The Cross Gardner

By: Jason F. Wright

Narrated by: Lincoln Hoppe

Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times best-selling author, an inspiring story of life, love, and moving on.

Married and the father of a young daughter, John Bevan had finally found the traditional family he lacked as an orphaned child. But all that disappears when a fatal car accident steals away his wife - and the unborn child she carried.

Filled with sorrow, John withdraws from life and love. He erects a small cross at the scene of his wife's accident and visits daily, grieving. Then, one morning he encounters a young man kneeling before the cross, touching it up with white paint. John's conversations and travels with this mysterious man - known to him only as the Cross Gardener - will forever change his world.

From Jason F. Wright comes a timeless tale that explores the questions we ask when our lives are touched by loss: How do we carry on? And who will show us the way? The answers John Bevan finds illuminate the hope that even in our darkest hours we are not alone.

©2010 Jason F. Wright (P)2010 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Passionate, spiritual and thought-provoking...[A] beautifully written book." (Glenn Beck, talk radio and FOX news host, number-one New York Times best-selling author)

"Sharp prose, clever characterizations, thought-provoking insights...fresh and spiritual." (Don Piper, New York Times best-selling author of 90 Minutes in Heaven and Heaven is Real)

"Celebrates the incredible joys of the human experience." (Kevin Milne, author of The Nine Lessons)

Tears….

….but totally worth it. Very sweet and tender book, as I’ve found each of the other books by him that I’ve read.

A beautiful book!

I loved this book...anyone who has lost a loved one will be comforted by this loving story..read it.

Everyone has a cross to bare

This book was very well written, easy to understand and heartfelt. I listened to it twice and cried both times. I lost a very young son and it took me many years of sadness and sorrow to overcome but I had other children to live for.

Outstanding!

I absolutely loved this book. I literally couldn’t stop listening. Beautifully written and the narration was excellent. I highly recommend it!

Fabulous

Best book I’ve listened to in a long time. It was well worth the time.

Challenging Time Challenging Book

I listened to this book very shortly after loosing my mother, suddenly and unexpectedly. So, it was a challenging book to read. I think anytime you read someone's interpretation of how death works -- I think that you can get caught up in measuring every word, every interpretation, every point of doctrine. I found that it was much easier to open myself up to the ways in which healing can come from unexpected sources.

I especially enjoyed learning about life on an apple orchard. And, I could recognize in the story some of the universality of loss and grief.

However, that said, I found the device that Mr. Wright used in the cross gardener a little too distracting. I think the author was well-intentioned and I appreciated the uplifting tone, but this isn't a book I could recommend without reservations.

Inspiring

An inspiring story that will make you look at your life and wish for all that is possible. It will make you feel good and make you cry. What a blessing that we have those authors like Jason F Wright that can write books to inspire, no bad language or things in them that make you feel less than human.