Ordinary Grace
From New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger, a brilliant new novel about a young man, a small town, and murder in the summer of 1961.
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Readers say *Ordinary Grace* is a poignant coming-of-age story set in 1961 Minnesota, narrated by a boy reflecting on a summer marked by tragedy, fait...
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Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
307 pages
What's it about?
It is the summer of 1961 in a small town in Minnesota. Frank Drum is thirteen years old and his life is about to change. Forty years later, Frank looks back at this summer and tells us the events that transpire. While death plays a major role in the summer, so do family, faith, and forgiveness.
What did I think?
This was the best coming of age story I have read in years. I savored every page. Mr. Krueger captures what it must have felt to be a thirteen year old, coming to grips with hard realities, in that time and place. This book has a mystery to keep you turning the page, characters that make you care, and much wisdom to impart.
Should you read it?
Yes!!!!
Quote-
"It seems to me that when you look back at a life, yours or another's, what you see is a path that weaves into and out of deep shadow. So much is lost. What we use to construct the past is what has remained in the open, a hodgepodge of fleeting glimpses. Our histories, like my father's current body, are structures built of toothpicks. So what I recall of that summer in New Bremen is a construct both of what stands in the light and what I imagine in the dark where I cannot see."
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Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
307 pages
What's it about?
It is the summer of 1961 in a small town in Minnesota. Frank Drum is thirteen years old and his life is about to change. Forty years later, Frank looks back at this summer and tells us the events that transpire. While death plays a major role in the summer, so do family, faith, and forgiveness.
What did I think?
This was the best coming of age story I have read in years. I savored every page. Mr. Krueger captures what it must have felt to be a thirteen year old, coming to grips with hard realities, in that time and place. This book has a mystery to keep you turning the page, characters that make you care, and much wisdom to impart.
Should you read it?
Yes!!!!
Quote-
"It seems to me that when you look back at a life, yours or another's, what you see is a path that weaves into and out of deep shadow. So much is lost. What we use to construct the past is what has remained in the open, a hodgepodge of fleeting glimpses. Our histories, like my father's current body, are structures built of toothpicks. So what I recall of that summer in New Bremen is a construct both of what stands in the light and what I imagine in the dark where I cannot see."
If you like this try-
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Burns
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Beautifully drawn characters and a story line that kept me glued to the pages until I reluctantly reached the last well-crafted paragraph.
A book destined to be enjoyed as an audiobook... The author says it himself in the epilogue! A good story... Reminds me of "Stand By Me".
I'm still not sure about this book, I felt like dropping it many times because it was too slow and the many characters were confusing but kept on pushing because it seemed the story was leading somewhere. And it did, not quite unexpectedly but still surprising. I feel I have been on a journey that I am glad I took.
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