Ordinary Grace

Author: William Kent Krueger

One-sentence summary: One summer in a young boy’s life is filled with tragedy, loss of innocence, and more revelations about life than he bargained for.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: This was a beautiful and lyrical story with a lot of power.

Our least favorite thing about it: The female characters were stereotypical and not very well explored.

Main Topics of Discussion: Grief, Effects of War, Ministers, Brothers, nostalgia

Our favorite quote: “The miracle is this: that you will rise in the morning and be able to see again the startling beauty of the day.”

Notes: We really loved this brutal but truthful and strangely beautiful story about a young boy’s summer that forever changed his life and family. Many of the characters were so interesting and well-developed. We found so much truth in the story and beauty in the writing that we very much enjoyed the book. Here are some snippets of what we discussed:

• Despite the fact that the narrator is a young boy, we all related to him and loved him. This is an important thing for us and a determining factor in whether or not we enjoy a book. Kudos to the author on the voice of this story.
• There were several themes that popped up, making this book very realistic, heavy, and truthful. Coming of Age, Loss of Innocence, Rich vs. Poor, Native American treatment, etc.
• As mentioned above, we felt that the female characters were lacking. They didn’t seem as interesting or well-developed as their male counterparts and sometimes we felt like they acted very immature or stereotypical. This is basically our only criticism of the book.
• We felt that grief was presented very realistically in the book. Each character dealt with it differently, but in ways we all could understand as realistic.
• There was subtle commentary on the roles and expectations of a rural (or any) minister. We discussed that briefly.
• The after-effects of war and how different soldiers dealt with it differently was, again, very realistic and interesting. The bond between soldiers who fought together was another beautiful element to the story.
• This is the second book we’ve read recently that dealt with miracles. We really loved these parts.
• We also really loved Jake, the brother. What a great character and a great vessel for wisdom and truth to be conveyed to the narrator.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We all toasted Stephanie’s new job before we ate.

What We Ate: Salads! Amberly made a very tasty medley of salads for us along with chips and dips.