Rating: 
Summary: ZERO STARS IF I'M ALLOWED
Review: I don't even know which adjectives to use to describe this book. I found it so BORING. It is predictable, sophomoric, juvenile -- I don't know how anyone could rate this as high as some of the reviews I've read. While Ave Marie is charming at times, the book reads like a bad Fannie Flagg novel. I know one other reviewer said not to waste your money on this one -- I agree.
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Summary: How did this book get published?
Review: Because my mother's family has lived in or around Big Stone Gap for upward of 200 years, and because some of my fondest memories are of living in a little red house on Gilley Avenue on the river there during World War II and again briefly in the early fifties, I was compelled to read this book. I found the story line thin and trite and the characters so one-dimensional that I didn't really care what happened to them. I read the entire book only out of nostalgia and for the spark of recognition when two or three real family names I recognized were used. That part of the country is spectacularly beautiful and, last time I looked, still suffering from terrible economic problems. "Big Stone," as we used to call it -- not "the Gap," as the book terms it -- was and I'll bet still is filled with interesting people who speak with a wonderful Appalachian accent (which only occasionally come through in the book) and have real problems and real experiences that do not revolve around Liz Taylor's famous chicken bone incident. This is an airheaded book that in no way reflects the richness of the characters and the landscape of Big Stone Gap. A real novelist not looking to make yet another "Steel Magnolias" copycat movie should go there and try to do justice to the setting.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyed it!
Review: Like a previous reviewer, I am also from Johnson City, TN. and I too enjoyed this novel. Initially, I feared Big Stone Gap would be a "chic" book, but quickly discovered that wasn't the case at all.I find Ms. Trigiani to be a great storyteller. Juvenile and hokey? I think not! I just feel that the author has truly touched on the small-town ways of Southwest VA/Northeast TN and this might not be palpable to all readers.
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Summary: Charming, but predictable
Review: Ave Maria Mulligan and her band of mountain friends are a very likeable and amusing group to kick back and spend summer down time with. Ave Maria's life at the opening of the book is really jam-packed with wholesome activities! As the story develops, however, we understand why she feels the need to fill every waking minute. If I hadn't read it at a time when I was on vacation, though, I might have thought I had wasted my time due to the predictable, fairtale nature of the story. And Theodore's sexual nobility is really hard to believe!
Rating:
Summary: So happy I did
Review: I picked up this book on a whim after seeing it at the bookstore. What a happy day that was. I read the entire book in one day - couldn't put it down - had to find out what happened to everyone. After finishing it, I sat there just patting the book and saying I loved this book, I loved this book! I loved Ave Maria and Jack Mac, Iva Lou, all the Italian relatives. Some of the sentences and passages in this book were so beautiful and lyrical that I sat there with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face. I hope to hear alot more from Adrina Trigiani
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Summary: This hits close to home...
Review: I loved the story of Ave Maria and her friends and family. Since I only live about 40 minutes from Big Stone Gap, this was truly a treat. I know many mountain folk whose lives are exactly as she mentions. Ave Maria has the qualities some of us wish we could possess. Go Ave and go Adriana Trigiani.
Rating:
Summary: wish 0 stars were an option
Review: Juvenile and boring! What a disappointment. Couldn't finish it. Lesson learned: frequent the local library or at the very least wait for the paperback - you're out less money.
Rating:
Summary: A Book to Keep
Review: Although Big Stone Gap is not a great literary work, it is a delightful book filled with interesting and colorful characters who experience the ups and downs of life with humor and understanding. It is one of those books that one hates to finish. I look forward to reading other books by Adriana Trigiani.
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Summary: Totally identified with Ave Maria
Review: I decided to read this book in the first place, purely because the author and I share the same last name, which is not a common thing, in the US. Ms. Trigiani made me feel like I was reading about myself. The book was warm & funny, and it made me almost wish I lived in Big Stone Gap. Adriana made all of her characters come to life. I felt like if I ever visited Big Stone Gap, I might actually see them. I hope there are more books to follow. I used to write stories for fun as a teenager, this author makes me feel like writing again.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: After seeing a number of positive reviews on this book, my book group decided to make it our next selection. While we weren't looking for anything too deep, it was the concensus of the group that there wasn't much substance to the book at all. The book does have some quirky characters, Ave Marie leading the list, but most of their actions are improbable and sometimes didn't make sense at all. Although the visit by Elizabeth Taylor to Big Stone Gap was enjoyable, it was almost as if the author wrote an entire book around this one situation that probably occurred in her own life and left an indelible mark on her memory. Our overall consensus was that there are many more better books in this genre for your reading pleasure.
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