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Summary: a book that works well at depicting the folk of appalachia!
Review: i come with two perspectives to share. (1)i read this book as a part of a reading group. many of the people in the group are from northeast tn and southwest va. most were critical about trigiani's writing style and felt the resolution to the story was overly sentimentalized. (2) i however found trigiani's writing style, the plot, and the resolution to be very true to the life patterns and speech patterns of those of us from the hills and vales of these mountains. i am from kingsport, tn (the closest big city to big stone gap). i could truly visualize people i have met talking and acting like this and living these stories out. that said, i found myself rather frustrated by the author's geographical references. seldom were they accurate. likewise, i believe she located johnny wood at the tv station in kingsport, but forever and ever amen he has been at the station in bristol. these skipped-over details tripped me as i read. nonetheless, i enjoyed it very much.
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Summary: good read on small town
Review: Ave Maria Mulligan has a passion for the ancient Chinese art of face reading. Through this art form, she believes that her 35th year of life is going to be a big one. And she wasn't wrong!Although she lives in the small town of Big Stone Gap where nothing much seems to happen, it does indeed to turn out to be a big year of change. First her mother succumbs to cancer, and then there is that letter she receives from her lawyer.....a letter from her Mother. Even though Ave Maria feels she is the town spinster, it is also a year of marriage proposals, one she thought she wanted, and one she didn't expect. I got a nice sense of place with this story, with the closeness of the community, the gossips and the characters of the town. Jac Mac wasn't particularly well 'fleshed out' for me though, it seemed a little like, because all the characters said he was nice and a catch etc, that I had to take their word for it, instead of feeling it through the writing myself.
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Summary: What a miserably slow read! This is a warning.
Review: The major downfall of this novel is that there are too many characters who are too poorly developed. It's hard to keep track of all the personalities in this town. Another problem is the fact that the storyline is too predictable. Ave Maria is basically out to find a man. This is a glorified romance novel, made to seem like a deep read. You know the guy she'll pick from the beginning (the tired "he smells so good, looks so rugged & manly, but why would I be interested in a guy like THAT?" routine). This book was a long, slow read, with few exciting moments to break the monotony ...
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Summary: Normally not my kind of book.
Review: I really enjoyed Big Stone Gap. Although this is normally not not my kind of book, I found it to be very enjoyable...after my wife kept prodding me to read it. I really enjoyed the characters, and the plotline was non too predictable. For me as a minister though, I was semi-disappointed that the climax of the book, at least in one part, was Ave Maria finally sleeping with Jac Mac. O well, I don't think that it detracted too much from a great book, and I'll look foward to reading more from this author.
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Summary: "Gap" reveals mysteries of love and joy of self-discovery
Review: Capable Adriana Trigiani joins such inspiring Southern authors as Lee Smith and Kaye Gibbons with her moving debut novel, "Big Stone Gap." Her heroine, Ave Maria Mulligan, possesses strength, dignity and, ultimately, vulnerability as she sets out on the most important journey of her life, the search for authentic identity and fulfillment in love. Trigiani invests Ave Maria with the literary gifts of believability, supporting characters who vex and delight the reader, and a setting (the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia) absolutely real and gracious. "Gap" defies easy categorization, as it has both comic and deeply sad moments; yet it is a quintessential American book -- big-hearted, conflict-riddled and triumphant. The protagonist, shattered by the death of her beloved, immigrant mother, outlines the basic challenge she faces as a middle-aged, independent, but lonely woman: "Pracitical Ave Maria must go. Me. The never-married town pharmacist who is never caught without her first aid kit...The girl who built her life so carefully so she'd never have to ask anybody for anything. I have had it with me." Trigiani sculpts her novel around Ave Maria's inability to feel, to act on impulses of love, to become something other than Big Stone Gap's sensible, efficient, spinster-like institution. Soon enough, Ave Maria must determine not only how to treat multiple marriage proposals but to come to grips with her own startling origins. Trigiani is simply extraordinary in he resolution of Ave Maria's quest for identity, never compromising real epiphany for cliched answers. We are fortunate to lie in times where American women authors are so adroit in mining the human heart and presenting works of literature which instruct us as to what loving relationships are and how we, in our stumbling, awkward ways, learn to accept ourselves and have faith in each other. Trigiani prophetically states that "the great mysteries in life can only be solved person to person. We can pull each other through." Americans are lucky to have yet another Southern woman to be our guide to the truths of the heart.
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Summary: Ya'll read this book, ya hea'?
