Ordinary Grace

A rites of passage type book, beautifully written, attention grabbing. When I started this book I decided to read it slowly, but couldn't stop reading. I had to find out what happened next. I am glad to read it. enjoyable read. The book takes place in the mid west, a small town in southern Minnesota during a long, hot summer in the year of 1961. Life was quiet, slow, people knew each other. The story is told by Frank Drum, thirteen years old that year. He tells of what happened in that town in that year forty years ago. Frank is middle aged now, married, grown children. I like the midwestern writers. They tell a good story, write good books. Frank is a middle child, older sister, Ariel, eighteen, musically gifted, getting ready to go east to Julliard, younger brother, Jake, eleven, who stutters badly, hates to speak and is teased by others. A boy who watches quietly, says nothing, knows much. That summer a young boy, only child of older parents is killed by a train. The boy was slow, Frank's age but two years behind in school. Frank's father, Nathan Drum, is the minister of the Methodist church so the family knows many people. That year, everything seems to have gone wrong. Things are not what they seem in this quiet midwestern town. Ruth Drum is musically gifted as is her daughter. She loves leading the choir and is active in everything musical in town. There is a mean teen age boy in and out of trouble, Morris Angdahl, who torments the Drum boys, a rough, mean cop, Doyle, Nathan's war buddy, Gus, another rough,drinking man with a heart of gold but a friend and protector of the Drum boys. There are some strange, interesting characters good to read about. The members of the wealthy Brundt family who own the finest home in town, midwestern royalty. Karl Brundt is the boyfriend of Ariel, His uncle, Emil, is a piano virtuoso, composer, well known, who went to war and returned blind, face badly scarred. His younger sister, Lise, is different, deaf, never leaves her home and keeps house for her brother. Lise will not relate to others except for Jake, keeps a lovely home, beautiful garden. There is the fascinating Indian, Warren Redstone. Frank is nosy, always being places he has been told to stay away from, dangerous, listening to conversations he has no business hearing. There is so much truth in the book. It has won several awards, well deserved. This is the first book I have read by Mr. Krueger. He is a wonderful writer who pulls readers into his books.

I read this as assigned reading for a book group of fellow moms who have special needs children. I found it engrossing and, at times, difficult to read due to the emotions it brought forth (especially regarding certain characters with "special needs" who, in the early 1960s, were disparaged as "retarded"). The book is reminscent of To Kill A Mockingbird (the father is a hero, there are several Boo Radleys), the narrator looks back 40 years later with perspective, but places you in the action of the past. It reminded me also of the movie Stand by Me in that it is a coming of age story of 2 young brothers, both of whom I came to love quickly. The author insightfully describes flawed characters and families and the dynamics and weakness/strengths of families and the thin line between characters pulling together in love and becoming stronger and/or completely falling apart in their unhappiness due to circumstances beyond their control and the dangers of taking others down with them. It is a sad, but redemptive tale. [I would give the book 5 stars (meaning "I loved it" rather than "I liked it" 4 star) except for the fact that it was so emotionally wrenching for me personally to read as it deals with so much death/loss in just 1 year and, similarly I am still grieving the loss of my own brother, father, and mother in law in a similar time frame. Still I feel I gained comfort and insight from it.] It offers many parables that boil down to death is a part of life, tho some of those deaths are much, much harder to accept than others, we do and it is human nature to seek escapes and even laugh shortly after tragedy, to lesson our pain. There are many brilliant passages that belong on sympathy cards and in funeral services. Without giving any spoilers, I'd like to quote wise words from one greiving character trying to comfort others at the funeral of one of the story's "Mockingbirds" felled that I found, in the context of the stories surrounding it, particularly moving: "When we feel abandoned, alone, and lost, what's left to us? What do I have, what do you have, what do any of us have left except the overpowering temptation to rail against God and to blame him for the dark night into which he's led us, to blame him for our misery, to blame him and cryout against him for not caring? What's left to us when that which we love most has been taken? "I will tell you what's left, three profound blessings...faith, hope, and love. These gifts, which are the foundation of eternity, God has given to us and he's given us complete control over them. Even in the darkest night it's still within our power to hold to faith. We can still embrace hope. And although we may ourselves feel unloved, we can still stand steadfast in our love for others and for God. All this is in our control. God gave us these gifts and he does not thake them back. It is we who choose to discard them. "In your dark night, I urge you to hold to your faith, to embrace hope, and to bear your love before you like a burning candle, for I promise that it will light your way. And whether you believe in miracles or not...you will experience one. It may not be the miracle you've prayed for. God probably won't undo what's been done. The miracle is this: that you will rise in the morning and be able to see again the startling beauty of the day. "Jesus suffered the dark night and death and on the third day he rose again through the grace of his loving father. For each of us, the sun sets and the sun also rises and through the grace of our Lord we can endure our own dark night and rise to the dawning of a new day and rejoice...in the beauty of this morning which he has given us." Rereading those words out of context, I guess they could come out of any pulpit on any given Sunday, but within the novel the words were quite moving to me, much like Atticus' closing arguments. In short, Ordinary Grace offers wise lessons revealed through interesting characters and relationships. The engrossing story could take place in any small town USA back in 1961. It is refreshing to be placed in the "simpler" times many are nostalgic for (forgetting the awful prejudices of many toward Native Americans, the disabled, and homosexuals), if for no other reason than it is devoid of cell phones and computers and so many modern day distractions. The author paints a believable portrait full of bologna sandwiches, "jello salads" as well as forgotten chores like ironing. His peaceful descriptions include gardens, the natural beauty of a flowing river but also the excitement and tension of railroad tracks and trellises and believable characters capable of drama, secrets, prejudices and injustices--as well as compassion, love, forgiveness and the necessary acceptance of "the awful grace of God."

