Rating: 
Summary: Daughter of Big Stone Gap native loved it
Review: 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!
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable read
Review: I must preface my comments with the fact that I spent four very formative years (1970 - 1974) living in Wise County VA as a young teenager. Having experienced this part of the world as a 'feriner' who lived in a trailer (a certified no-no), I know how Ave Maria must have felt. Fortunately for her, she was able to overcome the 'feriner' label and make a life among the locals in Big Stone Gap. This book brought back memories I'd forgotten: the country speech patterns immediately come to mind. I would like to have 'heard' the peculiar accent a little more clearly, but still a quite accurate protrayal of Southwest Virginia even if the details of TV stations and locations of particular landmarks weren't right on the mark. I have to say that the events of the Friday night half time show for Ms. Taylor made for one of the funniest passages I've ever read! And Ave Maria's experience with the need for change after the deep sleep rang true for this thirty-something in the midst of a crisis of purpose. I've been asked to write about some of my experiences living in this part of the world, and this book may be the catalyst to get that project off the ground.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly surprised!
Review: I was so glad that I stuck with this book because after about 100 pages, I couldn't put it down. Within a few month's our "town spinster's" life changed drastically and we are in for a great story that will continue in the other two books. I found her writing style a bit difficult at first, but then I couldn't stop! I look forward to reading the other books. I do however agree that it isn't a real thought provoking book, but an enjoyable one even so!
Rating:
Summary: A Sweet Small-Town Story...
Review: At first I found this book a bit hard to get into, as the pace is about as speedy as the towns demeanor; that being, small-town and sleepy. However by the end of the story, I was enchanted by the characters and desperate to know how everything ended up. The tale follows a mid-thirties woman who defines herself as an orderly town spinster, constantly under the glare of her towns gossiping wives. Ave Maria's life changes when she discovers some shocking information about her past, and as a result she resolves to rearrange her life in a way that re-directs her entire person. While some novels are description-driven, others are action-driven, and some others draw you in with the characters. This is definately the latter as the people and the community are very well illustrated; after all, Adriana Trigiani based many of the characters on real ones from her time growing up in Big Stone Gap. I recommend this book to curl up with and take your time to read as that'll only make you love it more. I did give it only 4 stars because it took some time for me to really appreciate it, and I found the end a bit drawn out, but now that I've finished it, I enjoyed the lessons I learnt from the novel and the story altogether.
Rating:
Summary: Move over Rita Mae Brown
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: --Excellent story with memorable characters--
Review: My husband and I listened to the sound recording of this book and were engaged by the story line and the great quirky characters. Big Stone Gap is a small town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the southwestern part of Virginia. The story starts quietly with Ave Maria Mulligan telling the story of her life. She's a 35-year old pharmacist who's mourning the death of her mother and dwelling a lot on her past. She thinks of herself as being rather plain and ordinary and also feels that she will probably never marry. Her best friend, Theodore is a handsome and eligible teacher, but romance does not seem to be part of the relationship. The town people see her as a capable woman who can do anything and will always lend a helping hand. Life is simple in Big Stone Gap and the best part of the week for Ave Maria is when the bookmobile shows up each Friday. In fact, Ave Maria says that everything that's she's learned from life has come from books. Her favorite book teaches the Chinese art of face reading and she practices on everyone's face and the results always seem to ring true. Things change when Ave Maria discovers some family secrets and her entire world is turned upside down. To add even more drama, Jack Mac, another very attractive man begins showing a lot of interest in her which confuses and complicates life even more for Ave Maria. This is a wonderful story by Adriana Trigiani who is actually from the town of Big Stone Gap. I'm really looking forward to reading BIG CHERRY HOLLER, the sequel to this book.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly surprised!
Review: I was so glad that I stuck with this book because after about 100 pages, I couldn't put it down. Within a few month's our "town spinster's" life changed drastically and we are in for a great story that will continue in the other two books. I found her writing style a bit difficult at first, but then I couldn't stop! I look forward to reading the other books. I do however agree that it isn't a real thought provoking book, but an enjoyable one even so!
Rating:
Summary: True Life in the Gap
Review: If anyone wants a taste of SW VA then I highly suggest this book. Along with Milk Glass Moon and Big Cherry Holler, Big Stone Gap provides an insightful glimpse into life on the mountain. I went to college down at E&H and have had the pleasure of visiting Big Stone Gap. I enjoyed the way this book was written, and if I have any complaints it is the "simple" style. The reading is fast and not all that thought provoking, a good vacation read.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice, satisfying, comforting sort of read
Review: Ave Maria considers herself the "town spinster" in Big Stone Gap, a tiny town in the mountains of Virginia where she's the town pharmacist and booklover. Her life is peaceful, quiet, and she's seemingly content, until she reads a letter from her recently-deceased mother which changes everything. Ave's life is turned upside-down and she rethinks her personal and family history, what she needs and wants to be happy in life, and her place in the world. A very nice and pleasing book, I plan to read the sequel. However, my one main complaint was that the characterisation here wasn't actually that impressive, compared to other aspects of the book. The men in this novel aren't discernible from one another at all. The women are written much better, but even some of them seemed more like cut-outs rather than fully-fleshed characters. That being said, Ave Maria, the main character, was written well, and I liked her and want to know her better (although, is this good or bad I wonder?) The plot was, in general, logical and neat. One full extra rating point because for some reason I can't place, I stayed up until 4am reading this book! Must be something!
Rating:
Summary: Wellllll.....
Review: Ok, I've gotta say, I'm a little disapointed...almost more in myself then this book. After reading all the wonderful reviews this book received, I was extremely excited to read this series, so I bought all 3 books and got to work. Well, I was not overly impressed. I took me a week to finish this book, I just couldn't get into it, no matter how much I forced myself to sit and read it. It moved verrry slow, and the characters were just so-so. I kinda never really got to like Ave Maria, she irritated me, and Jack Mac didn't have much of a personality at all, but there were some other characters that I thought were ok...Pearl, Iva Lou, and the Italian family. Don't get me wrong, it was a good book, just not great. Trust me...I'm really bummed about not loving this book. I'll still read the other 2 seeing as how I've already bought them...hopefully the story will pick up a little though.
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