A hilarious and heartwarming family drama - a BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick

*I received this book from Penguin First to Read in exchange for an honest review*
Again, I would like to give special thanks to Penguin First to Read for giving Spoonbenders to me to review as an ARC. This was a fantastic book that I wish I didn’t just have for a short period of time to review, but also to own and display on my bookshelf!
This is the story of the psychic Telemachus family that, years before the story begins in 1995 Chicago, was humiliated on live television for being fake psychics. But the Telemachus family’s powers are anything but fake; Grandma Mo had more power than anyone could imagine, her son Buddy could see into the future, her daughter Irene is a “human lie detector”, and her son Frankie is psychokinetic. Even the grandchildren in the Telemachus family have abilities; Irene’s son Matty’s astroprojecting skills could be what saves the family from falling into total poverty and obscurity.
Admittedly, I almost put this book down around halfway through. There definitely was a lag in the middle of the story where it seemed as though nothing important was really happening, things were getting confusing, and I was spacing out. But I am really glad that I stayed with this book! Everything that happens in Spoonbenders is important, and things that once seemed obscure as the book was developing itself will come together by the end of the story very nicely. But throughout the story, what really kept me interested in what was going on was the characters. You will both absolutely love and totally loathe pretty much all of the characters at some point or another during the story, and, above all, you will become attached to this story just so you can find out what’s going to happen to them!
I won’t give away the ending (no, seriously, I actually won’t), but it’s got a lot of plot twists in it right when you think there could be nothing more going on in this story. I don’t think there needs to be a sequel to this book, but I would be happy to read one. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a literary story with some aspects of fantasy; this is perfect for you.

A drama with a nice large dose of Science Fiction, unless you happen to believe in "spoon bending". In that case, you might want to call it a
documentary : )
The story flows very smoothly and does a good job of developing the characters.
My favorite part of the book was the second half, but I can't tell you why I liked it so much without using spoilers, so just trust me, it is a great
read, and if you miss it, you will be trying to kick yourself in the behind for missing such a great book.

"Hilarious" and "wacky" are words that some reviewers have used to describe this book, but genuine hilarity - whether wacky or merely droll - is hard to come by in "Spoonbenders." Perhaps "witty" is a better word. There were few real laugh-out-loud moments for me. The story is fast-paced and mildly engrossing, but it moves toward an all-too-predictable ending that's faintly reminiscent of "A Prayer for Owen Meany" (or maybe that's just me?), and certain subplots with great potential ultimately lead to nowhere in particular (and at least one left me scratching my head, wondering, "What was the point of all that?"). Something tells me this will make a better movie than a novel.

They were The Amazing Telemachus Family and in the 60's they were poised to make it big. Teddy, the patriarch and Mo, the mother, met when the government was exploring the use of psychics in the Cold War against Russia. Mo was the real deal and Teddy was the consummate con man. They fell in love and married and the kids came along. Irene was a human lie detector who could sense if someone was lying. Frankie could move things with his mind while Buddy could tell the future. But after a televised debacle, the family never made it big.

Decades later, things aren't going so well. Mo died when the kids were still small, her talent no match for cancer. Teddy's career as a card shark vanished when he got mixed up with a mob figure who turned on him. Irene can't keep a job or a relationship as there is falsehood all around and she sees it every time. Frankie hasn't moved anything with his mind in years and now doubts if he ever really did. Buddy has never moved out, rarely speaks and spends his days building contraptions in the house and yard. What happened?

But Teddy never gives up. He meets Gabriella in the supermarket and falls in love. The fact that she is married and to the son of the mobster who was his enemy is a minor setback. Frankie has a scheme to get back the money he lost and pay off the mob he borrowed from. Irene's son Matty seems to have inherited Mo's talent and is just now realizing he can teleport wherever he wants to go. When the mob comes after the family for all their annoyances, can they pull together one last time to save the family?

Daryl Gregory has written an engaging tale that stretches across the decades and has the reader cheering for them to finally break out and make a difference. The characters are convincing and the slow reveal of their love and ability to pull together makes for a charming read. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.

Audiobook was provided for review by AudioBookReviewer dot com.

This is the story of the Telemachus family, formed by people with different psychic powers, and how they try to survive, sometimes in twisted ways. This is a three generation family, starting by the great and powerful Maurine, married to Teddy, whose special ability is just being a con-artist. They had three children, each one with different powers and level of power. Sadly Maurine died quite young, and this dysfunctional family had to get ahead despite their limits in life. Because with great power comes also a great price to pay, and the Telemachus know this. The main story happens when these three children are adults and have children of their own, but there are numerous flashbacks to let us know how life was in the beginning, and this will allow us to have a better understanding about the issues affecting each one.

The story is funny at times, but with a sad undertone that never leaves. The characters are wonderfully pictured, each one with their own quirks, all feeling like real people. Their dialogs and interactions are fluid and natural, and I almost felt part of this peculiar family.

This is a beautifully written book, with a rich prose. Don't expect a clear plot with a linear narration. The story constantly changes point of view, but the character's POV is specified at the beginning of each chapter. There are also numerous flashbacks, and even fastforwards, and all contributes to create a complex and elaborated storyline, where stories are intertwined, forming a wonderful tale about the Telemachus family.

Ari Fliakos' narration was superb. It is not easy to narrate a book with so many characters, and sometimes many of them together at the same time. All characters were perfectly distinguishable, and were wonderfully interpreted. Ari Fliakos has masterly brought them to life in an unforgettable audiobook.

This is a different book from any I have read before, and I'm sure it will stay with me for a very long time. I already miss the Telemachus family.

This book tries to be clever but ultimately I was struck by the poor decisions the family made. Their super powers (middling at best, except for Matty's) didn't really factor into their questionable lifestyle and adherence to the paranormal. It's almost like they didn't want to get a normal life, held back by a fixation on what they could squeeze out of whatever fading greatness they had. You know, go to college, or train in a reliable field such as electrician, banking, teaching, or plumbing. And. do. not. get. involved. with. the. Mob. Who does that nowadays?

Whatever fun I had with this book (Matty was always the scene stealer, I guess, because he enjoyed what he did, and he was too young to make stupid choices) was snatched away by the dysfunctional family. Maybe a basket case makes for a good character study, but it's hard to read about them and connect.

This story seemed to reflect a mindset of the 1950's when families stayed in a myth-making self-perpetuating identity, not the 1990's.

This book is an absolute delight and unlike anything you are likely to read again. It is difficult to review this wonderful story without spoilers but here is the situation: Teddy Telemachus, a card shark and con man with charm, falls for Maureen, a gorgeous Irish girl with psychic abilities. They have 3 children: Frankie is the eldest, Irene the middle child and Buddy, the youngest. All the children have some paranormal talent and the book begins as the family is about to do it's traveling act before a live television audience. It falls apart in the middle because Buddy has a meltdown back stage and Maureen cannot leave him. So much for the act.

Fast forward: The children are adults: Irene has a son, Mathias, 14, and is forced to move back to the family home as she has lost another job. Frankie is married to Loretta, who came to the marriage with a daughter, Mary Alice (known as Malice), and Frankie and Loretta have twin daughters about 5 years old. Frankie has tried one get rich scheme after another and is in debt to the mob.

Buddy has never left home and refuses to talk to family members. He spends his days on various renovation projects, many of which are abandoned before completion. A few times Frankie has talked Buddy into helping with one of his schemes using his psychic ability. Attempts fail for various reasons.

Since Buddy is not interested in helping Frankie again, Frankie zeros in on Irene's son, Mathias, who shows real standout psychic ability. Confused, yet? Of course you are but it doesn't matter. Think of this novel as being about your craziest relatives and then think how much crazier they would be if each one had psychic ability.

A great summer read.

There is something for everyone. Uncle Frankie tells Buddie on the sly, that you come from greatness and shows him the VHS tape of the family downfall on the Mike Douglas show.There’s government conspiracy theories and black ops. There’s old school neighborhood mobsters.There’s get rich quick schemes and multilevel marketing. It’s a coming of age story. A finding love story. What holds it together is a dysfunctional loving family story. All of this is interwoven in the clan of Teddy and Maureen Telemachus. The story is told from three generations: eddy, his three grown children, Frankie, Buddy, Irene, and a grandchild Matty who’s inherited some of the family magical skills.It’s mostly chronological from June to October with matching sections back in time. It’s engaging and revealing but not too revealing until the end. It’s rich in details of the everyday trials and tribulations. The end is hilarious and pulls all the seemingly random and not so random pieces together into a grand finale that all parties show up for.

It reminded me of The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen with magical powers added. I rate this a 4.5, It wasn’t till the end it became a page turner. This would make a great book club read, there is so much to it.

I checked the Kindle version of this book out from my local library.

This is very much an ensemble story. Each chapter is named for the character from whose point of view the story is being told. The chapters cycle through a fourteen year old boy, his mother, his uncles, and his grandfather (maybe I missed someone, but I think I have it). Each character is distinct. Each has his/her hopes and fears, and I think that part was very realistic.

The paranormal aspect of the story was handled very well. None of the characters were (anything like) superheroes. Each talent had a downside -- occasionally serious enough to make the character view his/her talent as more a curse than a blessing. I thought the secondary characters were unusually well developed and nuanced too.

I don't give many five star reviews, but I enjoyed this book so much that felt it warranted the ranking.

Fun read. Full of family and mystique. Part magic part sleight of hand.... And you aren't always sure which way is up. Story focuses on a family in disarray... Each with special "powers" and full of disfunction and secrets.
Each voice is unique and shares their own perspective chapter by chapter. Sounds like it could be chaotic... But it's not, the story telling is seamless, the characters loveable, and a lot of laughs.
A fun, mysterious and exciting ride!

Spoonbenders Characters were quirky, writing was good. I had a really had time bouncing back and forth between the early stories as they seemed to ramble a bit, however, I feel that is very much how all of Teddy Telemachuses' life is spent- rambling through his own desires, whims and cons. The only thing I feel Teddy didn't ramble though was his marriage to the love is his life, Maureen. As we met each family member we get a better sense of their powers, what drives them and how they fit into Daryl Gregory's story. My favorite character is the wacky, yet non-communicative Buddy. He does strange things, you don't know into needed that makes for a good story. When the book finally starts moving along I feel a swayed to the other wise, what surfaces is a crazy, well planned out adventure between the mob, i suggest you read the book to figure this up what happens next. I don't believe you will regret it!

Spoonbenders is a fun, zany romp through the semi-psychic offspring of a true psychic and a fraud who claims to have taught Johnny Carson his turban-headed fortuneteller trick.
They tried bringing their children on TV to demonstrate, only to be debunked and relegated to a quiet obscure life with some government work in cold war psychic vs. psychic operations.
Now a 3rd generation is starting to come of age and learn if they have powers, with some guidance from beyond the grave from the mother; while the father is off trying to save a mob boss's wife and the daughter is at the height of AOL chat room dating in the early nineties.
This is a fun romp around the ways to trick people or not and why the power and desire to belief can have such a great effect.
And maybe there are even bigger cons being played...

Man! This was a great, fun, kinda warped novel!! I really enjoyed this fun romp! The characters were very well fleshed out, I especially enjoyed Irene, the one in the Telemachus family who is known as the human lie detector. There is a scene in the book regarding Irene and a job interview I thought was just hilarious, wishing I was Irene in that moment! So funny, I had to read it out loud to my partner.
Gregory knows how to tell a story! This is the first book by this author I have read, and I would be willing to read another one of his novels. This is something that I would recommend to someone who is in a reading slump, has been reading serious books, in need to something fun! This one will definitely fit the bill! Check it out!

The Telemachus family has members with incredible psychic powers. While Daryl Gregory uses those powers to drive the plot of his novel titled, Spoonbenders, the strength I found in the book comes from the depth of character development and the humor throughout. This is fine storytelling about an interesting family and the care they have for each other. Some readers may become disoriented from the shifts in time and perspective by different characters, but I found all of that to be another part of enjoying a multi-generational family story.

Rating: Four-star (I like it)

Picture if you will a normal American family...well it certainly won't be this book. Very imaginative, delightfully witty story about a family who have paranormal abilities, some of them at least as the head of this family is a grifter and pretty much a fake...but an excellent magician. As we follow their story, present and past we come to know them well and some pretty hilarious shenanigans and banter takes place between the characters. I found the story entertaining and highly recommend the read as a diversion from reality.

The description of this book does not do it justice. To call it a novel about a family of telepaths really short changes it. I think it is the best book of the year so far. It is a great story with a lot of twists and turns and great engaging characters. Every time you think you have a piece of the plot figured out, the author adds a twist you didn't see coming. It succeeds on so many levels. Fabulous, fabulous book. You need to read this book.

Grampa Telemachus knows all reveals little. His wife Maureen was the real deal, Gramps....not so much. But Grampa could sell....convince the government even if necessary; that he had the solution. But unfortunately not the real deal. A wheeler dealer of the highest order however. One must know one’s strengths & weaknesses after all. Grampa excelled at knowing his strengths.
Irene and Buddy now there’s a different story.
Fun read.

It starts very slow, and there’s so many flashbacks that it’s hard to understand what’s going on at first. But the characters are so interesting and intriguing that I kept going, hoping that it would all come together. Stick with it, because your efforts will be rewarded. The last third of the book flies by, and by the end I was sad that it was over. LOVED how it all came together. Wonderful. I am not a patient reader but I am so glad that I stayed the course.

The structure of this novel is unusual and I almost stopped reading it. It concerns a large family. Some of them are simply con artists but others have unusual powers. Most chapters are concerned with a single character and the scenes bounce between the present day and the past.
Slowly, the story unfolds and it is a great story, well told with a few twists at the end.
Highly enjoyable.
Falstaff's Big Gamble

I just finished this novel and I absolutely loved it!! What a great cast of characters-I could envision them all. From Teddy to Buddy and Matty, Irene and Joshua--extremely enjoyable. I will be watching for more from this author.

Spoonbenders is a well-crafted, funny and moving portrayal of a family that has gifted and moving characters that all have a hard time dealing with their "powers." It's a really believable story, and I couldn't put it down. Gregory has a wonderful ability to create suspense. Spoonbenders also has great characters throughout, and I am not surprised at all that they are making it into a television series. It has all the "right stuff." Hollywood never has any new or very good ideas, but with Gregory around they don't need to.

The Telemachus family is as dysfunctional as they come, but they care deeply about their own, they just have strange ways of showing it.
A fun, fast read that will have you chuckling and leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling after your done.

I stayed up later than I should because I couldn’t put this book down. I enjoyed each character. Another reason for 5 stars is this is the first book in years that didn’t appear to me to have been a rush to tie up the story at the end of the book.

Ahoy there me mateys! This was the absolute perfect read for the last book of 2017. I was first introduced to this author with his book afterparty. That book was a sci-fi dealing with illicit drug use which I found to be fun, thought-provoking, and twisty. Those same adjectives could also be used to describe this one. This book kinda reminded me of a prayer for owen meany, only a lot less sad. This book follows the Telemachus family who have paranormal abilities. The family is zany and endearing. Seriously I would write more but I don't want to spoil it. It's fabulous.

If this were only a family dramedy that plays like one of our better TV series; it would be well worth your time

If this were only a sci-fi-sh adventure novel that ( sorta) out "Incredibles" the Incredibles, it would be well worth your time

But this is Two... Two... Two books in One! (well, really much more than that, but I will always go for the fliippant)

It is, um, well worth your tim

Con artists, psychics, conspiracies, and Chicago--four things I love in one book. Add the deft characterization and a fun, fast-moving writing style and you have a truly enjoyable story about family ties, the commitments we make, and why they last and why they don't.

This is an extremely funny, bittersweet and sad dysfunctional family tale. Mr. Gregory is an imaginative and very creative writer. One of the best I've read in a long time. I'll bet you've read nothing else like it!

loved it. Great summer read, since most of the book takes place in summer. Liked the period, early AOL with all the discs that came in the mail. Also liked the paranormal aspects and the plain old trickery of magic.

As someone else commented, I finished the book with a smile on my face. In fact, I went back a few days later and read the last 20+ pages just to bring back the feeling. It is a story both complex and yet simple. Just delightful.