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Oliver's Crossing: A Novel of Cades Cove
Cades Cove is a place where the soul knows it is home. An ancient valley in Eastern Tennessee, its mountain peaks saw a successful and industrious society for 119 years. From John and Lucretia Oliver's first steps into the cove in 1818, to its inclusion in the 1937 opening of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this quiet and stunningly beautiful place has inspired many who have vacationed in America's most visited national park. What made the people of Cades Cove so special? What makes their history so magical and inspiring? Through exhaustive research, the author answers those questions, delving deep into their unique past. Though a work of fiction, the people described are real, as are all major events. Within these pages are historical facts and exact quotes taken from some of the best sources, some from the very memoirs of the people themselves. With writing as beautiful as Cades Cove itself, readers can step back into the early 1800s to meet the man and woman who started it all. Join them as they face threats to survival, Indians and the Trail of Tears, religious splits, bullies, the Civil War, and other monumental events in American history. John Oliver crossed into the cove in 1818 to achieve his dream of owning his own farm; in doing so, he created an entire way of life.
264 pages, Paperback
Published November 15, 2020
18 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 8, 2020
While "Oliver’s Crossing" is categorized as historical fiction, Catherine Astl has made it more than just a compilation of noteworthy historical facts for her readers, be they students of history or avid readers of the fiction genre. She has woven together a fabric of historical facts with the important elements of human nature and done so in an extraordinarily rich and skillful manner. By doing so Astl transports her readers to another place and time. Somewhere each reader may not be familiar with firsthand. As important as the period Cade’s Cove represents, Astl does not let the period overshadow the story she tells. The novel conveys a rich historical perspective, but the story is the essential foundation, making "Oliver’s Crossing" a captivating, page-turning adventure. Astl has created historical fiction that is as “real as real can be.”
"Oliver’s Crossing" conveys important central themes. First and foremost is that of freedom, courage, and the honest truthful principles of the story’s key characters, and their destined impact upon Cades Cove. Placing emphasis on the emotional content and culture of the residents of Cade’s Cove, Astl provides her readers with an abundance of unforgettable events and conditions. They include the moment when John and Lucretia “Luraney” Oliver took their first steps into Cades Cove and continue throughout a century later when the cove was declared a national park, ultimately to become the most visited park in the United States.
Page after page is interspersed with important pieces of conversations between the residents, conveying their feelings, simple folk wisdom, and concerns for their lives and the continuation of their community into perpetuity. The story is fluid, describing the efforts of the residents trying to make the cove their home, a place in nature moving steadily toward their dream of a thriving community. A community where each resident could live life as life was meant to be lived. Astl’s focus on the human condition tells a compelling story about the residents’ struggles, hopes, dreams, prayers, and an abundance of the sweet successes of building a community they could proudly call home. Consistently not taking anything for granted, the residents of Cades Cove worked together to establish an unblemished haven outside of the national mainstream, one however that lingers almost menacingly on the peripheries of Cade’s Cove.
Another central theme, though one that is subtle in appearance and may not be immediately recognizable, is the use of symbolism in the story. Two of these symbolic elements provide the mortar for cementing together the building blocks of the Cades Cove story, and the impact of the story upon our nation. From the story’s beginning John Oliver’s prescience prevails in his instinctive vision of not only being laid to rest ‘neath a chestnut tree, but his belief he has finally come home. A home of his own. The former is a revelation, so soon to come to light regarding John’s demise, and hardly ironic given the symbolism of a chestnut tree’s being a natural source of life and prosperity. The latter revealing early-on that “home he shall be.” On a personal note, this beginning reminds me of a theme in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s "The Little Prince."
The Little Prince leaves his house-sized home, Asteroid B612, in search of wisdom, trying to discover how to deal with his home’s only rose. A sole anthropomorphic flower that suddenly blossomed on B612. The prince loves her with all his heart. However, her vanity and demands become too much for him, and he leaves searching for wisdom. When he finally reaches Earth, the prince meets a snake, who says that he can return him to his home, and a flower, who tells him that people lack roots. He comes across a rose garden, and he finds it very depressing to learn that his beloved rose is not, as she claimed, unique in the universe. A fox then tells him that if he establishes ties with--that is "tames"--the fox then they will be unique and a source of joy to each other. After taming the fox and then being bitten by the snake, the Little Prince magically returns home from his struggle-laden journey, bringing the lessons learned about how to establish ties with another living entity. Like John Oliver, home he shall be, and happily so. Oliver had Cade’s Cove, the Little Prince his soon-to-be tamed rose on B612.
The next symbolic element is the continued presence of an eagle in Cade’s Cove. An eagle is symbolic of power and of our association with the Divine. From ancient times, the symbolism of the eagle allowed us to summon the drive within ourselves to push further and reach higher. It enabled each of us to view life from a higher perspective and discover the potential of our innate capabilities. The eagle also symbolizes rebirth, dawn, spring’s direction, and renewed life. Its importance goes a step further as it relates to the impact of the story within Oliver’s Crossing. It is the significance of the eagle and how it represents new beginnings, resilience, and stamina for those who have been experiencing difficult passages in life.
When least expected, the eagle appears, ever watchful of the residents and their different ways. The eagle and its offspring within Cades Cove, flying above in the sky, and oftentimes alighting upon a treasured part of Cade’s Cove ground at critical moments throughout the story, provide a striking reminder to the cove’s residents of their capabilities to live the way life was meant to be lived. No matter the difficulties of struggling through bitter winters, trying desperately at times to find food to stay alive, progressively building a community they can call home, enduring the tragic hardships of The Civil War, and ultimately having to relinquish their century-long hold on the cove to the “good of the nation.”
Oliver’s Crossing, a story well worth the read, again and again. My thanks to the author, Catherine Astl, for writing this exceptional and enjoyable piece of historical fiction.
"Oliver’s Crossing" conveys important central themes. First and foremost is that of freedom, courage, and the honest truthful principles of the story’s key characters, and their destined impact upon Cades Cove. Placing emphasis on the emotional content and culture of the residents of Cade’s Cove, Astl provides her readers with an abundance of unforgettable events and conditions. They include the moment when John and Lucretia “Luraney” Oliver took their first steps into Cades Cove and continue throughout a century later when the cove was declared a national park, ultimately to become the most visited park in the United States.
Page after page is interspersed with important pieces of conversations between the residents, conveying their feelings, simple folk wisdom, and concerns for their lives and the continuation of their community into perpetuity. The story is fluid, describing the efforts of the residents trying to make the cove their home, a place in nature moving steadily toward their dream of a thriving community. A community where each resident could live life as life was meant to be lived. Astl’s focus on the human condition tells a compelling story about the residents’ struggles, hopes, dreams, prayers, and an abundance of the sweet successes of building a community they could proudly call home. Consistently not taking anything for granted, the residents of Cades Cove worked together to establish an unblemished haven outside of the national mainstream, one however that lingers almost menacingly on the peripheries of Cade’s Cove.
Another central theme, though one that is subtle in appearance and may not be immediately recognizable, is the use of symbolism in the story. Two of these symbolic elements provide the mortar for cementing together the building blocks of the Cades Cove story, and the impact of the story upon our nation. From the story’s beginning John Oliver’s prescience prevails in his instinctive vision of not only being laid to rest ‘neath a chestnut tree, but his belief he has finally come home. A home of his own. The former is a revelation, so soon to come to light regarding John’s demise, and hardly ironic given the symbolism of a chestnut tree’s being a natural source of life and prosperity. The latter revealing early-on that “home he shall be.” On a personal note, this beginning reminds me of a theme in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s "The Little Prince."