ORDINARY GRACE by William Kent Krueger is not your grandma's Christian novel (think Grace Livingston Hill) nor your mama's Christian novel (think Karen Kingsbury). It is gritty, evocative,' and does not shy away from portraying characters' strong points, foibles, and outright flaws. The story is well-written with unforgettable characters. It portrays the summer of 1961 for thirteen-year-old Frank Drum. During that summer four deaths affect him. Frank learns "About the terrible price of wisdom. The awful grace of God" (Prologue). If this book was a movie, it would deserve a strong R rating for human violence and one disturbing incident of animal abuse. All other categories (Dialogue, Sex, Language) would deserve a PG-13 rating. It is worth reading and will make you explore feelings and think deeply.

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger is anything but an ordinary book. It is filled with wonderful insight, characters that you grow to know like your own friends, lives that are rich and bountiful, despair and heartbreak, and spiritual wisdom that takes a place in your heart. The book is narrated by Frank Drum in the year 2001. It is about his memories of one summer in his life 40 years ago. Frank Drum is thirteen years old and a bit of a rebel. He is the son of a minister and a mother who loves music and did not plan to be married to a minister. Originally, his father had planned to be a lawyer but the experiences of war changed this. It is the summer of 1961 and Frank lives in the small town of Bremen, Minnesota where his father has his primary parish. Jake is Frank's younger brother who is wise beyond his years. He has a stuttering problem and does not like to speak much. People often think he's simple but he is very smart and observant. Both boys are very independent and incredibly adventurous though they are also respectful of adults. They go to three church services each Sunday because their father conducts the services at three small community churches each week. Their mother runs the choir. The book is about many things but it centers primarily on the coming-of-age of Frank Drum. The story opens with death - the death of a young boy on the railroad tracks. He was known as being simple-minded and the town is not sure whether he was murdered or just did not pay attention to the oncoming train. It is followed by the death of an itinerant man who is found by Frank. Further deaths follow and the boys try to get their heads around all this loss. Frank and Jake spend a lot of the book trying to make sense out of death and despair as there is a lot of this in the telling of the story. While Jake has a deep faith in God, Frank is not a believer. As he says, "In his sermons my father often talked about trusting God and trusting that no matter how alone we might feel God was always with us. In all that terrible waiting I didn't feel the presence of God, not one bit. I prayed but unlike my father who seemed to believe that he was being heard, I felt as if I was talking to the air. Nothing came to me in return." I thought a lot about the title of this book. Augustinian Grace is a beautiful thing, a rare gift from God to the chosen few. The Grace that Frank's father talks about is a heavy `gift'. "There was a playwright, Son, a Greek by the name of Aeschylus. He wrote that he who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain, which cannot forget, falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God." To Frank's father, grace arrives from God and through the pain of grace comes wisdom. This is a novel that is filled with spirituality, philosophy and wonderful characterizations. The people I met will stay with me a long time and this will be a book that I will not soon forget.

