbiaMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I read this for my book club...doubt I would read it again as it was very long and felt very tedious for me. We had mixed reviews in our club. Some liked it, some had issues with the storyline (I did - too many rabbit trails and unanswered questions!).
The story did draw you in at first. School boy (Ben) is being abused by his dad (Max) and the question of Ben's parentage is a mystery. Is Max the real dad or is it Tom, someone who knew Max and his wife around the time Ben was born? While the reader knows who the real mom is, Ben doesn't find out until the end (sorry if that is a spoiler!). My biggest beef is that if Ben had been told the truth from the beginning, instead of the adults all waiting for him to guess his true parentage, it would have alleviated a lot of the pain this kid went through...and a lot of the text of the book!
I had a hard time relating to any of the characters. Certainly not either Max or Tom nor the wives, Donna and Mrs. McBride (who came across as a more perfect image of Martha Stewart than Ms. Stewart herself - I had to remind myself that this was fiction!). Maybe to the teens - Joe the goof-ball, Ben the serious one or Bonnie Jean, near perfect herself.
One good thing about the book, if you are local, you could really picture much of the scenery as you were reading.
Might make a good beach read for someone but it was definitely not a favorite!
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July 20, 2013
I have a lot of reason to want to like this book. It's about Annapolis where I live and about the quilt shop where I buy fabric. I am eager to support local people, and ESPECIALLY English teachers.
The book, however, is very long and needed an editor. It's is about a boy who moves to Annapolis, has an abusive father, is loyal to his younger brothers, is a sort of Adonis of capability, and meets a family that seems to have both the kind of world he hungers for and some odd connection with his past. The plot is fine, it's just over drawn out. I won't give it away but there is so much brooding and dialogue and mooning over the family-of-desire that is gets tedious. I skimmed over and over because the point was obvious as they curled up in the apple tree attic, sat in the hospital as the new baby was admired, heard lectures in the gym, and so forth. I am actually surprised that a high school English teacher did not have more of an ear for the conversations of kids.
That said, I applaud anyone who tried to weave something out of a local setting. It's fun to hear about places and streets you know so well. I wish the story were less soupy and I could recommend it more enthusiastically.
The book, however, is very long and needed an editor. It's is about a boy who moves to Annapolis, has an abusive father, is loyal to his younger brothers, is a sort of Adonis of capability, and meets a family that seems to have both the kind of world he hungers for and some odd connection with his past. The plot is fine, it's just over drawn out. I won't give it away but there is so much brooding and dialogue and mooning over the family-of-desire that is gets tedious. I skimmed over and over because the point was obvious as they curled up in the apple tree attic, sat in the hospital as the new baby was admired, heard lectures in the gym, and so forth. I am actually surprised that a high school English teacher did not have more of an ear for the conversations of kids.
That said, I applaud anyone who tried to weave something out of a local setting. It's fun to hear about places and streets you know so well. I wish the story were less soupy and I could recommend it more enthusiastically.
May 7, 2012
Solomon's Puzzle is a wonderful book. It's impossible not to get emotionally invested in the characters, as the character development is superb. The message is clear and uplifting, and the reader will want to be a part of the McBride family.
The book is definitely long, but once you get going it's hard to put it down. I found myself up late at night reading (and at times trying to hide tears from my wife... shh). It is especially fun to read as an Annapolis native, but that is certainly not necessary in order to enjoy the book.
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable book, and definitely worth a read.
The book is definitely long, but once you get going it's hard to put it down. I found myself up late at night reading (and at times trying to hide tears from my wife... shh). It is especially fun to read as an Annapolis native, but that is certainly not necessary in order to enjoy the book.
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable book, and definitely worth a read.
September 21, 2012
I loved the story line, however, felt it was too long. It could have been three hundred pages less and been an awesome book. Faith is different for each person. Tom's faith was so strong and his forgiveness at times unbelievable but made you feel that you too could feel this way in your life. It was a warm, loving, strong family. Made you wish you had been part of this family.
I meet the author and she is awesome. Our book club had her as our guest and what a great discussion. It took her 12 yrs. to write this one. Hope she completes her second book before 12 years!
February 20, 2012
Interesting story set in Annapolis. The main character is a high school student who is being abused by his father who is a Marine working at the Naval Academy. Enjoyed the local color. Met the author at a local craft fair where I purchased her book. This book would be enjoyed by anyone who likes faith based literature. The author told me her reluctant reader boys (she was a high school English teacher) really liked the book, which is why I decided to give it a try.
January 3, 2014
i really tried to like this book. i stuck with it till the end because i wanted to see what would eventually happen. i think this book was a lot longer than it needed to be, and would benefit from some serious editing.
December 5, 2011
Too much religion for me. Rather long. I found a number of editing errors. It did keep me wondering.
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January 8, 2012The author of this book came to speak at my quilting guild. I bought the book and the accompanying quilt pattern. Can't wait to read it..
Had to set this one aside. Just not getting into it.
Had to set this one aside. Just not getting into it.
March 27, 2012
This was a long and frustrating read. The author has a great message but the story was not believable and too tortuous. There were also many grammatical and editorial errors throughout the book.
August 13, 2012
Compelling. Read for book club, would like to hear what others will say about it.
September 13, 2012
Way too long. She needed a good editor. Very repetitive. The characters were too black and white.
March 4, 2014
An incredible thought provoking mystery that reveals brokenness and the strength of the human heart. This book led me to begin my 1st novel
December 20, 2014
This was a book recommended for Holly Oak Calvary UMC. I enjoyed reading this book. I read it in 5 days. Well done Loris Nebbia!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews