Customer Reviews

Big Stone Gap (Big Stone Gap Novels)

5 star:		(97)
4 star:		(59)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

If Jan Karon, Billie Letts and Fannie Flagg could be made into one person, they would create Adriana Trigiani. All the essentials are present: Jan Karon's quaint community charm, Billie Letts's honest and triumphant storylines, and Fannie Flagg's quirky and one-of-a-kind characters. A lively mix, to say the least....

According to the Chinese art of face-reading, something extraordinary is supposed to happen in the 35th year of Ava Maria Mulligan's life. Well, it's been 35 years -- and Ava Maria is getting impatient! Being the town spinster, town pharmacist, and all-around good gal just isn't good enough anymore. Even though Ava Maria tries to convince herself that she likes being alone and predictable, fate has another scenario in mind. With the discovery of a very big family secret, the entire world and life as Ava Maria has come to know and depend on is turned upside down. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing...

Plenty of surprising things and supressed feelings come to the surface during the course of Ava Maria's 35th year, which makes it one that will never be forgotten. Readers will fall in love with the town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia and all it's wonderful residents: Sexy bookmobile driver and jewelry peddler Iva Lou Wade, who has sampled many of the town's male appetizers; Theodore Tipton, director of the high school band and Ava Maria's very best friend; Jack MacChesney, the big, burly coal-miner who lives with his momma out in the holler; and Pearl Grimes, a 15-year-old mediocre mountain girl with potential that's just starting to crack the surface. Readers will see themselves in one or many of these characters, which makes this novel so appealing. A must read for Southern fiction fans and those who enjoy down-home humor and characters with heart.

I was born and raised in Big Stone Gap, and this book captures the essence of life in that town. As I read the book, I could smell the mountain air, hear the bookmobile coming around the street corner at the Post Office, and See the town merchants placing their wares on the sidewalks. What memories it brings back! The characters are real, the talk is true, and the honor and chivalry depicted in the book are still a part of that town. If you want a romantic novel that makes you yearn for the traditional values of yester year, this is the one to read. Big Stone Gap is real, refreshing, and a wonderful read to get lost in!

I loved this book--the characters became your friends and neighbors. Ms Trigiani has created a wonderful character in Ave Maria Mulligan--one that I hope will reappear in subsequent novels. Ave Maria may be an oddity in the little town of Big Stone Gap but she shares the hopes and disappointments of all women. She comes from a warm and loving mother and a father who could not show emotion though later in the story we find out that Fred Mulligan was a very good man--he left his business and his home to Ave's mom thus insuring that they would be passed on to her. Surprises and twists abound and true love wins the day in this great "chick" book. Ms Triagiani can create characters and give them such life you take them home with you--I shall miss Jack Mac Theodore Iva Lou and Pearl. Rita Mae Brown has a definite rival for best Virginia storyteller.

With much regret, I just finished "Big Stone Gap". I say with much regret, because I truly enjoyed spending time with Ave Maria Mulligan and all her cohorts.

This story is set in 1978, in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, which is just a stone's throw away from my hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee. I recognize so many of the characters presented here - author Adriana Trigiani really captures the heart and soul of the people who populate the area. Although there are many threads throughout this story (and a hilarious, and reality-based, incident involving Liz Taylor and an unfortunate chicken bone!), the theme of this novel is relationships: mother/daughter, father/daughter, men and women as friends, men and women as "more than friends", and good girlfriends. Trigiani has a captivating voice, each page was a delight.

If you enjoy a pleasant tale, with a definite Southern flavor, you will enjoy this book. I would put it together with the works of Terry Kay, or Fanny Flagg.

Outrageous and fun-loving characters that keep this story rolling in an enjoyable and entertaining manner. Ave Maria is not only the town spinster, but also privy to the whole towns business since she is the town Pharmacist. Not much stays private for long in the Gap and one big secret is about to be let out of the bag, but I'll leave that one for you all to read.

