Rating: 
Summary: Small Town Charm
Review: It only took me reading the first page of Adriana Trigiani's Big Stone Gap to fall in love with this story. Set in Big Stone Gap Virginia, you will meet a cast of locals who are lovable and quirky. The novel centers around Ave Maria Mulligan, who in her 30's is a strong and independent woman. Running the pharmacy left behind by her father, the Mutual Pharmacy fills the voids of Ave's lacking love life. As we meet the community of Big Stone Gap, characters like Fleeta, Pearl, Jack Mac and Theodore will start to feel like your own friends. You will feel Ave's joys and pitfalls as she stumbles through some uncomfortable paths on her journey to find her true love. Trigiani is immensely insightful as she touches on so many universal truths about the human spirit and life. Big Stone Gap has certainly captured my heart, and made it onto my list of all time favorites. The fact that there are 2 more in this trilogy, Big Cherry Holler and Milk Glass Moon, is just icing on the cake~
Rating:
Summary: Big Stone Gap is Something You Need to Curl Up With!
Review: I just loved this book and look forward to Big Cherry Holler, the sequel, after reading this book! Ave Maria, who is the main character of the story has had a lot to go through in her lifetime. She lives in Big Stone Gap Virginia in the lovely mountains where it feels like 'down home.' Ave Maria's mom has passed away, and she has had a hard time getting on with her life, but she does gradually, and things go on from there. She is the town spinster at 35 years of age, and has a hard time of finding love. She has two wonderul male friends though, and will she find love with one of them? You must read this to find out! Other events happen as well, after her mother's death occurs. Her mom was hiding something from Ave Maria for many years and it is not until her death that Ave finds out what this is. Her mom has written her a letter telling her something inside of her will. To find out what this is all about, you REALLY will have to read the book once again. Ave Maria also owns a pharmacy in Big Stone Gap and knows many people in the whole town. Early on in the book though, a high school girl comes into Ave's life that really needs someone to look up to. Her name is Pearl, and she and Ave instantly form a friendship that is long-lasting. Ave makes her a deal later in the story that she just can't refuse. With all the scandals, heartaches, troubles, and life-changing decisions that occur in Ave's life, this is a wonderful read! I highly recommend it!
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: 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: 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.
Rating:
Summary: WELL WORTH THE READ
Review: The book was well written and just chunked full of good characters. Living here in the Ozark Mountains, it was much like reading about many of my neighbors (and must admit, myself).
There is a lot of good humor in the authors writing. I do hope if she write a sequel she introduces us to more characters as this is the strongest part of her writing. All in all a very pleasant read and I highly recommend it. Thank you Ms Trigiani.
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