What do you think?
Rate this book
Big Stone Gap #1
Big Stone Gap
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the tiny town of Big Stone Gap is home to some of the most charming eccentrics in the state. Ave Maria Mulligan is the town's self-proclaimed spinster, a thirty-five year old pharmacist with a "mountain girl's body and a flat behind." She lives an amiable life with good friends and lots of hobbies until the fateful day in 1978 when she suddenly discovers that she's not who she always thought she was. Before she can blink, Ave's fielding marriage proposals, fighting off greedy family members, organizing a celebration for visiting celebrities, and planning the trip of a lifetime-a trip that could change her view of the world and her own place in it forever.
Brimming with humor and wise notions of small-town life, Big Stone Gap is a gem of a book with a giant heart. . . .
Brimming with humor and wise notions of small-town life, Big Stone Gap is a gem of a book with a giant heart. . . .
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
Adriana Trigiani
57 books5,933 followersJoin Adriana Trigiani and the great authors and luminaries of our time on the YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ PODCAST! Available wherever you listen to podcasts: https://linktr.ee/adrianatrigiani
Beloved by millions of readers around the world for her "dazzling" novels (USA Today), Adriana Trigiani is "a master of palpable and visual detail" (Washington Post) and "a comedy writer with a heart of gold" (New York Times). She is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including her latest, The Good Left Undone- an instant New York Times best seller, Book of the Month pick and People's Book of the Week. Her work is published in 38 languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker, Adriana's screen credits include writer/director of the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, the adaptation of her novel Very Valentine and director of Then Came You. Adriana grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she co-founded The Origin Project, an in-school writing program serving over 2,700 students in Appalachia. She is at work on her next novel for Dutton at Penguin Random House.
Follow Adriana on Facebook and Instagram @AdrianaTrigiani and on TikTok @AdrianaTrigianiAuthor or visit her website: AdrianaTrigiani.com.
Beloved by millions of readers around the world for her "dazzling" novels (USA Today), Adriana Trigiani is "a master of palpable and visual detail" (Washington Post) and "a comedy writer with a heart of gold" (New York Times). She is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including her latest, The Good Left Undone- an instant New York Times best seller, Book of the Month pick and People's Book of the Week. Her work is published in 38 languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker, Adriana's screen credits include writer/director of the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, the adaptation of her novel Very Valentine and director of Then Came You. Adriana grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she co-founded The Origin Project, an in-school writing program serving over 2,700 students in Appalachia. She is at work on her next novel for Dutton at Penguin Random House.
Follow Adriana on Facebook and Instagram @AdrianaTrigiani and on TikTok @AdrianaTrigianiAuthor or visit her website: AdrianaTrigiani.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,450 reviews
May 31, 2019
I have a copy of this book I'd be willing to sell/swap, but it's covered with the dried flecks of my vomit.
Normally I just like or dislike a book, but this book actually made me angry. I wanted to like it - popular book set in small town Virginia - I like Virginia, I miss Virginia. I'd really love a good book set in Virginia. Someone let me know where I can find one.
Partial list of things I hate:
1) The voice seems fake. I know the author grew up in Big Stone Gap. I know people in Virginia are out to whatever location they're at. There's still something so fake and...fake...about the narrator's voice.
2) After I read a lot of it, I noticed that the quoted blurbs on the cover are from - Whoopi Goldberg. Fannie Flagg. Rosanne Cash. I respect Whoopi Goldberg, but if I ever get a book published, I hope to have something better to put on the cover than "Whoopi Goldberg liked it."
3) There's a reader's guide in the back. I hate those. And an interview of the author - by a character in the book! Howsmug clever!
5) A short passage from late in the book, as we travel Italy with the narrator: "The people here are so animated; they raise their voices to make a point, they use their bodies for emphasis; they are so full of life and comical! It is no surprise that the commedia dell'arte theatrical tradition started here in the fourteenth century." By the way, this book has nothing to do with commedia dell'arte. NOTHING.
6) The main character's behavior and motivations are beyond stupid. A guy sells his truck to buy plane tickets for relatives to visit her, and she doesn't know if he loves her. Also the man she thinks she loves is ostensibly not gay, but is gay, but even the author seems not to know it. Honey, whoever you based this character on in real life is gay, and that's OK, but you probably should know that. Writers are supposed to be perspicacious and all.
