Big Stone Gap

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully depicted small town life
Review: I enjoyed very much reading about Ms. Trigiani's small town life in Big Stone Gap, VA. Being from Wise County's neighbor, Dickenson County (Virginia's Baby), I found it very intriguing that someone would write so eloquently about our so-called "depressed" area. I would encourage anyone to visit Wise County and find out for themselves if this isn't one of the loveliest places God made. I found Ave Maria to be a strong-willed person who always tried to keep everyone happy. It's no wonder she couldn't decide what she wanted in life because she was too busy aiding the community and her parents. Her father (who really wasn't) made her feel like she didn't belong.

I wound recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about "real" human nature. There is no glamour or hype, just real people.

Rating:
Summary: My trip to Bountiful...
Review: I grew up in Big Stone Gap, knew many of the characters, performed in the outdoor drama, and was a good friend of the author's younger sister, so I may not be in the best position to be objective.

What I do know is this: my father was a coal miner who risked his life for his family every day. Unfortunately, I didn't know just what kind of risk he took until I read Adri's account of traveling down into the mines. This section of the book alone is worth the read and changed my whole perspective on growing up in the mountains.

I'm not sure why some critics say that her characters are boring. I thought the people and the goings-on in Big Stone were larger than life while growing up there as a teen-ager. It was like growing up in a novel or a movie. I'm glad the book now exists and hope that a movie is forthcoming. There's something special about those people (even the Tayloe Slagel's) and I'm glad Adri had the opportunity to bring them to life.

Here's to Jack Mac, Vernie Crabtree, Shug, Midge, and the Trigiani family. Enjoy reading about them as much as I did knowing them.

Rating:
Summary: Big Round Belly Laughs
Review: Big Stone Gap is not just another "what a quint small town" book. It is a honest, hilarious, and absorbing trip into small town life-revealing both the good and bad sides of the lifestyle. As a person from a similar place I read the book with nostalgia and love (but also joy that I am out of that atmosphere). I would recommend this book to adults of all ages-I am giving it to my mother-in-law for Christmas. You'll never forget it, especially when Hollywood screen legend Elizabeth Taylor comes to town!

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely enchanting!
Review: I was absolutely enchanted with this book. Adriana Trigiani has put together a wonderful story that will be remembered for a very long time. Big Stone Gap is a well-crafted novel that was written for the sentimental and romantic at heart. This is the story of a 35-year-old woman of Italian descent whose family secrets are revealed. Like a puzzle, Ave Maria's life reconstructs piece by piece. Ave Maria is a wonderful heroine. She tells the story with a great deal of heart and soul. Her voice literary comes out of every page! She is so real! I could relate to her a bit. After all, she, too, gets grief for being single and independent. But is that what she really wants? The other characters in the novel are great too, especially Iva Lou, Jack Mac, Pearl and Theodore. Also, I love the backdrop of the small town of Big Stone Gap in Virginia. I could smell the clean air of the mountains through the writing. Her descriptions are quite vivid. This is a beautiful and charming novel that should be read more than once. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of southwest Virginian culture
Review: Big Stone Gap sets its finger on the true pulse of a small Appalachian town. Not only does Adrian Trigiani capture the culture of the community, she also artfully describes the real town of Big Stone Gap down to its museum. The heroine, Ava Maria is an example of an under exposed type of woman found in mountain communities; educated, professional, and an "old maid." This character development keeps the reader gripped to Trigiani's story. Many types of readers will be able to idenitfy with this woman wheter they live in the big city or Big Stone Gap.

Rating:
Summary: Fall into the Gap
Review: I didn't want to read this book but it was one of the deals where a friend gave it to me and kept wondering, "how's the book coming?" So, I poured a glass of chianti and sat down with Ave Maria, Jack and Mac and entered their world as if I had truly, fallen into the gap. The opening bookmobile scene set the tone for the whole novel. Ave Maria is not a typical Oprah pick heroine. She is smart, funny and self aware, without being aware of it, a fine line in real life and even finer(and more rare)in fiction. The love triange does not turn out like you might expect. I tried to call it several times and then the story would take another twist. But, if you are intrigued by friendship and love and the difference between the two, you will find the love story most romantic. There are no real villians and the heroes and heroines are flawed. Hey, like real life. The "Italian" found family was perhaps a bit contrived but I forgave it for the sheer happiness it brought to Ave Maria.

Enjoy your journey to Big Stone Gap, you'll miss them when you're done.

Rating:
Summary: charming story about REAL people
Review: Growing up in Southwest Virginia I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book. I think what charmed me was that this book was about 'real' people and very much in line with the way that real people think and react. This is not a book intended to stimulate critical discussion, but more like sitting on the back porch with a glass of iced tea visiting with a good friend. Now that I have finished the book, I'm a little lost - I miss my evening visits with the good people from Big Stone Gap. Very reflective of the charm of the area - it brought me joy - which is a wonderful thing in these times! I would recommend highly.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Charming
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Big Stone Gap
Review: A good and easy read, but lacking substance. I guess I'm just not a "happy" ending, everything tied up tightly, type of person. All in all, I expected more.

Rating:
Summary: A Visit Home
Review: My mother used to pack me up in the summer and send me to my grand parents in the Big Stone Gap area. I never dreamed it would call my attention to the most delicious book I have read in years. For the first time in fifty years of heavy reading I bought the hard copy. Thank you Ave Maria and all your friends.