“Sometimes, as an author, you’re given a story. It comes, just comes, and it’s so compelling that it haunts you until you’ve written it. For me, that was “Ordinary Grace”…I put everything I know about storytelling into this book,” said William Kent Krueger about his 2014 Edgar Award winning novel. Those of you who read my reviews know that awards do not faze me. I did not care too much for Goldfinch and I could list the Man Booker Award winners I thought worthy on one hand and perhaps with two fingers. This time, however, the judges got it right. Congratulations to the Edgar Awards for recognizing an excellent book. There is so much to like about Ordinary Grace that you should immediately go out and get it without reading further. I will, however, share what I found most compelling. First of all the writing was the best you'll read. It felt more literary than commercial fiction. Here are some of my favorite passages: "To this day there are pieces (of music) I cannot hear without imagining my sister's fingers shaping the music every bit as magnificently as God shaped the wings of butterflies." ". . . birds so ordinary and profuse that they fill the air like dandelion fluff." "He seemed old to me because his hair was no longer black but the dull color of a long-circulated five-cent piece." ". . .eyes whose blue was so intense it was as if he'd purchased pieces of the sky for their making." "The dead are never far from us. They're in our hearts and on our minds and in the end all that separates us from them is a single breath, one final puff of air." This is the story about a summer in a small Minnesota community. The protagonist, a thirteen-year-old boy tells us about that summer which begins with the tragic death of a child. He tells the story as a storyteller. The reader senses his adult presence throughout the book and yet the story is told in the words of an adolescent child. The characters are sensitively drawn. We understand their struggles and feel attached to each. There is mystery here, but it isn't so much the mystery that keeps the reader reading. Sure, we want to find our more about the perpetrators of the deaths but even more, we want to find out what happens to the people we grow to love. Krueger does everything an author should do. He does not tell us too much. He does not cheat the reader. The final conclusion brings satisfaction and a clear understanding of what happened during that summer in 1961. Ordinary Grace is a tragic story but a beautiful story. The title captures much more than its literal reference in the book. Krueger showed us what ordinary grace is. If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would.

Many novels take place in an earlier time, but not all have the ability to evoke feelings of nostalgia and perfectly capture times gone by. Authors like Larry Watson have done it (with novels like Montana 1948 and American Boy), and with his new novel, Ordinary Grace, mystery writer William Kent Krueger has done so as well. The book takes place in New Bremen, Minnesota in the summer of 1961. Thirteen-year-old Frank Drum is on the cusp of young adulthood and he occupies himself the way most boys his age do--hanging out with friends, trying to get a glimpse of women whenever he can, wanting to be treated like an adult, and simultaneously protecting and bullying his younger brother, Jake, who has a debilitating stutter. Their father, Nathan, is the town's Methodist minister, who hasn't quite shaken the horrors he experienced in World War II; his mother, Ruth, isn't quite satisfied with life as the wife of a minister, and pins all of her hopes and dreams on her daughter, Ariel, the boys' older sister, who is a gifted pianist and musician about to attend Juilliard on scholarship. When a young boy is killed by a train, the idyllic nature of New Bremen begins to shatter. And when questions about whether the boy's death was an accident begin to arise, they set into motion a number of discoveries and serve as a catalyst to several other tragic events that summer which rock Frank and Jake to their core, making them question their parents, their faith, and those in authority, and cause them to deal with feelings of guilt, anger, sadness, and betrayal. This is a well-written, slow-moving book which doesn't surprise, but it does pull you in. The characters are complex and well drawn, and not entirely sympathetic, but you are still interested in finding out what happens to them. I found the resolution of the major crime in the book a little too predictable, but liked the way the book wrapped up. My greatest frustration, however, was how so many of the events were set into motion simply because Frank or Jake were either bullied into divulging secrets or felt bullied into keeping secrets they shouldn't have. It reminded me a little of Atonement in that way. I know that younger children do blurt things out but the fact that it happened more than once--and that those in authority manipulated this information--weakened my fondness for the book a bit. Ordinary Grace perfectly captures a time and a place that no longer exists. William Kent Krueger is an excellent storyteller, and although I found the book frustrating in places, it is still tremendously readable and well-written. But if you're a fan of Krueger's mysteries, be warned--this is fiction with a touch of mystery, not a thriller.

