Bekah Bekah
asked:
Can anyone recommend other books like Ordinary Grace? I'm not interested in Krueger's Cork O'Connor series. Rather, I'm looking for more beautiful and extraordinary novels like this one. Thanks.
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Tessa
"Peace Like A River" by Leif Enger
Kenneth Ross
Any of the books by Kent Haruf!
Terry Parsons
He has a companion novel coming out in fall of 2019. It's called "This Tender Land." Can't wait!
Liz
Anthony Doerr's "All the Light We Cannot See." Verghese's "Cutting for Stone" And anything by David James Duncan.
Amy T. - Book lover!
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Andrea Ghizoni
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. I read it in high school, and it's still with me because of how beautiful it was.
Patricia Hale
Tell the Wolves I'm Home
LISA GLENN
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hill by Robert Dugoni was very moving and insightful in a similar way. For a book about true forgiveness and grace, The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton.
Kelly
Anything by Pat Conroy. His writing is extraordinary. His best, in my opinion, is Beach Music. Prince of Tides is also excellent.
leanotlee
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger and News of the World by Paulette Jiles.
Mike Drudge
“Where The Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens.
Vicki
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, for the beautiful language, rural setting, and suspense.
Alice McGrath
Gilead by Marylinne Robinson
Marcia
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.
All of Kent Haruf's books.
The Light Between Oceans.
Sarah's Key.
All of Kent Haruf's books.
The Light Between Oceans.
Sarah's Key.
Maura
Boy's Life by Robert McCammon
Karis
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is beautiful and extraordinary like this one!
Rosemary Heller
This Tender Land by the same author
Susan
The Hired Man and Happiness both by Aminatta Forna - Beartown by Frederik Bachman - The Painted House by John Grisham (not his typical mystery) - Virgil Wander by Leif Enger - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (my favorite book in a decade).
Velvet
“A River Runs Through it” has some similar themes and situations. I was reminded of how much I enjoyed that book while reading “Ordinary Grace”.
Lauriann
Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout
Kristy Cravillion
I wasn’t sure I was going to like the Cork O’ Connor series just based on the descriptions. I gave them a chance and needless to say, I have quickly made my way through all 17 of them. I highly recommend. Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land earned rare 5 stars from me.
Carolyn K
Gilead, Home, and Lila by Marilynne Robinson. Kind of a series, but I would say Gilead is the best.
Susanna
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
Michele
Any Ivan Doig book!
Steve
Anything by Richard Russo. (Empire Falls is his best.)
Diane Schuller
I agree, any of the books by Ken Haruf!
Sammye
THIS TENDER LAND by the same author. Best book I have read in the last ten years!
Carole
This Tender Land by Krueger
Richard Waddell
This Tender Land is a great novel! I imagine you've read it by now :-)
Mary
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
David Crawley
"The Last Bus to Wisdom" by Ivan Doig. This was his last novel before he died.
Jackie L
I loved Ordinary Grace, for the beautiful truths expressed in it's pages. There are a couple books that have that same feel that I'm surprised haven't been listed here.
They are:
A Gentleman in Moscow -more plot driven, live Ordinary Grace. A beautiful and expansive novel about life.
Stoner - a very quiet novel, slow, beautiful and heartbreaking about one man's life.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog -written by a French novelist and philosophy teacher.
These books are some of my personal favorites. I hope you enjoy them.
They are:
A Gentleman in Moscow -more plot driven, live Ordinary Grace. A beautiful and expansive novel about life.
Stoner - a very quiet novel, slow, beautiful and heartbreaking about one man's life.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog -written by a French novelist and philosophy teacher.
These books are some of my personal favorites. I hope you enjoy them.
Susan
Montana 1948 and American Boy, both by Larry Watson, have the same nostalgic coming of age feel to them.
Teresa Bolster
Surprised no-one has mentioned Wally Lamb, especially I Know This Much is True and The Hour I First Believed. Both novels have contemporary settings but flash back to tell the stories of previous generations, up to 150 years prior in the latter
Steph
Peter Troy’s _May the Road Rise Up to Meet You_
Monica Johnson
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats is extraordinary!
Robert Petty
This Tender Land
by William Kent Krueger
by William Kent Krueger
Jeanne
This Tender Land by William Kent Kruger is also excellent
Jenny Dau
A Brilliant Death by Robin Yocum - A coming of age story with a mystery included.
Donna Pardue
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
Cheryl
The Story of Beautiful Girl and The Art of Hearing Heartbeats!
Jan
This Tender Land, by William Kent Krueger. It's not one of the Cork O'Connor series~it's a stand alone novel, and I loved it. Even better than Ordinary Grace, in my opinion.
Cindy
The Secret Wisdom of the Earth
Susan
Ordinary Families, by E. Arnot Robinson, is a book which I am now reading for perhaps the 3rd time (over 20 years). It's a coming of age story of a young woman. I love this book - I already know I'll probably read it again in a few years; the prose is often so beautiful - whole paragraphs are like prose poems. The adolescent narrator suffers many private agonies growing up, unbeknownst to others, except us, of course. Cheering her on, in my own mind was part of the joy of reading this book.
Janie
McFadden's "The Book of Harlan" - exquisite
Belle Harder
Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin, and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni.
Christine
The description of this novel sounds so much like Larry Watson's Montana, 1948, which also deeply delves into the themes of coming of age, racism, familial loyalty, small town setting, what it means to be a man, what it means to be human.
Susan
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin; A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash; anything by Robert Goolrick; The Visionist by Rachel Urquart
Ellen Spence
I am reading Ordinary Grace now, excellent. I hear Tender Land is also good!
Bill
This Tender Land, Krueger five stars!
Mark Wood
Check out Jon Hassler
Christian Shroll
Lisa Wingate and Charles Martin
Bill Brewer
The Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig is also about adventures of an 11 year old boy who rides the "dog bus" from Great Falls Montana to spend the summer with a relative in Wisconsin in the 1950s.
Anne Haack
Petal and Poultice: Memories of Destiny
Kristina Stockamp
The Past Is Never by Tiffany Quay Tyson
Stephanie McGee
This Tender Land
Shelley F.
I've loved many of the books already mentioned, one I just read is "Hamnet" - was really good and loved the writing.
JDangleis
Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon
Paul Backalenick
Bleachers by John Grisham. I know Grisham is famous for his legal thrillers, but this particular book is nothing like that. It is as different from his legal novels as Ordinary Grace is from Krueger's Cork O'Connor books.
Another book with similar tone is Development by Paul Backalenick.
Another book with similar tone is Development by Paul Backalenick.
Nancy McKnight
Educated by Tara Westover.
Jeffrey Lin
The Brothers K by David James Duncan. I also love anything by Kent Haruf but when people ask me what my favorite book is (I couldn't just name one) The Brothers K always pops into my mind.
Margie Adler
Driftless by David Rhodes, Bear Town by Fredrik Backman. The Roundhouse by Louise Erdrich
Flint
Actually, the Cork O'Connor series are beautiful and extraordinary and deal with so many of the some themes ... worth giving a shot, not "just" crime fiction. Louise Penny?
Patty Hagar
The Grace that Keeps this World by Tom Bailey. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Donna Iadanza
"Little Mercies" by Heather Gudenkauf
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