Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Book Review - Ordinary Grace - William Kent Krueger

Ordinary Grace
Title: Ordinary Grace


Review:  My neighbor is a huge fan of this author and so after it sat in my To Read Pile for a few weeks I asked if she would be willing to read this title and give me a review to publish.  She was thrilled and this is what she had to say about this book.

I was worried at first since this book seemed to be so different from the others I had read and enjoyed by this author.  My husband and I have been fans of Krueger since the beginning when we started with him while looking for Minnesota authors.  Well I have to say that I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book, even with it being so different from his other titles.

I found the writing to be smooth and what I expected, but the story was more.  Who knew Krueger could write such emotion about family ties and GRACE, God and individually given.  People will be people and yet some will surprise you.  I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone.  It is a crime drama; just not like Krueger’s others, it is more a story of life, loss and how we do it…this thing called living.  Read this book.

Thanks go to Eileen L. for this review.

Publisher:  Published March 26th 2013 by Atria Books
ISBN:  9781479397396
Copyright: 2014
Pages: 307
ISBN: 9781451645828
Quick Review:  5 stars out of 5.
Obtained Book from:  Sent by the publisher for review.

Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger comes a brilliant new novel about a young man, a small town, and murder in the summer of 1961.

New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961. The Twins were playing their debut season, ice-cold root beers were at the ready at Halderson’s Drug Store soda counter, 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 summer in which death assumed many forms.

When tragedy unexpectedly comes to call on his family, which includes his Methodist minister father, his passionate, artistic mother, Juilliard-bound older sister, and wise-beyond-his years kid brother, Frank finds himself thrust into an adult world full of secrets, lies, adultery, and betrayal.

On the surface, Ordinary Grace is the story of the murder of a beautiful young woman, a beloved daughter and sister. At heart, it’s the story of what that tragedy does to a boy, his family, and ultimately the fabric of the small town in which he lives. Told from Frank’s perspective forty years after that fateful summer, it is a 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.
 William Kent Krueger
Author Biography: William Kent Krueger is a multi award-winning American author and crime writer, best known for his Cork O'Connor series of books, which is mainly set in Minnesota. USA.  In 2005 and 2006, he won back to back Anthony Awards for best novel - a feat only matched by one other writer since the award's inception.

William Kent Krueger has stated that he dates his desire to be a writer back to the third grade, when a story he wrote called The Walking Dictionary was so well received by teachers and parents that he was inspired by their praise. Throughout an early life that saw him logging timber, digging ditches, working in construction, and being published as a freelance journalist, he never stopped writing.
He attended Stanford University but his academic path was cut short when he came into conflict with the university's administration during student protests of spring 1970.
He wrote short stories and sketches for many years, but it was not until the age of 40 that he finished the manuscript of his first novel, Iron Lake. A book which went on to win the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, the Barry Award for Best First Novel, the Minnesota Book Award, and the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award.
William Kent Krueger lives with his wife and family in St Paul, Minnesota.

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