Customer Reviews

Milk Glass Moon: A Novel (Big Stone Gap Novels)

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Milk Glass Moon written by Adriana Trigiani is book three of a triology in the Big Stone Gap series, (Big Stone Gap, Big Cherry Hollar and Milk Glass Moon). This book takes us six years further into the lives of Ave Maria Mulligan MacChesney and her family and friends.

All of the characters that we loved in the previous books are growing up or matured and their character is coming out well in this book. The mother/daughter relationship is strong in this book, as Ave Maria doesn't want to let going of the little girl that is now maturing, her daughter is facing her first love and mother is experiencing heartbreak.

This book is about life through Ave Maria's eyes, in the Southwestern part of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with all of the flavor of that small town distilled into this book making it a wild ride throgh the emotional roller coaster.

With twist and turns woven into the main story we learn what's happening to Ave Maria's friends, Iva Lou, Pearl Grimes, Theodore Tipton, Jack Mac, and Fleeta. With humor, you will laugh along with the characters as life in Big Stone Gap is changing.

You'll love reading the book as the narrative is simple but very effective and you can imagine the characters in your mind as you read on, making this book engaging. There is drama, mountain wisdom along ith a sprinkle of humor and romance all rolled into a very well told story.

Readers of Adriana Trigiani's first two books in this trilogy, Big Stone Gap and Big Cherry Holler, certainly have a great deal to look forward to when they pick up and read Milk Glass Moon. What reader wouldn't enjoy another visit to this mountain town in West Virginia, which the author describes so beautifully and fills with such vivid characters and events. And if by chance you read this book without realizing it's the third installment in a series, you have the added pleasure of being able to go back and savor the first two books putting all of the pieces in the puzzle together.

At the beginning of Milk Glass Moon, which refers to what Jack's grandfather described as a smoky, hazy moon, life is pretty much the same for Ave Marie and Jack MacChesney. Their marriage is a good and fulfilling one after several years and they look forward to the future together. Ave Marie continues to work in the pharmacy she once owned while Jack is busy with his construction company. Rounding out their lives is their daughter, Etta, a bright and adventurous 13 year old who is bound to turn Ave Marie's hair gray. But life really never stays the same and once again Ave Marie is faced with new challenges in her life as well as the changes in her friends lives. Once again, we get to spend time with Ave and her beloved mountain friends from the first two books. Theodore Tipton, the former marching band leader who suddenly moves to New York City, Peter Rutledge who Ave Marie first met in Italy five years ago, Iva Lou, the brash and sexy book -mobile driver, Fleeta, the grouchy but big hearted employee of the pharmacy, Spec the paramedic Ave Marie used to work with and Ave Marie's large family in Italy. But ultimately it is the relationship between Ave Marie and Etta which Trigiani explores as Etta marches into adolescence and love.

This is an old fashioned book with old fashion ideals about family, friends, unconditional love and loyalty. As Ms. Trigiani wrote so eloquently about love and marriage in Big Cherry Holler, this time the author writes beautifully about the pains of motherhood and children growing up. The saying that "we give our children roots and wings" is never demonstrated better than it is within the pages of this book. This is a wonderful book and evidence of why the first two books have captured so many reader's hearts and imaginations. Although the author hasn't said definitively that this is the end of the series, I for one am hoping that she will continue to amuse us with the antics of the people both of Big Stone Gap and Italy. If not I'll be rereading this trilogy for some time to come.

The third book in the Big Stone Gap Series, life with Ave and Jack Mac continues like a slow sun rising over the mountains. The love and warmth of the people that we have come to know and care for, their trials and tribulations, life and death, it is all here in the Holler.

In this book we find Etta to be a blossoming teen with a mind of her own, and mom (Ave) has some hard won lessons to learn. This book spans several years and the road gets rocky at times, even down right hard to swallow, but our characters trudge on to the rewards that lie in wait around the corner. Ave comes to terms with the love, and men in her life and finds balance and peace in doing so.

The author left this book open in a way that leaves the reader to believe that another book might be on the way. I will be on the look out for more of this authors talented writing and heartwarming characters. Kelsana 8/7/02

Adriana Trigiani is truly a wonderful and masterful storyteller and I certainly hope this isn't the last visit we have to Big Stone Gap. I have fallen in love with all characters from hip sexpert Iva Lou, to crusty but loveable Fleeta not to mention late-bloomer, Ave Maria and the love of her life, Jack Mac. When I startred this book, I felt like I was taking a walk through Cracker's Neck Holler getting reaquainted with everyone, I felt welcomed back into the fold, that I missed everyone and I was anxious to see what they had been up to.

This book tells the story of the struggle between Ave Maria and her her now teenage daughter, Etta. Ave struggles of course with what every mother struggles with and that is letting go. Etta can be rebellious at times and is struggling to find her own way in the world and it is Etta's father, Jack Mac that seems to understand this better than Ave, who, throughout the course of this heartwarming, spirited novel is forced to learn a lesson or two from her daughter and all the people in this close-knit community that love her.

This novel, as well as the other two books in this series has something for everyone: The characters are extremely well-drawn and lively, the romance is timeless, one sentence can make you laugh wholeheartedly while the next breaks your heart. And for those who like adventure, Milk Glass Moon transports us from the mountains of Virginia to the Tuscan countryside and the Italian Alps for a visit once again with Ave's family.