William Kent Krueger’s Ordinary Grace is a heart wrenching coming of age novel full of secrets, deaths, compassion, and God’s grace. The tale is told through the eyes of a thirteen year old boy, Frank Drum, who struggles to understand adult situations as his childhood innocence is slowly taken away. A series of unexplainable deaths occur in the summer of 1961 in the small town of New Bremen, Minnesota; moreover, Frank and his younger brother Jake seem to hold all of the clues. A quick read, this book kept me always wanting more. Fascinated by the series of events, I found the plot straightforward yet engaging, and I was never bored. Krueger does not sugar coat anything; he exposes normal people’s everyday struggles and reveals the raw side of life. I think this is why I was so fond of the story: everything is real, and new conflicts are constantly arising. The only critique I have is Krueger’s ominous foreshadowing; at the beginning of each chapter I feared for the inexorable murder of another character. However, through the many deaths and hardships, Krueger’s message of God’s grace was clear. He emphasizes the companionship God gives to each and every one of us through every struggle we conquer. At the itinerant’s burial service, Frank’s father highlights this truth as he preaches, “God never promised us an easy life. He never promised that we wouldn’t suffer, that we wouldn’t feel despair or loneliness and confusion and desperation. What he did promise was that in our suffering we would never be alone...We are never separated from his love” (page 71). Nearly every adult character has led a fairly immoral life or overcome travail, but the preacher grants complete forgiveness and compassion; he shows ordinary grace. Krueger also uses historical context to further his theme of compassion. Set in 1961, a majority of the male characters are World War II veterans. Gus, the preacher’s alcoholic friend, is suffering from undiagnosed PTSD. Emil, a music teacher who got the preacher’s young daughter pregnant, is blind and physically scarred from his service, and Warren Redstone, the assumed murderer, is a recluse who lives on the outskirts of town. Each of these men are touched by the war, but the preacher sees God in each and graces them with mercy and compassion. With the acknowledgment of post traumatic stress disorder today, it is not an arcane truth that military service can change people for the worst. Krueger skillfully uses this legitimacy to portray the emotional struggles that these men undergo, but develops the preacher’s character to ensure the reader that God presence is ubiquitous. It is a beautifully written novel and true testament to the power of God’s grace.

William Kent Kreuger’s Ordinary Grace is undoubtedly deserving of 5 stars. This is my first book by Krueger, and his writing is nothing short of beautiful, with prose that flows gracefully throughout. This is one of those books where the story—and especially the characters—will stay with me in my thoughts for a long time to come. Coming-of-age novels of this caliber are rare, and Ordinary Grace stands out as a prime example. Set in 1961, the story is narrated by Frank Drum, reflecting on the summer events four decades later. Krueger masterfully evokes the atmosphere of a small Minnesota town, populated with characters you quickly come to know and care about. The novel explores themes of tragedy, controversy, and miracles in a way that’s both poignant and heartfelt. It’s one of those books that stirs deep emotions—whether sadness, joy, friendship, judgment, or loss—and that’s where it truly shines. The ending moved me to tears, particularly during the epilogue. I saw another reviewer criticize the book for being too obvious with the identity of the killer early on, but I disagree entirely. I found the revelation at the end to be surprising, and I was way off in my predictions about the perpetrator. I highly recommend Ordinary Grace and it’s likely to be one of my top reads of 2025, if not my number one. I’ve already started This Tender Land by Krueger, and I can’t help but draw comparisons between his style and that of Dennis Lehane. Both authors excel at immersing readers in a specific time and place, making their settings feel as alive and important as the characters themselves.