The antics never end, and you will be happy to know that the sequel, BIG CHERRY HOLLER has been published so you can continue with the story. These are characters that you will want to remember, and to be able to pick up another book to take you back is a plus. This is a new author to me and I was lucky enough to listen to her narrate the book on tape. The lilt of her accent made me feel like I was right there in the Blue Ridge Mountains being told a story by my friend. Great book! Kelsana 9/01/01

The characters in this book are so friendly and down to earth. Since I know that Big Stone Gap really exists I can't help but wonder are any of these people real or like someone who lives in the real Big Stone Gap. This book covers so many things in life, birth, death, love, jealousy, success, and anger to just name a few. The leading lady is like so many of us seeming to have confidence in herself one minute then confused the next. Helping others often neglecting herself. The men are handsome, friendly and willing to help. I'm glad that I got to visit Big Stone Gap in the pages of this book

Quite often, opening lines of a book may beckon to a reader and hold onto them for the duration of the book. As an avid reader I couldn't help but feel this way when I read the following opening lines from Big Stone Gap by Adiana Trigiani, "This weekend will be a good weekend for reading." And I felt my fingers skipping to turn the pages and begin reading more of this book. Now that I've finished the novel by Ms. Trigiani , I too must add my kudos along with the many other readers who have also recommended and enjoyed this title. Like the authors Fannie Flagg and Rebecca Wells, Ms. Trigiani has assembled a cast of Southern characters who are homespun, fun loving and just quirky enough to appeal to reading audiences everywhere.

Ave Marie Mulligan at 35 is an unmarried pharmacist in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. The product of an Italian mother and Scotch Irish father, who died some years before has come to accept her father's cruelty when she was younger. She also has come to accept that her life most likely will never change either. Running the local pharmacy, which she inherited, making deliveries to the hollers, working with the ambulance squad and directing the Outdoor Drama musical every summer fill her days and years. But when Ava reads a letter from her recently deceased mother, she is left with some revelations and unsettling questions. Now Ava must find out the answers and we as readers fully realize that Ava's life will never be the same again.

Ms. Trigiani offers her readers a delightful book which will surely be read and reread by her many fans. And the best part is that once you finished reading Big Stone Gap you can return to the area and people once again by reading the second book in this trilogy, Big Cherry Holler, and the recently published third and last book, Milk Glass Moon. Take it from me, spending time with Ave Marie Mulligan with her friends in Big Stone Gap is a perfect way to spend any weekend.

I got this book - actually it was a gift from my cousin, but I was planning on reading it anyway - since my father grew up in Big Stone Gap. I loved the book - the characters were enticing and I would have enjoyed it even without the ancestral setting. I liked the fact that the mountain folk weren't all made out to be dumb hillbillies. My dad, who also read the book, says the regional references are pretty accurate, but now I want to ask him more about those places and revisit them!

The story is about Ave Maria Mulligan, 35 year old pharmacist, who is at a turning point in her life. She considers herself the town "spinster" and through some events that happen after her mother's death, she decides her life needs some changes. She feels she doesn't fit in to the natives of Big Stone Gap, even though she was born there, mostly because her mother was an Italian immigrant and she's Catholic. The changes don't exactly turn out to be the ones she plans, but oh what a fun ride along the way!

Adriana Trigiani's "Big Stone Gap" is a wonderful tale of Ave Maria Mulligan and her small town ways. This 35 year old, unmarried woman in rural Big Stone Gap, Virginia tells an enchanting story with so many humorous characters. I loved the small-town aspect of the story and the unique way that the author tied everything together. The revelation that she isn't who she always thought, starts this tale of self-discovery and wonderful adventure. I was thrilled by this book and didn't want it to end. I loved Ave Maria's character and found her to be very believable and easy to identify with. A great book about a real person. It's a well told story. I think you'll enjoy it.

Sometimes, I really need a "feel-good" book, one that's not too challenging, that tells a good story, that gives me a comforting feeling. I needed such a book about now, and Big Stone Gap certainly met that need. Big Stone Gap is the story of Ave Maria Mulligan, a 34-year old single pharmacist, who, despite her many protests, is really looking for love. She lives in Big Stone Gap, a small Virginia mining town filled with wonderfully charming characters with big hearts. I will admit, I am not usually a fan of this type of novel, the oh what a wacky southern town we live in genre, but Big Stone Gap doesn't go over the top as many others do. The characters stay on the right side of reasonable and Ave Maria is a wonderful heroine. She narrates the novel, which may make the difference. It could just be that I am a sucker for a good love story, but I found Big Stone Gap to be quite enjoyable, if not "great literature". At times, it gets a little hokey, but again, not overmuch. It's a breezy novel that I think most will enjoy.