7) You know what never grows deep inside caves? ANYTHING (including moss).
8) It was a best seller, and led to a series, apparently. I think I'm going to vomit again.
Normally I just like or dislike a book, but this book actually made me angry. I wanted to like it - popular book set in small town Virginia - I like Virginia, I miss Virginia. I'd really love a good book set in Virginia. Someone let me know where I can find one.
Partial list of things I hate:
1) The voice seems fake. I know the author grew up in Big Stone Gap. I know people in Virginia are out to whatever location they're at. There's still something so fake and...fake...about the narrator's voice.
2) After I read a lot of it, I noticed that the quoted blurbs on the cover are from - Whoopi Goldberg. Fannie Flagg. Rosanne Cash. I respect Whoopi Goldberg, but if I ever get a book published, I hope to have something better to put on the cover than "Whoopi Goldberg liked it."
3) There's a reader's guide in the back. I hate those. And an interview of the author - by a character in the book! How
5) A short passage from late in the book, as we travel Italy with the narrator: "The people here are so animated; they raise their voices to make a point, they use their bodies for emphasis; they are so full of life and comical! It is no surprise that the commedia dell'arte theatrical tradition started here in the fourteenth century." By the way, this book has nothing to do with commedia dell'arte. NOTHING.
6) The main character's behavior and motivations are beyond stupid. A guy sells his truck to buy plane tickets for relatives to visit her, and she doesn't know if he loves her. Also the man she thinks she loves is ostensibly not gay, but is gay, but even the author seems not to know it. Honey, whoever you based this character on in real life is gay, and that's OK, but you probably should know that. Writers are supposed to be perspicacious and all.
7) You know what never grows deep inside caves? ANYTHING (including moss).
8) It was a best seller, and led to a series, apparently. I think I'm going to vomit again.
December 4, 2013
If you haven't read and of Adriana Trigiani's books, you MUST put them on your list and then make it a priority to read this entertaining series. Although, not imperative to following the plot, I suggest reading them in order, starting with this one. The simple ups and downs of a woman living in a small Virginia town are delivered with charm and poignancy and I found her writing addictive. I loved the characters and the setting.
January 29, 2012
I am so sick of female characters who are confused with their lives and themselves and have to stomp off when someone is trying to tell them something. I think miscommunication is a weak plot point and this book would have been better if the author had the balls to give the main character some balls as well.
February 3, 2016
Just loved this book!!!
March 24, 2016
I started this book with high hopes; I'd heard such good things about Trigiani's other books (especially Lucia, Lucia). But I was more than a little disappointed. I found the writing to be trite, and the characters' behavior too often inexplicable.
This book is supposedly about how Ave Maria, the "town spinster" of Big Stone Gap, finds herself and finds love over the course of a year. I suppose that she does, but there were too many improbable things in the story to make either of her discoveries believable.
One discovery that is believable: after her mother dies, Ave Maria is given a letter that her mother wrote and left in the care of her lawyer. The letter explains that the man Ave Maria has thought of as her father (who died many years before the story begins), isn't, and that her real father is an Italian man that her mother had to leave behind when she became pregnant. So far, fine. Part of what results is that the family of her erstwhile father come clamoring for what they see is now their inheritance, including the house Ave Maria grew up in and the pharmacy business she now owns and runs. What does Ave Maria do? Rather than fighting this based on the fact that her father's will gave all of his property to her mother, who then gave it to her (although this is mentioned), Ave Maria chooses to protect the assets from the grubbing relatives by transferring the whole thing to her 16-year-old assistant! And as if that weren't improbable enough, she then begins to separate herself from the every-day running of the business and leaves it in the teenager's "capable hands"!
Moving on. At 35, Ave Maria is thought of by the town and by herself as a spinster. She prizes herself on her independence, although she wishes she could fall in love with someone who would want to marry her. But, when someone she's known since childhood suddenly proposes to her, she says no, thinking that he's only asking her out of pity, or is playing some kind of trick on her (this I found eminently believable, because if someone up and proposed to me without any sign that they had any special feelings for me, I'd feel the same way!). The man in question gets mightily offended, but doesn't stop trying. Unfortunately, he also doesn't really do anything to demonstrate that he's loved her since they were children (we don't find this out until much later). So why should either we, as readers, much less Ave Maria, believe that he's madly in love with her? Apparently, all her friends knew he was in love her, but we're not told any single thing that he did to demonstrate it. What's more, they apparently knew that she was in love with him, even though we're not told what she may have said or done to give that away. And, none of them will tell her what they've so sneakily observed. Ave Maria does eventually feel all the love, and they get married quickly, and seem very happy. Which is great. Except I don't believe it.
This book is supposedly about how Ave Maria, the "town spinster" of Big Stone Gap, finds herself and finds love over the course of a year. I suppose that she does, but there were too many improbable things in the story to make either of her discoveries believable.
One discovery that is believable: after her mother dies, Ave Maria is given a letter that her mother wrote and left in the care of her lawyer. The letter explains that the man Ave Maria has thought of as her father (who died many years before the story begins), isn't, and that her real father is an Italian man that her mother had to leave behind when she became pregnant. So far, fine. Part of what results is that the family of her erstwhile father come clamoring for what they see is now their inheritance, including the house Ave Maria grew up in and the pharmacy business she now owns and runs. What does Ave Maria do? Rather than fighting this based on the fact that her father's will gave all of his property to her mother, who then gave it to her (although this is mentioned), Ave Maria chooses to protect the assets from the grubbing relatives by transferring the whole thing to her 16-year-old assistant! And as if that weren't improbable enough, she then begins to separate herself from the every-day running of the business and leaves it in the teenager's "capable hands"!
Moving on. At 35, Ave Maria is thought of by the town and by herself as a spinster. She prizes herself on her independence, although she wishes she could fall in love with someone who would want to marry her. But, when someone she's known since childhood suddenly proposes to her, she says no, thinking that he's only asking her out of pity, or is playing some kind of trick on her (this I found eminently believable, because if someone up and proposed to me without any sign that they had any special feelings for me, I'd feel the same way!). The man in question gets mightily offended, but doesn't stop trying. Unfortunately, he also doesn't really do anything to demonstrate that he's loved her since they were children (we don't find this out until much later). So why should either we, as readers, much less Ave Maria, believe that he's madly in love with her? Apparently, all her friends knew he was in love her, but we're not told any single thing that he did to demonstrate it. What's more, they apparently knew that she was in love with him, even though we're not told what she may have said or done to give that away. And, none of them will tell her what they've so sneakily observed. Ave Maria does eventually feel all the love, and they get married quickly, and seem very happy. Which is great. Except I don't believe it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2017
3.5 stars
Wonderful book about the life and times of a backward coal mining town in Virginia. The author brings the characters alive. Very funny in parts and then gentle, tender and heart breaking in other sections. It will take you back to a simpler time, when doors could be left unlocked and peoples first thought was not "what does he want"?
This is the beginning of a series. One that is well worth the read, giving a person a well deserved break from the hectic rush and the over whelming sense of threat in today's world.
Wonderful book about the life and times of a backward coal mining town in Virginia. The author brings the characters alive. Very funny in parts and then gentle, tender and heart breaking in other sections. It will take you back to a simpler time, when doors could be left unlocked and peoples first thought was not "what does he want"?
This is the beginning of a series. One that is well worth the read, giving a person a well deserved break from the hectic rush and the over whelming sense of threat in today's world.
February 13, 2016
3.5 Star Rating. Fun, light read with some good humor. I am anxious to see the movie. It has been a while since I read a book where I was rooting for a particular love match, so that was fun! This was a great filler read between all the heavy stuff I've been reading. Nice, humorous references to Knoxville.....my college town and home of my Tennessee Vols! Update: Saw the movie, not bad, but of course, the book is better. (2/12/16)
October 21, 2013
This feel-good story is set in the Virginia hills, with a charming cast of small-town personalities that revolve around the narrator, one Ave Maria whose Italian mother had her out of wedlock and brought her up in bluegrass country. So why didn't I give it a higher rating?
