Write your own review!
Cathryn_Conroy
Ordinary Life, Extraordinary Story
It's summer 1961 in New Breman, Minnesota. JFK is president. It is a time of innocence. Kids wander everywhere in this small town--in the fields, down by the river, on the railroad tracks. But this idyllic town is rocked by five deaths--accidents, suicide, homicide--in just a few short months, and life for some will never be the same. Frankie is 13, the son of a Methodist minister. He narrates the book as an adult, recalling that dreadful summer 40 years ago. This is a who-done-it wrapped in an emotionally-charged tale about the fragility of life and the roles we each play--often unwittingly--in the hurt and happiness of those around us. It is the story of Frankie leaving childhood behind and becoming a man. It is the story of God's grace in unexpected and brilliant ways as a family struggles to still breathe after the worst happens. It is about grieving and becoming whole again.
I found the book to be a riveting read--not so much because I wanted to find out what happened next (even though I did!), but rather because I wanted to find out how the characters would feel and handle the crises all around them. Yes, there is a wonderful plot that keeps you reading, complete with lies and secrets, adultery and teen sex, hatred and prejudice, but this book is so much more than plot. And that is what separates it from the pack. This is a book that means something and will haunt your thoughts for a long time.
Elizabeth
Excellent - don't miss reading this book
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.
CarolK
Ordinary Faith
Can an wiser, older narrator view the past with more wisdom than he might have possessed forty years earlier in the summer he was thirteen? Ordinary Grace visits long ago events in childhood from an adult perspective.
Frank, the narrator of Ordinary Grace takes us back to the Minnesota summer of '61 where the story begins with the death of a boy. Frank's father is a minister, a man with strong beliefs and a foundation based on faith Frank and his family, his brother Jake, his sister, Ariel, and his mother, Ruth find it more difficult to embrace the grace of God without question. Each, but particularly Ruth, experience bursts of anger at this God who seems to have forsaken them.
Grace and its many meanings is used throughout the book symbolically and as metaphor.
Ordinary Grace is very evocative of the time period. Frank and I are the same age that summer of '61 which makes it easy for me to identify with his feeling and point of view.
Though the initial murder is important to the story and begs to be solved this is not a typical mystery. Ordinary Grace is at it's core a story about family, love, loss, hate, fear and forgiveness. It is as beautiful a story as it is one of grief. It is a story about faith and how we are tested by God. No child should have to bear the dying that Frank experiences that summer of '61. No man should have to revisit it every year.
I truly loved Ordinary Grace, hope to convince more to read it. Its pages tell a sad story, yet there is humor too, somehow powerfully written passages and I was left feeling hopeful in the end. A solid 5 star read!
Nikki
Don't miss this one!
There was nothing ordinary about the grace with which this book was written. I would've happily continued reading as many pages as William Kent Krueger had written. It will be a while before another book measures up to this one. Don't miss it!
Becky H
ORDINARY GRACE by William Krueger
Frank, a thirteen year old on the cusp of manhood, is the main character in William K Krueger’s book “Ordinary Grace.” On its surface it is a tale of death - a murder, an accident, in war, stupidly or deliberately done, of age or illness. On a much deeper level it is the story of a family, the love that binds them together and the faith that sustains them. This is not an explicitly “Christian” book and yet you will finish the book and know why faith is and what it is.
Krueger uses words in wonderful and unique ways to evoke a time and place that will live with you long after you finish reading this book. His description of a mother’s sorrow is expressed “She was flesh without spirit, eyes without sight” (page 182) and setting sun “was caught in the branches of the trees and the light across the lawns was yellow-orange and broken" (page 133).
This is a lovely book. Now that I have finished it, I want to read it again – only slowly so I can savor each word. His writing is believable. You know that is just what each character would say or do or think. His metaphors and similes are precise and unique and exactly right, yet they do not make think “oh, he learned that lesson on metaphor well.” Instead you are simply lost in the time, the place and the character.
Elizabeth Goodman
The Grace of God
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The author seemed to get caught up in pointing out all the minor details and the story transitioned a little slow. However, the overall theme was consistent and the story came together nicely at the end.
I would highly recommend anyone who has recently experienced death to read it.
Book Reviewed by:
 (1).gif)
