Ordinary Grace

By: William Kent Krueger

Narrated by: Rich Orlow

Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Award-winning author William Kent Krueger has gained an immense fan base for his Cork O’Connor series. In Ordinary Grace, Krueger looks back to 1961 to tell the story of Frank Drum, a boy on the cusp of manhood. A typical 13-year-old with a strong, loving family, Frank is devastated when a tragedy forces him to face the unthinkable - and to take on a maturity beyond his years.

©2013 William Kent Krueger (P)2013 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

“Krueger aims higher and hits harder with a stand-alone novel that shares much with his other work.” ( Kirkus Reviews)

Excellent

The "old fashioned" ideas about faith and kindness that run throughout this story might not appeal to all, but the story is great. The writing is excellent. The characters come to life in a way that makes you miss them when they're gone. I thoroughly enjoyed it and just downloaded one of the mystery series for which the author is really know. Since even the author says that Ordinary Grace was a total departure for him, I am probably going to be disappointed by the mystery, but I am loathe to leave Mr. Krueger behind. Rich Orlow does a phenomenal job reading this story.

Here You Go... One You Won't Want To End

In the library of your mind, if you browse through the nostalgic coming-of-age shelf, you will find Ordinary Grace somewhere between "A River Runs Through It" and "Stand By Me."

William Krueger's writing style is true to the title, as he rewards his readers with graceful prose and stunning imagery in this "slice of life" as told through the eyes of a man looking back 40 years on the timeline of his life.

The story is one of a small town pastor and his family as their love is challenged by loss, personal secrets, and a murder mystery that serves as the overall catalyst for peace among them.

The narrator was born to read this story.

This is a smooth read that kind of just floats along. It's not thrilling or suspenseful, and it's not a page turner..but you will keep turning the pages.

Ordinary Grace is an Extraordinary Story

In some ways this is a "coming of age-coming to Jesus story"; but it is much more too. Circa 1961, a preacher's kid encounters personal losses and moral decisions that prove to be too much for a twelve year old boy.

This is an enormously satisfying story of a family and community that is at once ordinary and yet very unusual. Discrimination against Native Americans and those handicapped is visceral and leads to behaviors and decisions that create enormous hurts. The mystery of three deaths, all on or near the river are central to the story.

In the end, a young boy and his brother are faced with grave, all consuming decisions that will shape their lives forever.

The narration is superb, the story engaging and awe-inspiring.

I hated for it to end!

What a beautiful saga of a family in a small town in 1961. I loved every minute of it. The narrator was wonderful.

So much sadness!

What did you love best about Ordinary Grace?

I really liked this book and LOVED the narrator. It was a book with soooo much sadness but ultimately was a satisfying read. I'd recommend it as long as the overarching sadness isn't too much for you. I have a friend who hated the book but I enjoyed it. Go figure.

What a great find. So glad I took a chance.

I stumbled across this book and I'm so glad I listened. I enjoyed all aspects - the unfolding of the story, the relationship of the 2 brothers, their father's calm steadiness. The narrator did an excellent job in bringing out the characters. I even looked him up on audible to check out other books he narrated. I highly recommend this book.

What a refreshingly complicated and human novel!

I am rediscovering this author and am thrilled with his ability to weave together characters and story. I am now starting his mystery series. I grew tired of how formulaic other writers in this genre have become. Also, I appreciate, that violence is not always integral or an accepted response to those events.
It may be a little cathartic to reads the CJ Box series but violence is not always best dealt with by, the same.

I really loved this coming of age story set within a complicated and specific period of time. Also, I loved the epilogue!
Thank you, I am a fan!

Five Stars All The Way Around!

This book was an extremely pleasant surprise for me. It is much in the same vein as "To Kill a Mockingbird" or "A Separate Peace." It is the telling of a middle aged man's look back to a pivotal summer of his childhood. The author has an assortment of colorful and very rich characters that seem to come alive in your mind. The narrator's performance was outstanding and he captured the spirit of the novel perfectly. The author mentions in an interview after the novel concludes that he thought the novel was meant to be read aloud. I agree. There are many audio books that don't translate well to the audio format. They seem a bit confusing and may not have illustrations, charts, or maps to help clarify the story as the printed books have. I totally agree with the author that this is a story that is meant to be told aloud as an oral history. The story does not have a lot of unnecessary detail that has the listener wondering when the author is ""going to get on with it". It may be a bit emotional or sentimental for some people, but I thought it was an outstanding effort overall and well worth your credit and your time.

Absolutely Amazing!

Absolutely Amazing. Great story and loved the narrator. I usually read thrillers and Crime novels but this story was great. Reminds you of Stand By Me format

exceptional, unusual book

I absolutely loved this book. An avd reader all of my life I have rarely encountered one that touched me so deeply. Extremely thoughtful sensitive , it kept me mersmerized throughout. the theme of brokenness touched me as I am sure it will other broken people. More than that, it had a healing quality that was a great benefit to me.