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
In this minister’s family, his wife (who thought she married a lawyer) and two boys with inquisitive minds deal with finding a murdered man within the uncertainty of their uncertain family.
Book was okay but did not peak my interest like his Cork O’Conner series
I loved this book, but then I’ve liked all of the books from Mr. Krueger.
Beautifully written but sad and uplifting at the same time
Love this book and it’s charaters.
Tragedy, redemption, Faith, and Hope all wrapped up in believable characters and good story. Also, author has a keen sense of time and place.
It’s a mystery, a story of loss, and a wonderful story of love and redemption. It grabs you and pulls you into the book within the first few pages.
I loved this book. The setting is in a small Minnesota town in 1961. During the summer there are five deaths. This story has family disunity and unity. Most of all it is a story of resilience, love, and forgiveness.
Wonderful story. A mystery with thought provoking elements deciding right from wrong.
I loved this book. The author visited our small town – I have read several of his books.
Beautiful read!
This was such a good book that I’ve read it twice! Beautifully written, deep and thoughtful, with a page turner of a story–a rare combination.
One of the best books I have ever read…I highly recommend it!
Insightful Excellent story, beautifully told.
Wonderful book, great writing. I liked the insight and simple writing about ordinary lives.
I really enjoyed this book. I could relate to so many things since it starts out in the early 1960’s, but it could take place at anytime in your like. I recommend this book. The characters are real ever day people as is their situations in their daily lives. Most enjoyable book I have read this year.
Sad story, so real.
A very touching story by a terrific author. Great characters.
Beautifully written, best book I’ve read in a long time
A great story about a boy’s grim discovery one summer that leads to more tragic events and how he is able to overcome these tragic .times