Although this book starts slowly, with a somewhat protracted account of the boys' childhood activities, it picks up pace after the first third or so and then develops into a really worthwhile read. Krueger's prose is exquisite, his characters well-developed and the story skilfully crafted. You would have to be seriously asleep on the job not to work out the supposed 'revelation' in the final chapter long before it comes, but discerning whodunnit several chapters before the end does not diminish the pleasure of reading on. That is due to Krueger's writing skills and to the level of affection the reader has by then developed for the main characters. The frequent reflections proffered in the text are sincere, thought-provoking and mature. I found the book quite beautiful in parts and overall a really impressive piece of work. Far less worthy texts have taken home the glittering prizes of the literary world - this novel is like William's 'Stoner' and Savage's 'The Power of the Dog', a literary gem that deserves more acclaim that it has garnered to date, it is one of those books you press upon your friends to read. Loved it.

How I adored this masterful piece of literature. The writing was sublime, the story was enthralling and the whole book was unforgettable. As an avid reader of over 65 books a year, I read many novels that are quickly forgotten as soon as I finish the last page, but I know that this one is a life lesson for me. Perhaps it's because Frank Drum, our protagonist, was thirteen in 1961 which puts us in the same general age group, or that he grew up in a place where it wasn't necessary to lock the door, as I did, or his two parents were very different from each other, but stayed married until death did them part which happened in my life too. So obviously I identified with him and the time. A time before devices or cell phones and social media. A time when a new, young president with a beautiful wife and small children occupied the white house. Then Frank meets the grim reaper nearly face to face when several deaths occur in his idyllic setting. All the characters in this book are real to me. This book almost seems autobiographical. This is the coming of age year for Frank Drum and the lessons he learned carried with him forever as he explains later in the book which is forty years on. This is not solely a murder mystery. The story lingers on long after you finish the last page.

Absolutely loved the book and so did my book club. Great characters and characters development. A combination of Bildungsroman and murder mystery.

いつもの森林保安官の話しかと手にしたらまったく新しいタッチの珠玉の作品に出会えた。1961年、ミネソタの閑静な田舎町で13歳の僕「フランク」は弟「ジェイク」と18歳の姉「アリエル」の３人で優しい牧師の父「ネイサン」と聖歌隊を指揮する母「ルース」のもとで町の人たちから可愛がられながらちょっぴり大人の仲間にいれてもらったりして楽しい日々を過ごしていた。11歳の「ボビー」が列車に轢かれて死亡しているのがみつかり、保安官「ドイル」が捜査にあたるが、僕を大人並みに扱ってくれる父の友人「ガス」黒人「ワレン・レッドストーン」や盲目の「エミール・ブラント」、そして姉のボーイフレンド「カール」などが絡んで次々に事件が起き、腰巾着のジェイクと一緒にミネソタ川の周りを歩き回る。13歳の子がビールを飲んだり大人っぽい推理行動をするのが日本的には珍しく、ハックルベリーの世界だなあ、と感心する。「僕」の一人称で語られ、最後の数ページで40年後の今、年老いた父と故郷への再訪で切ない想い出を振り返るという、重い内容を子供の目線で優しく描いた、本をおくのが勿体ないぐらいの余韻を貰った。

This is a very beautifully written book about a boy coming of age and discovering all is not well in the world. Frank Drum is the son of a small town pastor in the early 1960's. He has an older sister Ariel and a younger brother Jake who is afflicted with a stutter. Frank's safe world is shaken by the death of another child. This leads to he and his brother discovering the dead body of an itinerant man and a chain of events kicks off. There are some very complex characters including his father's friend Gus with whom he shares the horrors of a war they would rather forget, and Emil Brandt, the former boyfriend of Frank's mother who was scarred and blinded by the war. This is not a fast moving whodunnit, this is a slowly revealed mystery that is more about the impact on lives than solving a crime. It is about love and forgiveness. If you are a fan of To Kill a Mockingbird then I am sure you will love this too.