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Summary: I am totally mystified by the attention paid this book.
Review: Although I didn't find this a really bad book, I'm absolutely astonished by the critical attention it has received in venues ranging from People magazine to the New York Times. The book does have well-wrought dialogue which sounds as real, conversational, and cliché-filled as most ordinary conversations really are. The scenarios are easy to imagine, and the brief descriptions succeed in anchoring the action. As a depiction of rural life, however, the book does not have the abundance of artfully selected details that make Big Stone Gap come alive as a place different from every other town in rural America. As a result, the book lacks the warmth and vibrance of setting that one takes for granted in novels by Lee Smith, Jon Hassler, and Lois-Ann Yamanaka, for example. As a first novel, it also lacks the earnestness and fervor one finds in many other first novels, a sense that the author has revised, revised, and revised again to find just the right word to convey an idea, something one does find in first novels by Kiran Desai, Charles Fraser, and David Guterson. Many of the characters are stereotypes: the aging Italian playboy with movie star good looks, the handsome miner with a heart of gold, the unkind cheerleader who gets her comeuppance by becoming pregnant by mistake, the poor, fat girl who conquers all and shows everyone in the end, the "town spinster" who finds love, etc. Most frustratingly, the writing style consists almost entirely of simple, short, declarative sentences containing few words of more than two syllables and making the reader long for a sentence of more than twenty words. I wonder if Random House ever did a test for readability level here-the book's "Fog Index" comes out to between 5th and 6th grade.
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Summary: Wonderful southern tale
Review: Being a southerner I must admit I am particularly partial to stories that are set in the south. I've read good ones and I've read bad ones and this was definitely one of the good ones. The characters felt real. I've lived in my fair share of small towns and the scenario she created felt very much like what I've experienced. I especially liked Ave Maria. I think at some point in most people's life, they become somewhat disillusioned and search for something better. Ave Maria was a perfect example of this. I also enjoyed her interaction with the townspeople. It's completely true that nothing is secret in small towns. It's just not possible. I am looking forward to the next book by Ms. Trigiani. I didn't find this book too predictable and reading it was more than worth my time.
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Summary: Good Book to Curl Up With
Review: Big Stone Gap is one of those novels that reeled me in from the time I opened the cover. The characers are real--the kind a person might actually encounter in this part of the South. Ave Maria, a local girl still unmarried at 36, is delightful--someone you might like as a friend. A pharmacist in Big Stone Gap, she is still reeling from the loss of her mother, a native of Italy who came to America as an unwed mother and ended up in this small, Southern town. After her mother's death, a letter left to Ave Maria reveals some startling facts that change her way of thinking and eventually lead her back to Italy to meet her biological father. Ave Maria's friendship/romance with Theodore, the local high school band director, has its ups and downs; and Jac Mac, a local coal miner, finally declares his feelings for Ave Maria in a very unromantic scene! Trigiani's spellbinding story kept me guessing at what would happen next, and laughing at the antics of characters like Iva Lou and Pearl. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy a well-written story with a strong plot, lots of action, interesting characters, humor, and a bit of old-fashioned romance.
Rating: 
Summary: PASS ON THIS ONE
Review: I really get angry with myself when I read a book in its entirety and find no enjoyment in it whatsoever. This was the case with this book. I should have put it down after 50 pages but I kept on plugging on. The town does seem charming and the scenery beautiful but could the characters be any more boring. I like a main character to jump out at me....Ave Marie couldn't do that if she tried. This is a character who can't seem to make up her mind about anything. The highlight of the book for me was the bookmobile scenes. Other than that, there's nothing else to it. I hate to be so negative about a book but this one didn't do it for me.
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Summary: BEWARE WHEN MOVIE STARS TOUT A BOOK
Review: I should have know better when I saw that Hollywood people were touting this book.....they should stick to acting because obviously they don't know good literature. This book reads like something Nora Roberts would have written while in high school. The characters are under-developed, unmotivated and plain out boring. The highlight is supposedly a visit by Liz Taylor to the town of Big Stone Gap. Even this part was boring. My advice -- read something by Lavyrle Spencer, Nora Roberts, Fannie Flagg or Billie Letts. Don't waste your time on this one...I'm sorry I did.
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Summary: Great summer reading.
Review: I really enjoyed this book; I thought it was very easy reading. The characters were well thought out and became familiar very quickly. I especially enjoyed the setting of the book; I got a real feel for the locale and wouldn't mind visiting one day. Adriana, how about a sequel?
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Summary: Perfect Vacation Reading
Review: Read Big Stone Gap while vacationing in the Smokies. Enjoyed every moment of it. The characters were so well drawn that I felt I knew them. Loved Jack Mac and Iva Lou...and of course Ave Maria...right from the start. Cheered for Pearl and snickered when the baton-twirling beauty moved on to motherhood. Looking forward to Ms Trigiani's next endeavor.
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Summary: A wonderful page turner
Review: I have just started this novel after hearing Ms. Trigiana speak at the bookstore where I work. She was a very delightful woman, I was thoroughly entertained from the moment she stepped into the store until the moment she left. From what I have read so far, I love it.. I really can't put it down, she really has touched on "small town" life and captured the realism of it. I recommend this book to anyone, it really is a attention grabber. I can't wait to see the movie! Again Ms. Trigiana thanks for visiting us at the Little Professor!
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Summary: I found this to be extraordinarily charming...
Review: With much regret, I just finished "Big Stone Gap". I say with much regret, because I truly enjoyed spending time with Ave Maria Mulligan and all her cohorts. This story is set in 1978, in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, which is just a stone's throw away from my hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee. I recognize so many of the characters presented here - author Adriana Trigiani really captures the heart and soul of the people who populate the area. Although there are many threads throughout this story (and a hilarious, and reality-based, incident involving Liz Taylor and an unfortunate chicken bone!), the theme of this novel is relationships: mother/daughter, father/daughter, men and women as friends, men and women as "more than friends", and good girlfriends. Trigiani has a captivating voice, each page was a delight. If you enjoy a pleasant tale, with a definite Southern flavor, you will enjoy this book. I would put it together with the works of Terry Kay, or Fanny Flagg.
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Summary: Entertainment industry hype?
Review: I suspect this book has such great blurbs (Whoopi Goldberg, Rosanne Cash, etc) because this woman made so many contacts when she worked in Hollywood. It's the only thing that would explain why this mediocre book has such a buzz right now. I finished it and it was ok in a Hallmark Hall of Fame kind of way. But it is certainly not a great romance novel or anything. Read a good Nora Roberts instead.
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