The Cross Gardener by Jason F. Wright

Recently I finished up reading The Cross Gardener by Jason F. Wright. I have read other books of his previously and this story intrigued me as well. This book is a Christian Fiction and about 293 pages long. Here is what I found to tell you about the book from the authors website:

The Cross Gardener is an inspiring story of a man touched by tragedy - and a quiet stranger who helps him rediscover the joy to be found in life, love, and family...John Bevan believed life was complete. Married to his high school sweetheart and father to a young daughter, John finally had the traditional family he lacked as an orphaned child. But that all disappears when a fatal car accident changes his world. Filled with sorrow, John withdraws from life and love. He erects two crosses at the scene of the accident and visits daily, grieving. Then one morning, he encounters a young man kneeling before one of the crosses, touching it up with white paint. Conversations with the mysterious stranger - known to him only as the Cross Gardener - begin to heal John's heart. But only when they undertake a journey together does John truly come to see what he must embrace in this world - from the secrets of his own past to the sorrow of the present - if he is to start his life anew. And only as the journey ends does John divine who his guide may really be. In The Cross Gardner, Jason F. Wright tells a timeless tale that explores the questions we ask when our lives are touched by loss: How do we carry on? Who will show us the way? The answers John Bevan finds may illuminate your world as they did his - for even in our darkest hour, we are not alone. (end quote)

I enjoyed the book for a bit and have to tell you it is a tearjerker but just never felt that "wow" factor. It was an easy interesting read and I'm glad I did read it. It helped me to understand how to empathize with those who put the memorials at roadside accidents. I never did understand why people would do that because it didn't make sense to me but now I have an idea and "get it" so to speak. I'm a little uneasy at the fictional idea of the who the cross gardener is and how things work out after someone dies. I don't think it will be a book club selection for our club for that reason and like I said before if it didn't wow me I'm not going to risk it on everyone else. But like Jason's other book, The Wednesday Letters, I was mediocre about it but another friend loved it. So as always don't take my word for it but discover a book for yourself. If you have lost a loved one, this book just might be helpful to you. Happy Reading!