Despite the exuberance of the narrator, this is still basically a book with a plotline I hate -- Whiney bitch out to find herself. Typical of these plotlines, Ave Maria, has at least one person madly in love with her -- to the point that the poor fellow sells his spanking new pickup truck in order to buy her an expensive surprise. As usual, I have trouble relating to the problems that push these personalities to the brink. Okay, her beloved mother has recently died, and she has discovered that her stepfather isn't her real dad, and she has a wicked step aunt lurking at the edges of the narrative trying to take her step-inheritance away from her. But honestly, is this enough to make someone collapse into a seven-day sleep? Not in my universe.
In fairness, I will say that Ave Maria's narrative voice is too exuberant to qualify as pure whiny bitch, and she manages to give a lot to the community and people around her despite her preoccupation with herself and her apparent frailty when it comes to dealing with life. Maybe it's because up until her mother's illness, she hasn't had any real blows except for a gnawing suspicion that the man she thought was her father didn't love her. The father issue, by the way, seems to be the underpinning of the whole narrative -- because she didn't feel "protected" by a father figure, she cannot commit to love.
I think that is the other problem I have with this cheerful, easy-reading book. Everyone in it is too darn nice, and they all watch over Ave Maria, waiting for her to come to her senses -- not just one village of Ave Maria admirers, but two, one in Italy and one in Big Stone Gap. Ave Maria is the center of everyone's universe as well as her own, and I found that plain irritating not to mention downright unreal.
Despite the exuberance of the narrator, this is still basically a book with a plotline I hate -- Whiney bitch out to find herself. Typical of these plotlines, Ave Maria, has at least one person madly in love with her -- to the point that the poor fellow sells his spanking new pickup truck in order to buy her an expensive surprise. As usual, I have trouble relating to the problems that push these personalities to the brink. Okay, her beloved mother has recently died, and she has discovered that her stepfather isn't her real dad, and she has a wicked step aunt lurking at the edges of the narrative trying to take her step-inheritance away from her. But honestly, is this enough to make someone collapse into a seven-day sleep? Not in my universe.
In fairness, I will say that Ave Maria's narrative voice is too exuberant to qualify as pure whiny bitch, and she manages to give a lot to the community and people around her despite her preoccupation with herself and her apparent frailty when it comes to dealing with life. Maybe it's because up until her mother's illness, she hasn't had any real blows except for a gnawing suspicion that the man she thought was her father didn't love her. The father issue, by the way, seems to be the underpinning of the whole narrative -- because she didn't feel "protected" by a father figure, she cannot commit to love.
I think that is the other problem I have with this cheerful, easy-reading book. Everyone in it is too darn nice, and they all watch over Ave Maria, waiting for her to come to her senses -- not just one village of Ave Maria admirers, but two, one in Italy and one in Big Stone Gap. Ave Maria is the center of everyone's universe as well as her own, and I found that plain irritating not to mention downright unreal.
November 4, 2019
**Adriana Trigiani is hosting the National Literary Festival at St Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN on November 8 & 9, 2019: https://www.saintmarys.edu/LiteraryFe....**
This is a heart-warming novel with a strong central character, Ave Maria Mulligan. She considers herself the town spinster but in reality she is just too busy holding everything together to worry about love even though it is staring her in the face. Very charming and witty story. I am looking forward to reading more in the series.
This is a heart-warming novel with a strong central character, Ave Maria Mulligan. She considers herself the town spinster but in reality she is just too busy holding everything together to worry about love even though it is staring her in the face. Very charming and witty story. I am looking forward to reading more in the series.
November 20, 2009
This is the second time I read Big Ston Gap and I remember why I enjoyed it so much the first time around. The funny thing is that I have evolved in these past years and I have enjoyed this book for different reasons. I like and I don't like Ave Maria because she's too hard on herself and sometimes even, contrary to what the book pretends, on others. I understand protecting yourself out of self preservation, but in my mind Ave Maria acts more out of ignorance. She's so naive at times! Luckily Ave Maria is growing up. I was thoroughly touched by the reflections that were made about knowing your parents and then knowing yourself.
It truly remains a charming book with true and flawed characters, I highly appreciate the ensemble of colorful & amazing characters.
It truly remains a charming book with true and flawed characters, I highly appreciate the ensemble of colorful & amazing characters.