The Little Prince leaves his house-sized home, Asteroid B612, in search of wisdom, trying to discover how to deal with his home’s only rose. A sole anthropomorphic flower that suddenly blossomed on B612. The prince loves her with all his heart. However, her vanity and demands become too much for him, and he leaves searching for wisdom. When he finally reaches Earth, the prince meets a snake, who says that he can return him to his home, and a flower, who tells him that people lack roots. He comes across a rose garden, and he finds it very depressing to learn that his beloved rose is not, as she claimed, unique in the universe. A fox then tells him that if he establishes ties with--that is "tames"--the fox then they will be unique and a source of joy to each other. After taming the fox and then being bitten by the snake, the Little Prince magically returns home from his struggle-laden journey, bringing the lessons learned about how to establish ties with another living entity. Like John Oliver, home he shall be, and happily so. Oliver had Cade’s Cove, the Little Prince his soon-to-be tamed rose on B612.
The next symbolic element is the continued presence of an eagle in Cade’s Cove. An eagle is symbolic of power and of our association with the Divine. From ancient times, the symbolism of the eagle allowed us to summon the drive within ourselves to push further and reach higher. It enabled each of us to view life from a higher perspective and discover the potential of our innate capabilities. The eagle also symbolizes rebirth, dawn, spring’s direction, and renewed life. Its importance goes a step further as it relates to the impact of the story within Oliver’s Crossing. It is the significance of the eagle and how it represents new beginnings, resilience, and stamina for those who have been experiencing difficult passages in life.
When least expected, the eagle appears, ever watchful of the residents and their different ways. The eagle and its offspring within Cades Cove, flying above in the sky, and oftentimes alighting upon a treasured part of Cade’s Cove ground at critical moments throughout the story, provide a striking reminder to the cove’s residents of their capabilities to live the way life was meant to be lived. No matter the difficulties of struggling through bitter winters, trying desperately at times to find food to stay alive, progressively building a community they can call home, enduring the tragic hardships of The Civil War, and ultimately having to relinquish their century-long hold on the cove to the “good of the nation.”
Oliver’s Crossing, a story well worth the read, again and again. My thanks to the author, Catherine Astl, for writing this exceptional and enjoyable piece of historical fiction.
November 5, 2023
I had visited Cades Cove twenty five years ago but learned alot more from reading this book about how John and Luraney Oliver were the first to settle there and the hardships they endured and being invaded during the Civil War.The author did alot of research.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes historicals
I recommend this book to anyone who likes historicals
November 8, 2021
The facts of the founders and residents of the cove and the eventual takeover by eminent domain for the Smoky Mountain National Park were quite interesting, but the author's sappy and repetitive style almost ruined the book. Our book club chose the book or I would not have read it.
April 8, 2021
Very good! Lots of historical info along with a bit of writers license to fill in unknown gaps.
June 9, 2021
Just OK. Simplistic and repetitive. I did enjoy the pictures and wish I'd read the book before I went to the Cove.
July 19, 2022
Oliver’s Crossing
Great book. Easy to read and tells the story of Cades Cove. I can’t wait to visit the Cove again after reading this book.
Great book. Easy to read and tells the story of Cades Cove. I can’t wait to visit the Cove again after reading this book.
March 19, 2024
5/5 and would give it more if possible. My favorite place in all the world....Cades Cove
July 17, 2021
After having traveled to and from Cades Cove for 35 years I still feel the longing to return. It feels like home. Those words resonated with me as I read Oliver’s Crossing. This book takes you from the courageous settlers as they battle the elements under the watchful eye of the Eagle through ups and downs of pioneer life to the sad ending of a departure of the ones who called it home. I love Cades Cove and I love Oliver’s Crossing.
January 14, 2022
Wonderful story about the people who started Cades Cove. I love Cades Cove, and it was so fun to have a story about the people I only know the names of. The writing is simple and easy. It is a quick, easy read about a wonderful place and brave, remarkable families.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews