NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE 2014 EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVELWINNER OF THE 2014 DILYS AWARDA SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF 2013 “That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.” New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961. The Twins were playing their debut season, … Minnesota, 1961. The Twins were playing their debut season, ice-cold root beers were selling out at the soda counter of Halderson’s Drugstore, and Hot Stuff comic books were a mainstay on every barbershop magazine rack. It was a time of innocence and hope for a country with a new, young president. But for thirteen-year-old Frank Drum it was a grim summer in which death visited frequently and assumed many forms. Accident. Nature. Suicide. Murder.
Frank begins the season preoccupied with the concerns of any teenage boy, but when tragedy unexpectedly strikes his family–which includes his Methodist minister father; his passionate, artistic mother; Juilliard-bound older sister; and wise-beyond-his-years kid brother–he finds himself thrust into an adult world full of secrets, lies, adultery, and betrayal, suddenly called upon to demonstrate a maturity and gumption beyond his years.
Told from Frank’s perspective forty years after that fateful summer, Ordinary Grace is a brilliantly moving account of a boy standing at the door of his young manhood, trying to understand a world that seems to be falling apart around him. It is an unforgettable novel about discovering the terrible price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God.more
Beautiful writing. Full breadth characters. An excellent read. Highly recommended.
Wow. This story has so much depth; depth of character, depth of insight, depth of writing, strength of voice, and depth of setting. I actually saw this as a recommendation on Goodreads so I decided to try it. I’m so glad I did. Krueger weaves together a hometown tale. I see many similarities to To Kill a Mockingbird – it’s told through a young protagonist, describes life in a small town, the father is a minister – a respected citizen – as was Scout’s father. And both fathers stuck up for the underdog. The power of this story is its understatement, its Venn diagrams that intersect when you least expect them, and the really good writing that kept me turning the page. I recommend this book without reservation.
I enjoyed the message of faith and forgiveness
Well written; a good read!
Murder, mystery, betrayal, and pain as remembered through the eyes of boy color the storyline of this book. Frank tells this story of a pivotal summer (Minnesota 1961) in his childhood. It was a summer marked by death, suspicions, and a search for the truth. It was a summer of leaning about God’s grace, love, and miracles. It was a summer that would either destroy his family or make it stronger. It was a summer of small town life when kids had freedom to wander in the community. It was a summer that shaped Frank and his younger brother Jake into the men they would become.
This was a well written, character driven story. The author did a good job of making the characters real. The time and place were accurately depicted. I didn’t give it five stars because there were a couple of predictable plot points that I was able to anticipate ahead of their revelations. Overall, I liked the book and would definitely recommend it.