July 16, 2011
I really enjoyed Big Stone Gap and was delighted to learn that this is the first in the series of novels featuring the folks of Big Stone Gap, Virginia. It is a feel good novel with a strong southern story line that includes Chinese face reading and a bookmobile! (Remember the bookmobile?) Family secrets, generous hearts, self-discovery. A sit back and relax with a glass of ice tea book ... Perfect summer read.
September 26, 2016
4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book. I don't think it belongs in the chick-lit or romance genre, because to me, it is so much more than either one, but "heartwarming" definitely fits. Lots of surprises and a whole cast of quirky, small-town characters to fall in love with. This book made me laugh and cry, even while trying to fall back to sleep listening to it in the middle of the night. The town and its people became real to me and Ave's story is worth reading. The audiobook is performed by the author, and I can also highly recommend it. A great escape read that explores some of life's questions in a deceptively light way, this one may make you stop and think a few times while reading. I'll definitely continue with the series.
July 20, 2012
Rate 3.5 - This is such a sweet enjoyable read, chalk full of great humour and wonderfully eccentric characters. The main one, Ave Maria Mulligan is okay but I prefer the supporting cast. Her best friend Iva Lou, a bookmobile driver & God's gift to men for one. Another is Fleeta, the chain-smoking pharmacy cashier who loves pro wrestling, such a hoot. The author’s choice of locale adds the perfect ambiance.
September 27, 2012
A good choice if you want to escape into a small town in the Appalachian part Virginia with some colorful, gossipy characters and want a few laughs. Ave Maria is in her mid-30s and is worried about becoming an old maid, so gets serious about acquiring a love life. I appreciated some of the details of her life as a pharmacist, town theater producer, emergency response team member, and all around do gooder. Her lusty friend who runs a bookmobile, Iva Lou, advises her on romance strategies:
“There ain’t nothing like a working man..When you’ve known as many men as me, you start making lists. The working man is a solid man. They can fix things that are broke. They’re practical. …Those men that sit behind a desk all day, the office types, stay away from them. They are the weirdos of the world. They don’t get out and get air and get physical every day, so their blood pools in their brains, and they get very strange sexual ideas, believe you me. Kinky. I mean it.”
Yet the men of interest seem to zig when she zags, and she eventually comes to believe commitment requires tracking down her biological father in Italy first. I didn’t really understand that. A number of decisions by the characters are abrupt and implausible, leading me more toward mystification rather than humor or wisdom. By comparison, I get more of both from the work of Billie Letts and Alexander McCall Smith, which both work a comparable cozy world of quirky characters. For rural life, I get more wisdom of the heart from the work of Kent Haruf.
“There ain’t nothing like a working man..When you’ve known as many men as me, you start making lists. The working man is a solid man. They can fix things that are broke. They’re practical. …Those men that sit behind a desk all day, the office types, stay away from them. They are the weirdos of the world. They don’t get out and get air and get physical every day, so their blood pools in their brains, and they get very strange sexual ideas, believe you me. Kinky. I mean it.”
Yet the men of interest seem to zig when she zags, and she eventually comes to believe commitment requires tracking down her biological father in Italy first. I didn’t really understand that. A number of decisions by the characters are abrupt and implausible, leading me more toward mystification rather than humor or wisdom. By comparison, I get more of both from the work of Billie Letts and Alexander McCall Smith, which both work a comparable cozy world of quirky characters. For rural life, I get more wisdom of the heart from the work of Kent Haruf.
October 30, 2015
As a group, our overall rating for Big Stone Gap is 3 stars.
Things we liked:
Every member of our book club enjoyed the realistic description of the setting and small town vibe. We have one particular member who is from just outside the real city of Big Stone Gap, and she fully related to every detail, especially the characters, who reminded her of actual people she knew. She pointed out that Appalachian people were represented realistically, as hard-working folks with hopes, dreams, and big hearts. We all also found the last 3/4 of the book to be the best, the romance giving us the warm fuzzies.
What we didn't like so much was that it was so sloooooow to start with. We didn't find any big "oh, wow" moments to sink our teeth into from the get-go. Some of the scenes did also feel choppy, bouncing around a bit with no discernable destination. Also, since we are nurses by day, we all found ourselves a bit thrown by the non-realistic way some things were portrayed. (No spoilers.)
