Rating: 
Summary: Average in every sense...
Review: "Big Stone Gap" is a big disappointment, the kind of novel you wish had been written by a more accomplished writer. It follows the pattern of many women in mid-life novels and proves that the quality of writing is what makes or breaks these formulas.Big Stone Gap is the kind of Southern small town that exists in movies and novels, where people start sentences with phrases like "I done gone..." and where there is no dearth of fried chicken and collard greens. (I half expected to see grandpas on porches playing banjos.) The heroine, Ave Maria, has recently lost both of her parents and is, to borrow Thoureou's line, living a life of quiet desperation. Then a sequence of thoroughly predictible twists leads her to abandon her spinster life in favor of a richer life. Part of the problem, in fact most of it, is the writing. Consider what Anne Tyler or Pam Houston might have done with this line: "The water reflects off the stalactites, throwing iridescent colors all over the water-washed walls. It looks like a moving painting of blues and silvers." That is an image that could have been breathtaking; instead it is merely competent. The last quarter of the book picks up speed, and there are a few scenes that are touching in their honesty. I won't give them away except to say that final image, a beauty, made me wonder what this novel might have been after a few more drafts.
Rating: 
Summary: Quirky Characters With a Dash of Southern Humor
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Great Southern Read
Review: I hesitated to buy this because I hate to read books written in the present tense ("I go into the kitchen; he looks out the window...") but I'm a sucker for southern fiction and quirky small towns so I bought it anyway. What a treat! I fell in love with the characters right away and was so happy there was a sequel available. The writing was laugh-out-loud funny and I could feel for Ave Maria's situation. My only complaint was that the chapters are verrry long so I stayed up waaay too late reading because I just couldn't put it down in the middle of one!
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: I just loved this series, the novel is based on a family, their joys and heartache. I read the books in order, so when they came to an end I felt like I was apart of the family. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking to laugh and cry...
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting world but...
Review: Big Stone Gap provides an interesting view of life in a place with which most people would be unfamiliar. If you're from the mountains or have a great curiosity about life there, then this book is recommended. Otherwise, it's not. Many of the characters are cliched (examples: the chainsmoking, gruff employee with a heart 'o gold; the good-time girl that all the men adore, also with a heart of gold of course). The writing is often unbelievable. A favorite place of town residents isn't just good, it's "magical." The heroine tends to make speeches on the spur of the moment that sound like what she'd say if she had several hours to write a speech.
Rating:
Summary: Great!!!!!
Review: I WAS VERY HAPPY WITH THE BOOK. I AM FROM SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND AM NOW IN CHARLESTON, SC. I HAPPENED TO BE IN A BOOKSTORE AND THE TITLE CAUGHT MY EYE BECAUSE I WAS RAISED A FEW MILES FROM BIG STONE GAP. THE STORY KEPT ME AMUSED BECAUSE IT REFERRED SO OFTEN TO THINGS THAT IM FAMILIAR WITH. I BOUGHT "BIG CHERRY HOLLER" YESTERDAY AND AM LOOKING FORWARD TO READING IT. SHERRY LOWE
Rating: 
Summary: Lighthearted with some wonderful truths
Review: I loved this book. Ave Maria Mulligan is a real card. She is tender-hearted and kind. She is the town spinster who suddenly finds two attractive men are offering her marriage proposals. Ah that we should all be so lucky! Even without the Elizabeth Taylor sub-plot, which is great in itself, this would be a wonderful Sunday afternoon read. Go ahead, enjoy - you will love this book!
Rating:
Summary: I shall Keep this Book forever.!! Best Read - 1940 Real.
Review: I relived My Child Hood in this Book.!! One of the Best Books in my lifetime to read. By a southern Writter ,, that really knows. The People are real People within us and our lives.
The Characters are absolutely the Real Deal of Soouthern and People, Fun and Lively. !!
Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: Delightful! A quick week-end reading that made me laugh!
Rating:
Summary: A modern Fairytale
Review: Ok... I guess I have to explain the three star rating.... Let me start by saying I liked the book... I liked the main character Ave Maria, her independence and her relationships with almost everyone in her town. I also enyojed the description of what life is like in a very small and tight community, where everyone knows everything or mostly everything about everyone else. I live in a very large city, so it was a nice change. I think the problem for me started when the book, which seemed like a very realistic and believable story at first, turned into a complete fairytale with Prince Charming and Fairy God Mother included... Its not that I don't like fairytales, I just wasn't expecting this book to turn into one.
Also, I found the characters to be extremelly stereotyped, although most of them were nice. Still, I loved the fact that in the end the book is a happy, lift your spirits book, and it is definetly an easy read.
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