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Summary: A wonderful book
Review: This story caught me in the first pages and I didn't want to put it down.With clear, simple yet deep prose, Trigiani paints the characters of her small Southern town with vigor. These aren't your average townfolk, and Ave Maria isn't your average pharmacist. She reads people's faces, and she discovers, at thirty-five, a family she didn't know existed. With that comes a new focus and zeal for life. Trigiani writes a beautiful book, sometimes wistful or painful, always grippingly entertaining.
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Summary: Great book!
Review: This is an excellent book with witty, interesting characters! I was drawn in after the first page!
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Summary: Love and Death: The Only Stories That Matter
Review: Very much a story about the narrator's self-discovery, set in a small town filled with semi-eccentric characters, "Big Stone Gap" is a pleasant, easy read. Although I personally found some aspects of the story to be predictable, I like the way that the narrator, Ave Maria, gradually reveals truths to herself and to us about her motivations, feelings and life story. It's like peeling layers back to expose things we don't consciously expect to be there. There are a few conflicts left unresolved (e.g., what happens to the aunt and uncle trying to lay claim to the house and business she's been willed by her mother?), but the biggest questions are, of course, answered by novel's end, and the resolutions are sure to be crowd pleasers. While I was at first tempted to categorize "Big Stone Gap" as a woman's book, the two dominant themes -- love and death -- are the most resonant themes of literarure. To that end I think "Big Stone Gap" has fairly universal appeal.
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Summary: A story of a small town with lots of heart..
Review: This is a great book if you're looking for a light, comfortable read. I loved the characters in the story, they have a sense of reality about them, they're not completely over the top in their ways. Ave Maria is the main character and the one who is narrating the story. She is a young woman who is the town pharmacist and the "unmarried" one. She is happy with her life but misses her mother who passed away and left her with a secret regarding who her real father is. The story unfolds from there as Ave Maria confronts her feelings of love for a man who is almost too good to be true. The people of Big Stone Gap will have you laughing and cheering their antics. This is a great feel good book. I loved the people and the storyline is well developed. I look forward to reading the sequel "Big Cherry Holler".
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Summary: a fun read
Review: I read this book because my college-aged son met & interviewed the author. My son read the book & thought I might like it. How nice that a son can pick out a book for his mom! I suggested this book for my book club, and now that it's my turn to "review" the book & the author, I find that I can't remember much about the book. That doesn't speak well for the book. In other words, this book is a "fun read". It didn't change my life. And yet, I did identify with some of the characters. It's "cute, fun".
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Summary: This Gap is pap
Review: I am bewildered by all these gushing reviews; I didn't think there was anything special about Big Stone Gap (except maybe the hype it generated). This is straight out of the touchy-feely- quirky small town-love comes a knockin' when you least expect it-Oprah genre. Apparently, these are themes that resound with lots and lots of people. And I'll admit it--I did read the book in its entirety, so it must be somewhat compelling (either that or I'm a masochist, because I did go on to read the sequel, which I REALLY would not recommend). Anyway, if you've read any of Oprah's other small southern town selections, there's no real reason to bother with this one.
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Summary: Southern comfort....
Review: Big Stone Gap promises to whisk you off your feet to the mountains of Virginia, to a place that is possibly the most comforting place on Earth. This book, and this town, have a presence that you won't soon forget. The characters are memorable, and by the time you're through you will miss each and every person you've been introduced to. With each turn of the page, Trigiani draws you into the close-knit community of Big Stone Gap, with laughter, tears and surprises. Far from one-dimensional, you learn about human nature, and aspects of a lifestyle that you are perhaps not familiar with. As a 'feriner', just like Ave Maria in the story, I can relate on many levels with her sentiments. Each character has some aspect to make you fall in love with them. If you are looking for a light read, but with some substance, Trigiani's Big Stone Gap is perfect. You won't forget these characters any time soon, and you will feel like they won't forget you either.
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Summary: Wow this was such a wonderful book.
Review: Wow is all I have to say. I started this book 2 days ago and was hooked from the moment I started it. The characters were wonderful and kept me into the book. I love the way Ave Maria told the story and how it kept me involved. I can't wait to start the next book by this author.
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Summary: A Lovely, Comforting Read
Review: 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.
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Summary: Sweet...sweet....sweet
Review: I just finished reading Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani. The book was recommended to me at my monthly book review group. I was at the library so I checked out the book. The title of the book really took my eye because my son lives in Big Stone Gap on Shawnee Street. I'm familiar with the town and the area so I knew Trigiani was describing everything perfectly. Of course, she was writing fiction in the era of 1978, but nothing truly changes much in Big Stone Gap. I found the story so very heartwarming that I plan to pick up Big Cherry Holler next. Thumbs up to Trigiani, a very talented author.
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