General thoughts: Big Stone Gap is a leisurely book with some enjoyable bits and fun characters that's true message is about a woman's journey to find herself, reminding us to take part in our own lives instead of just watching it slip by. It did manage to evoke some emotion, but lacked the "wow" factor for us. Instead, it was more like a homecooked meal by the fire with hot cocoa...simply, nice.
Things we liked:
Every member of our book club enjoyed the realistic description of the setting and small town vibe. We have one particular member who is from just outside the real city of Big Stone Gap, and she fully related to every detail, especially the characters, who reminded her of actual people she knew. She pointed out that Appalachian people were represented realistically, as hard-working folks with hopes, dreams, and big hearts. We all also found the last 3/4 of the book to be the best, the romance giving us the warm fuzzies.
What we didn't like so much was that it was so sloooooow to start with. We didn't find any big "oh, wow" moments to sink our teeth into from the get-go. Some of the scenes did also feel choppy, bouncing around a bit with no discernable destination. Also, since we are nurses by day, we all found ourselves a bit thrown by the non-realistic way some things were portrayed. (No spoilers.)
General thoughts: Big Stone Gap is a leisurely book with some enjoyable bits and fun characters that's true message is about a woman's journey to find herself, reminding us to take part in our own lives instead of just watching it slip by. It did manage to evoke some emotion, but lacked the "wow" factor for us. Instead, it was more like a homecooked meal by the fire with hot cocoa...simply, nice.
October 27, 2015
This is a 2 1/2 star read. This book was being promoted by the publisher in conjunction with a movie debuting in October 2015. I have heard nothing about the movie, so I am assuming it was a flop. After reading this book, I am trying to think of a reason for making a movie of it. The leading character is nearing her 36th birthday, but seemed as childish as a 15 year old. Ave Maria Mulligan (isn't that an awful name?) apparently is beautiful, smart and industrious, but has never had a boyfriend. The reasoning given is as clear as mud. Why Ave Maria makes the decisions she makes in her personal life are incomprehensible. Many of the characters are caricatures of southern hillbillies, which should insult the inhabitants of southwest Virginia.
I would not have finished the book if it were not being discussed at our local library book club this month. I found it a wonderful book to read if you are fighting insomnia, so I gave it an extra 1/2 star.
I would not have finished the book if it were not being discussed at our local library book club this month. I found it a wonderful book to read if you are fighting insomnia, so I gave it an extra 1/2 star.
November 3, 2016
I read this book a few years back in a single day, and though i'm hazy on the details , it has left me a warm and fuzzy feeling. It's a very charming book, set in a small town nestled somewhere between mountains, and our protagonist is a very likeable single woman in her mid-thirties who has found herself in a soap-opera like situation (the specifics of i can't remember). At the same time she finds true love in the face of her childhood friend, who is amazing and i fell in love with and the scene where he confesses his undying and eternal love is romantic, and funny and sweet and full of puppies and rainbows and made me squeel into my pillow. i just found out there is a sequel to the story and i'm planning on finding it and devouring it as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2007
Made me glad to not live in a tiny, rural community full of nosy, ignorant people. I hate the whole genre that tells us we will be happiest at "home" no matter how impoverished, bigoted, etc our birth region may be. I also hate the message that all every woman needs to be happy and complete is to marry the right guy.
I gave this book two stars (rather than one) only because the writing is decent. Trigiani does a pretty good job creating characters, even if some of them are a bit two-dimensional. If you are a woman who likes to read the kind of books that focus on the interior struggles of women with their emotions, marriages, disappointments, or family secrets you will probably love this.
I gave this book two stars (rather than one) only because the writing is decent. Trigiani does a pretty good job creating characters, even if some of them are a bit two-dimensional. If you are a woman who likes to read the kind of books that focus on the interior struggles of women with their emotions, marriages, disappointments, or family secrets you will probably love this.
April 28, 2022
Review originally published October 2003
An unlikely combination of cultures, family backgrounds, and environments is the premise for the warm-hearted series called Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani.
The first book is also titled Big Stone Gap and takes place in the coal mining country of Virginia. Ave Maria Mulligan, town pharmacist and long-time spinster is dealing with the death of her mother. She is the popular, ambitious, friendly mainstay of this small Blue Ridge Mountain town.