I am very sad to see this book and the series end, but I look forward to anything else written by Ms. Trigiani. For those who have not yet discovered this talented author, pick up Big Stone Gap, Big Cherry Holler, and Milk Glass Moon and READ THEM!!! they are better than a five star rating can say and should not be missed!

Adriana Trigiani's Milk Glass Moon is a return home for fans of the first two books in the Big Stone Gap trilogy. Ms Trigiani skillfully allows her characters to age and their relationships to develop, leaving the readers to feel as if we have come to know them as friends. Ave Maria , her husband Jack, and her daughter Etta remain the main characters, and we are also able to follow the stories of Pearl, Fleeta, Theodore Tipton, Spec and the rest of the quirky characters who reside in this small town.
An overall theme of the book is growth -- Etta is growing up and Ave is growing comfortable with the choices she has made in her life. Along with growth comes change, and Ave's struggles with the changes in her life are poignantly depicted.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed Big Stone Gap and Big Cherry Holler, and if you have not read those yet, you have a treat ahead of you!

Big Stone Gap is populated by a basket full of basket cases, a host of eccentric residents who make for good tales told by story-teller A. Trigiani. In this final installment of her trilogy, it feels at the outset that heroine Ave Maria Mulligan MacChesney is finally on the right track. But if that's the case, there's no story - so of course Ave is wrong, and more adventures lie in wait. This time it's mostly mother/adolescent daughter Etta angst, and we watch as not only Etta matures toward independence, but also Ave, as she "redreams" her future and tentatively heads down yet another path on the map of Life.
Earthy wisdom, wacky characters, and a good story await readers.

A week before reading this book, Adriana Trigiani "visited" one of my book club's meetings via a phone conference. It was an outstanding experience speaking with her about Big Stone Gap. By the time I read Milk Glass Moon, I was sold on her writing.
This book completes the Big Stone Gap trilogy in a warmly satisfying way. According to Adriana, the first book was about asking and answering "Who am I?"; Big Cherry Holler is about asking, "Now that I have some answers, why do I keep making the same mistakes over again?"; and Milk Glass Moon is about the idea of letting go and redefining our lives. The book covers Etta's years from age 12 to 18, a span any parent would find challenging. Naturally, one of the big concerns is Etta and Ave Maria's relationship. Because this is a situation all mothers can identify with, it is easy to see oneself in the book. Etta, like all daughters, grows up whether or not Ave Maria feels she's done enough to guide her, or whether or not Ave agrees with her decisions. As father, Jack Mac is much more objective in accepting that Etta is growing up. Etta, after all, is not Ave, and yet ironically, what she chooses for herself shows that she's quite self-aware. What Ave sees as a contradiction, Etta is able to explain perfectly soundly, if not logically. No character is static in this novel; each has an opportunity to "let go" or to "redefine" his/her life. Iva Lou lets go of what she's always believed is her fundamental self-image when she's stricken ill. Ave faces the sudden letting go of her friend and co-worker Spec Broadwater. Pearl, too, a far different character from the insecure high school girl she was in B.S.G., redefines her life. Even the cantankerous Fleeta Mullins' rough edges soften a bit. Most importantly, Jack and Ave Maria's relationship is cemented in this book, as Ave becomes truly secure in her happiness with him, and he proves to be a risk taker willing to redefine the direction their lives will take now that they are in (yes!) their 50's. It's been heartwarming reading the trilogy. Adriana proves that the big passages in life are universal, happening in the small towns of America such as Big Stone Gap, as well as in those nestled in the Italian Alps. I look forward to more from Adriana Trigiani!

Ave Maria and the gang are back for another story of life in Big Stone Gap. This time things have changed and people have grown up.

Ave Maria and Jack have been married for many years and there daughter Etta is growing up faster then Ave Maria wants to accept. With things changing in there family and things changing around Big Stone Ave Maria and her friends have to deal with alot.

Ave Maria's best friend Theodore is moving to New York and Ave is going to go visit him, while there she runs into an old friends that makes her wondering if things in her life are how she wants them. Iva Lou is back and she is having to look at things in different light when she gets some bad news.

This last book in this series was wonderful, I loved how Ave Maria, Etta, Fleeta, Pearl, Jack and the entire gang grew up and how things changed in Big Stone Gap and many other places. I wish that there would be more books about this family because I really love reading about the good people in Big Stone Gap.

I've been waiting for months for the third book in the Big Stone Gap series to be published, and it was well worth the wait! This is the best of the three. I love reading about Ave and Etta's mother/daughter relationship, and the pain and pleasures it brings. I feel at times this story is my life! I laughed, I cried and I never wanted it to end!

Reading the last book in the Big Stone Gap trilogy felt like coming home. I loved everything about it - all my favorite characters and that nice comfy feeling you get when turning pages was there. I couldn't have asked for a better way to end the story.

This time around the novel focus mainly on Ave Maria trying to raise her daughter, Etta. The story spans about six years and so we get a nice glimpse into what Ave Maria goes through when trying to rear Etta through her teenage years. And of course, Big Stone Gap wouldn't be complete without cantankerous Fleeta Mullins, Ave's help at the Mutual Pharmacy; all of Ave's wonderful family from across the pond; as well as one of my favorites, Iva Lou Wade Makin, who has a struggle all her own.

Chock full of homespun humor and as comforting as a warm glass of milk, Milk Glass Moon was everything I expected it to be. I feel sad to say good-bye to all my wonderful friends at Big Stone Gap, but the ending of the book left me with such a nice feeling. I highly recommend this trilogy to readers. Thank you, Adriana, for this awesome gift.