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
I am increasingly impressed with this author. The story is marvelous, engaging and true-to-life. The dialogue between brothers Frankie and Jake is pitch-perfect.
The author does such a wonderful job of pulling the reader into a unique era as well as his very unique characters. I didn’t want this book to end.
One of the best I’ve read in awhile. I put this in a category with To Kill Mockingbird. It’s a page Turner that will keep you guessing.
Stunning story of a minister’s family and intrigue in a small Minnesota town
Frank Drum is a 13 year-old Methodist minister’s son living with his family in New Bremen, Minnesota during the summer of 1961. He has an older sister and a younger brother and all the family gets embroiled in the tragic happenings during that summer.
The story is told from Frank’s point of view looking back on that summer once he’s an adult.
I’ve had this book on my to-read list for a long time and don’t know why I didn’t read it sooner. I’m a fan of author Krueger’s work. This book did not disappoint.
It reminds me in some ways of other favorite books of mine by Joe Lansdale and Kent Haruf. It’s very character driven and a coming-of-age story. There is a lot of intrigue that kept me guessing. I guessed right on some of it right away but other bits didn’t become clear until near the end of the story.
If you are looking for an excellent book filled with interesting characters, give this one a try. I don’t believe you will be disappointed.
I love this book! It is a wonderful coming of age story that will stir your emotions! Have tissues ready!!
An uplifting read in this time of trial.
I have diverse interests, enjoying historical fiction, historical and modern crime mysteries, and historical books. I don’t generally read memoirs. This book had a bit of a memoire feel to it, yet it was also a mystery and a coming of age story. The characters were complex and struggled with believable and difficult issues. I didn’t always like the mother character, but was glad to see her development by the end. I truly enjoyed this book. I have always been opposed to reading books with an overt moralistic message or stilted preaching. This was definantly NOT that! I don’t remember if this was a true story or historical fiction, but the characters within could easily have been real people dealing with real struggles, heartbreak, and ultimately receiving “an awful grace.”
This is one of the best books I’ve read this year.
I recently discovered this author when I read This Tender Land, which I adored. This book is another great story if family, friendship and faith. This author style is perfect and his characters are so well developed. I will be reading all of his books!
An innocent young boy coming of age in a small town in Minnesota suffers the weight of guilt, trying to come to terms with death and dying and the tragic loss of someone he loves. In one summer, he learns many of the lessons life has to teach us as adults. Krueger creates such likable characters, frought with fears and uncertainty, but who teach us much about human nature. Why do people do what they do? Krueger gets us to think about that.
This was my first William Kent Kreuger read. He is so good at putting you into the scene. You can see the image he describes, which makes it very enjoyable. I would highly recommend this book then follow with This Tender Land
I really enjoyed “Ordinary Grace” by William Kent Krueger (if you can truly enjoy a book about “violent loss”). His writing style pulls you into the life and mind of each character. The pastor father is a real Christ-centered man. The small town in which they live shows American life in the 1960s. I highly recommend this book.
Beautiful writing with incredible characters.
This character driven mystery had me guessing what will happen next from the first chapter. Set in the summer of 1961, the small town setting resonates with familiar American landscapes, pastimes, locations, people and faith. I could not put this down! My favorite character was Frank, 13, who in coming of age style, grows up before he is ready: facing realistic and dramatic events. Loved it!
Frankie and Jake were brothers with Frankie being the braver of the two but not necessarily the ethical one. ORDINARY GRACE takes place when times were simpler but when problems still occurred in families and towns.
This specific summer in Frankie and Jake’s life had adventures as well as misfortunes. Frankie was a character you will love. Frankie always seemed to be in the right place but never managed to figure out what was going on. He was growing up, being a boy, getting into and out of trouble, learning about life, and also learning how to deal with adult situations. His brother Jake was timid, adored his brother, and joined him on most of his adventures.
The book had a wonderful story line and great characters. The characters can be described as unique, loveable, different, and ones you would want to have for friends. Frankie was the narrator, Jake kept the story going, and Gus seemed to be the person Frankie and Jake looked up to. Frankie and Jake’s parents were the typical couple of this era. All characters complemented each other.
The writing was extraordinary, the storyline was sweet, just like the era that pulled you in, and the storyline unquestionably kept your interest. You won’t want to put the book down mainly because of the nostalgic theme. Keeping the storyline going are murders, deaths, a disappearance, a summer that would never be forgotten, and a mystery to solve.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The writing was moving, expressive, and powerful. The storyline moved effortlessly, and I loved the glimpse back into the 1960’s.
ORDINARY GRACE is a book that will be on your mind long after you turn the last page. Don’t miss this extraordinary book filled with the exploring of one’s conscience and also with learning how to forgive. It is noteworthy and remarkable. 5/5
This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.
Well-written. Gave you a real sense of the time and the place. My book club has a lot of English and other types of professors–they really liked it. It was a bit of a surprise since the author has written many detective stories in the past,and although this book did have an important mystery, it didn’t have a detective feel.
Loved this story. The characters are unforgettable and the story is just as beautiful as tragic.
It was very readable and the characters were well portrayed. Some seemed like people I have known or have similar characteristics I recognize. I found myself getting irritated with them, especially the mother. She was so like her father with no backbone to stand up for herself. The best part of the book was when she went off to Maryland to care for a little girl and her mother whose only connection to her was her spoiled ungrateful son. I really can not imagine how anyone would go off and move in with complete strangers like that. She was such a dishrag, but finally found her place among that family and odd assortment of neighbors. I got caught up in her story so just kept reading to find out how her story would end. This was a well written character study.
It’s a mystery and a coming of age story and a profile and the study of a community–all in one! One of the best I’ve read in a long time.
It’s 1961 and summertime in rural Minnesota. For thirteen-year-old Frank and his younger brother Jake, that means sunny days filled with pick-up baseball games, cold Root Beers at the corner drugstore, and lingering hours exploring along the railroad tracks. But four events mar this summer: A young boy is run over by a speeding train; an itinerant man is found dead along the river; a Julliard-bound girl goes missing; and a son of privilege and promise commits suicide. Think To Kill a Mockingbird narrated by Jem with Atticus a preacher instead of a lawyer, and you will have Ordinary Grace. Like Mockingbird, it is a coming-of-age story where innocent curiosity gives way to harsh clarity.
The men in the town, including the Frank’s father, still struggle with the horrors of World War II. Pastor Nathan Drum chose his profession to atone for the men he killed; his best friend Gus hides his wounds in drink; a neighbor down the street beats his wife and son. Meanwhile Frank’s mother smokes and drinks as she longs for a life she doesn’t have. Each struggles with “the terrible price of wisdom. The awful grace of God.”
But the soul of Ordinary Grace is in the two brothers, especially young Jake. Because of his stutter, he rarely speaks and is considered by some to be slow. But when he does speak, his words reflect wisdom beyond his years: “Miracles happen,” he tells Frank at the end of the story. “But they’re not the kinds of miracles I thought they’d be. Not like, you know, Lazarus. Mom’s happy again, or almost, and that’s kind of a miracle. And yesterday I didn’t stutter, and you want to know something? I think I never will.”
It is tender moments like these between the brothers that make the novel such a joy to read. There are life and death issues within its pages, but its message is to forgive and move forward.