Customer Reviews

Sutter's Cross

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really enjoyed this book. I'm recommending it to all my friends and it is a welcomed addition to my 'lending library' shelves.

Sutter's Cross is a lovely, picturesque town in the mountains of northern Georgia where "the last long fingers of the Appalachians" end. It was named after the huge chestnut cross erected by Emanual Sutter, in 1817, as the headstone for the grave of his beloved son . Emanuel had been given the land as payment for service in the War of 1812.

People in Sutter's Cross were very comfortable with the way things were in their town until a homeless hicker named Harley showed up at the Community Church's annual picnic. It was as if Harley's arrival triggered a domino of events that, spiritually speaking, separated the men from the boys.

Mr. Cramer masterfully introduces a variety of characters and makes you feel like you know each one intimately. Some of the characters are most lovable and some you love to dislike. In reality, they hold a mirror up to the reader as each one demonstrates a different aspect of who each of us really is.

I was amazed at how skillfully the author was able to create, and very successfully manage, several important themes. He addresses difficult father/son relationships, racial tensions, faith in the midst of illness and tragedy, and the ugliness of self-righteousness and ungodly judgements against others. Never did I feel lost or confused. Each issue was equally engaging, making me anxious to follow it through to it's satisfying conclusion.

Most of all I was thrilled at how real and down to earth Harley was. He was such an obvious God-send that I was suspicious of his true identity only to find that he was so real; an honest human in need of redemption just like me.

Please, do yourself a favor and read this book. I'm sure it will have an equally positive affect on you as it did on me. You'll be glad you did and you'll want to pass it on to those you care about.

--- reviewed by Ginny Sutton for Christian Bookshelf

After reading "Bad Ground", I was literally blown away, and my expectations for this was high. It started out great, but while the pages kept turning, it took about 90 pages after the first chapter for me to really get into it. But Cramer still shows his stuff, and conducts an orchestra for all to hear!

This is a book with a lot of pain, even going as far as to ask the question "WHY?" a few times. Some chapters even start with entries from Jake Mahaffey's journal. But we also get a look in the life of Harley. But there are people who are skeptical of this new stranger in town, and frankly don't want it disturbed anymore than it has to be. You take a look at Miss Agnes Dewberry, a spry old gal who takes Harley in. You see the life of Web Holcombe, used to having things his way. You look at Web's son, Eddy, and his best buddy, Marcus and how they romp and stomp together. By the way, I loved the baseball chapter!

But you take this the whole way through, and it all adds up to one thing in the end, faith. This was a good read, and I can't wait for Mr. Cramer's next work to emerge! I'll have to be patient!

I highly recommend Sutter's Cross. It's a book you just can't put down. The characters are absolutely wonderful. The story is exciting, interesting, and full of inspiration. Dale Cramer is a gifted author. I am looking forward to reading more of his novels in the future. His second novel, Bad Ground, is also a winner.

Great read from start to end. You would want to have Harley on your side. I have read "Bad Ground" first, but I like "Sutter's Cross" better.

A first novel that makes you glad, Dale Cramer decided to write fiction. A story packed with strong southern characters, a fascinating story line, and description that puts you right in the town of Sutter's Cross. An absolute must read.

I enjoyed Sutter's Cross because of the thought provoking events and actions of the characters in relation to each other and the story line. I would not have known about this book if not for it being a selection for our church book club. I found myself having to really push to get into the book - but I am so glad that I did. It was well worth the read - and I would recommend it highly to anyone wanting to read a book about life that is out of the ordinary. It is picturesque and entertaining.

that's where it's at! I love books about small towns and this one just captured my heart! Harley was an example for everyone at Sutter's Cross. Web was the opposite. It's a shame people don't think of God until faced with a tragedy, but God works in mysterious ways. This book reminds us without faith we don't have anything. Excellent first book Mr. Cramer!

What a great book Sutter's Cross is! It started off a bit slow, but then it picked up to a point where you couldn't put it down. It takes you through the whole emotional spectrum and I haven't stopped thinking about the book since I finished it a few days ago. It's a book that draws you closer to the Lord -- this book is a definite keeper!

I discovered Dale Cramer with his third book, "Levi's Will." I then read his most recent work, "Summer of Light," and was enthralled with the storytelling. Both of those works are about character and people, drawn loosely but expertly from Cramer's own life.

"Sutter's Cross" is different -- it's about a place. The geography of the novel is really the main character, and it took me a while (about 70 pages) to figure that out. Once I did, I went back and reread it from the beginning, and it read very differently. With the characters in almost supporting roles, the book is a story of preservation and development, past and present, faith and ruthlessness, forgiveness and atonement. But it's all grounded in place, and the difference it makes when one is grounded in place and when one isn't.

The heart of the story is a conflict between a developer, Web Holcombe, and the people on the land. Holcombe lets nothing stand in his way, and sees the land as something to be changed and utilized, simply because it can be. Standing in his way is the homeless drifter Harley, who learns how to talk with God as he sits on a ridge named Joshua's Knee (you have to love the name). The reader knows how the story is going to end, but it doesn't matter because Cramer skillfully pulls the reader into the story, becoming part of the place just like the other characters.

Cramer is one grand storyteller.

Jake Mahaffey lives with his wife Lori in the beautiful little town of Sutter's Cross in the Appalachians. There is a rigid social structure in the town in which everyone knows his place, especially in Jake's church. All of this changes when a ragged, homeless man comes to town and offends some of the townspeople and charms others. He has an other-worldly wisdom about him which offends his enemies and attracts those who see beyond his ragged exterior. His very presence seems to uncover the towns' hypocrisy, and suddenly the greed and self-centeredness of some of Sutter's Cross citizens are exposed. Important themes such as living through pain and suffering and father/son relationships are explored in this book. The book starts somewhat slowly, but it gains momentum and, in the end, important lessons are learned by many of the main characters. This is recommended Christian fiction.