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The Curious History of the Riddle by Marcel Danesi

3 out of 5 🌟Get ready for an in-depth riddles' history

This book was different from what I thought. I was looking for some fun, quick read about the famous riddles and the history behind them but I wasn't prepared for the rather elaborated analysis of riddles for the given time period. For me 'The Curious History of the Riddle' was just tedious, I guess I don't like enigmas enough. 

What I did like about this publication are clear and accessible chapters, the book is divided by the eras from ancient puzzles to pop-cultural references, plus an extra chapter about visual riddles (probably my favorite). Text is broken into smaller chunks, with a lot of riddles in-between, quotes, and images that make reading more pleasant. At the end of each chapter, it's just a bunch of riddles related to the section, and - most importantly - a full list of answers at the end.

Overall, 'The Curious History of the Riddles' is a work for hardcore enigma's fans, who don't mind digging a little deeper into lavish history records.


Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and feelings are my own.

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