Big Stone Gap delves into her life, family, and search for happiness. Along the way, you meet many memorable characters such as Bookmobile librarian Iva Lou, teenager Pearl Grimes, and crusty cashier Fleeta Mullins. This contemporary novel has some mystery, romance, well-developed characters, vivid descriptions, and real life situations. The Blue Ridge Mountains protect Ave, but she learns to move beyond them, take a chance, and follow her heart.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
An unlikely combination of cultures, family backgrounds, and environments is the premise for the warm-hearted series called Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani.
The first book is also titled Big Stone Gap and takes place in the coal mining country of Virginia. Ave Maria Mulligan, town pharmacist and long-time spinster is dealing with the death of her mother. She is the popular, ambitious, friendly mainstay of this small Blue Ridge Mountain town.
Big Stone Gap delves into her life, family, and search for happiness. Along the way, you meet many memorable characters such as Bookmobile librarian Iva Lou, teenager Pearl Grimes, and crusty cashier Fleeta Mullins. This contemporary novel has some mystery, romance, well-developed characters, vivid descriptions, and real life situations. The Blue Ridge Mountains protect Ave, but she learns to move beyond them, take a chance, and follow her heart.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
March 7, 2010
It's the seventies in a sleepy hamlet in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. A thirty-five year old single woman has decided that she is the spinster of Big Stone Gap. She is completely independent; she is the local pharmacist, the co-captain of the Rescue Squad, and the director of the town's long-running Outdoor Drama.
So secure is Ave Maria Mulligan in her position in life and in this community that she will go into a tailspin when things seem to change. These changes begin with a long-buried secret of her mother's, unearthed by her lawyer.
What will Ave Maria do when her world seems to tilt and everything she thought was true suddenly isn't?
This is a charming, quirky tale that brings the characters to life in such a homey, cozy way that the reader almost doesn't realize it until, suddenly, the characters seem like old friends and neighbors.
We watch and cheer as Ave Maria suddenly realizes that maybe the life she had planned for herself is not her destiny after all.
My first plunge into this author's works had me rooting for more. I will simply have to go out and buy or borrow another of her creations.
"Big Stone Gap: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)" earns five stars from me!
So secure is Ave Maria Mulligan in her position in life and in this community that she will go into a tailspin when things seem to change. These changes begin with a long-buried secret of her mother's, unearthed by her lawyer.
What will Ave Maria do when her world seems to tilt and everything she thought was true suddenly isn't?
This is a charming, quirky tale that brings the characters to life in such a homey, cozy way that the reader almost doesn't realize it until, suddenly, the characters seem like old friends and neighbors.
We watch and cheer as Ave Maria suddenly realizes that maybe the life she had planned for herself is not her destiny after all.
My first plunge into this author's works had me rooting for more. I will simply have to go out and buy or borrow another of her creations.
"Big Stone Gap: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)" earns five stars from me!
September 8, 2010
This was a very light fun book to read. The story is set in the 70's in a very rural mountain town in Virginia. If there was a list called: "Books set in small quirky towns," I would add this book to it. The cast of characters includes all the quirky lovable types that you would expect in a book like this. The story follows Ave Maria, a single Italian-American woman, as she turns 35 and the following year in her life. I found her character to be very likable and could easily relate to her. The discoveries Ave Maria makes about herself and women in general I thought were insightful and interesting.
I liked this book because: (1) the character has several love interests that are all really good guys. No one ruined their chances with Ave Maria by doing something wrong. I had no idea who she would end up with until the very end. (2) It was a good romance book that was rated PG.
I only gave it 4 stars because although it was a fun read, it wasn't incredibly mind-blowing. In a year, I probably won't remember the plot.
Overall a fun fast read. Looking forward to the following books in the series (so far there are 3 more after this one).
I liked this book because: (1) the character has several love interests that are all really good guys. No one ruined their chances with Ave Maria by doing something wrong. I had no idea who she would end up with until the very end. (2) It was a good romance book that was rated PG.
I only gave it 4 stars because although it was a fun read, it wasn't incredibly mind-blowing. In a year, I probably won't remember the plot.
Overall a fun fast read. Looking forward to the following books in the series (so far there are 3 more after this one).