Review: If Jan Karon, Billie Letts and Fannie Flagg could be made into one person, they would create Adriana Trigiani. All the essentials are present: Jan Karon's quaint community charm, Billie Letts's honest and triumphant storylines, and Fannie Flagg's quirky and one-of-a-kind characters. A lively mix, to say the least.... According to the Chinese art of face-reading, something extraordinary is supposed to happen in the 35th year of Ava Maria Mulligan's life. Well, it's been 35 years -- and Ava Maria is getting impatient! Being the town spinster, town pharmacist, and all-around good gal just isn't good enough anymore. Even though Ava Maria tries to convince herself that she likes being alone and predictable, fate has another scenario in mind. With the discovery of a very big family secret, the entire world and life as Ava Maria has come to know and depend on is turned upside down. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing... Plenty of surprising things and supressed feelings come to the surface during the course of Ava Maria's 35th year, which makes it one that will never be forgotten. Readers will fall in love with the town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia and all it's wonderful residents: Sexy bookmobile driver and jewelry peddler Iva Lou Wade, who has sampled many of the town's male appetizers; Theodore Tipton, director of the high school band and Ava Maria's very best friend; Jack MacChesney, the big, burly coal-miner who lives with his momma out in the holler; and Pearl Grimes, a 15-year-old mediocre mountain girl with potential that's just starting to crack the surface. Readers will see themselves in one or many of these characters, which makes this novel so appealing. A must read for Southern fiction fans and those who enjoy down-home humor and characters with heart.
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Summary: Fun but.......
Review: Big Stone Gap was a fun read and I did enjoy the characters that had a little substance to them. My big problem was with the portrayal, or lack thereof, of Jack Mac. He was a miner who was in love with Ave Maria, sold his truck to unite his love with her Italian family, and other than that the reader learned little about him. What did he and Ave have in common? After the trip to Italy what would they talk about at the end of the day? Where did this "romance" come from? I never felt that I knew Jack Mac, unlike Theodore, Pearl, Iva Lou, Fleeta and even Ave's lawyer. But as I said in my opening sentence, a fun read, of sorts.
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Summary: Escapism from the frenetic cosmo lifestyle
Review: This book will have a certain appeal to someone who lives in or near a big city, has to deal with long commutes and a hectic high-stress job. What I enjoyed about this book was the glimpse into small-town life, something totally foreign to me. It is a place where everyone knows your name and your business; a place where a highschool kid can get a job working at a pharmacy instead of a McDonalds; a place where lollygagging with the town's bookmobile librarian is the highlight of the week; a town surrounded by breathtaking foothills and mountains. In the midst of this is the character of Ave Maria who is sweet and pathetic as she discovers that the man whom she thought was her father isn't, thus propelling her into an international adventure to discover her roots. Combine this with a romantic triangle and you have a heart-warming book that you can curl up with and then forget about afterwards. Not very profound, but enjoyable nonetheless.
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Summary: Wonderfully depicted small town life
Review: I enjoyed very much reading about Ms. Trigiani's small town life in Big Stone Gap, VA. Being from Wise County's neighbor, Dickenson County (Virginia's Baby), I found it very intriguing that someone would write so eloquently about our so-called "depressed" area. I would encourage anyone to visit Wise County and find out for themselves if this isn't one of the loveliest places God made. I found Ave Maria to be a strong-willed person who always tried to keep everyone happy. It's no wonder she couldn't decide what she wanted in life because she was too busy aiding the community and her parents. Her father (who really wasn't) made her feel like she didn't belong. I wound recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about "real" human nature. There is no glamour or hype, just real people.
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Summary: My trip to Bountiful...
Review: I grew up in Big Stone Gap, knew many of the characters, performed in the outdoor drama, and was a good friend of the author's younger sister, so I may not be in the best position to be objective. What I do know is this: my father was a coal miner who risked his life for his family every day. Unfortunately, I didn't know just what kind of risk he took until I read Adri's account of traveling down into the mines. This section of the book alone is worth the read and changed my whole perspective on growing up in the mountains. I'm not sure why some critics say that her characters are boring. I thought the people and the goings-on in Big Stone were larger than life while growing up there as a teen-ager. It was like growing up in a novel or a movie. I'm glad the book now exists and hope that a movie is forthcoming. There's something special about those people (even the Tayloe Slagel's) and I'm glad Adri had the opportunity to bring them to life. Here's to Jack Mac, Vernie Crabtree, Shug, Midge, and the Trigiani family. Enjoy reading about them as much as I did knowing them.
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