July 12, 2008
This book started off great and Whoopi Goldberg loves it, so who am I to contest Whoopi?
Then it got me thinking that maybe I'm the town spinster who everyone is outwardly fond of, them swinging by and being quirky, but inwardly...Inwardly they pity her.
Then she goes and falls in love and left me being the REAL town spinster and I got depressed.
This was one of those books that ended a chapter and a half before it ended. I mean, it was over. Everything was tied up nicely, but then they had to go on a vacation and end with a chapter and a half of "How I spent my summer vacation". Totally unnecessary.
Sorry, Whoopi.
But parts of it were great!
Though I shant be reading the remaining two in the trilogy, I don't think. But who knows? I'm the town spinster after all. I'll probably have some time on my hands...
Then it got me thinking that maybe I'm the town spinster who everyone is outwardly fond of, them swinging by and being quirky, but inwardly...Inwardly they pity her.
Then she goes and falls in love and left me being the REAL town spinster and I got depressed.
This was one of those books that ended a chapter and a half before it ended. I mean, it was over. Everything was tied up nicely, but then they had to go on a vacation and end with a chapter and a half of "How I spent my summer vacation". Totally unnecessary.
Sorry, Whoopi.
But parts of it were great!
Though I shant be reading the remaining two in the trilogy, I don't think. But who knows? I'm the town spinster after all. I'll probably have some time on my hands...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2023
After a couple of hours of the audio book(read by the author), I just couldn’t take any more of the fmc’s inane thoughts. DNF.
April 17, 2019
I'm reserving my review for after the book club discussion. They always change my mind. #readWomen
March 6, 2020
I was searching for a book set in Virginia for a challenge and came across Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani, set in the late 1970’s. The main character, Ave Maria Mulligan is a 35 year old self-proclaimed spinster and the local pharmacist in Big Stone Gap, a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Ave Maria gets called over to the local lawyer’s office where she receives a letter from her recently deceased Italian mother. Her mother tells her the secret of how she came to America and who her real father is. Even though Ave Maria fills her days working in the pharmacy, volunteering with the ambulance squad and directing a local outdoor play, this letter leaves her with some unsettling questions that could change her life. There are plenty of outrageous characters and the locals of Big Stone Gap will leave you smiling in every chapter. I couldn’t stop laughing during the big production number the local residents put on for a campaign visit from John Warner and his wife, Elizabeth Taylor.
There was a touch more romance in this novel than I usually enjoy but overall it was a fun, fast read that kept me interested. This is the first book in the four volume Big Stone Gap series.
Ave Maria gets called over to the local lawyer’s office where she receives a letter from her recently deceased Italian mother. Her mother tells her the secret of how she came to America and who her real father is. Even though Ave Maria fills her days working in the pharmacy, volunteering with the ambulance squad and directing a local outdoor play, this letter leaves her with some unsettling questions that could change her life. There are plenty of outrageous characters and the locals of Big Stone Gap will leave you smiling in every chapter. I couldn’t stop laughing during the big production number the local residents put on for a campaign visit from John Warner and his wife, Elizabeth Taylor.
There was a touch more romance in this novel than I usually enjoy but overall it was a fun, fast read that kept me interested. This is the first book in the four volume Big Stone Gap series.
July 13, 2012
Not sure what to think of this novel. I originally checked it out thinking it was a mystery, but it was a novel in the vein of Fanny Flagg, which I do enjoy. I listened to it on audio and unless you are David Sedaris, Sara Vowell, or an otherwise well-known personality associated with a voice, you should not read your own audio books. The author’s reading was a distraction and not a good one. The main character of Ave Maria Mulligan, the thirty-five year old town pharmacist (and town spinster), is a hot mess. She has a good life, but she learns something after the death of her mother that sends her into a tailspin and searching for something that even she is not sure of. Ave Maria lectures a lot, to the reader and to other characters, which gets old after a while. A-M is not really a pleasant person; she lacks maturity and makes assumptions that cause her to belligerently blast others. There are colorful Southern characters such as Pearl Grimes, Fleeta Mullins, and Jack Mac threaded throughout the book. The novel was a slow unfolding of a period of change in A-M’s life. I generally enjoyed the stories, but found A-M a bit hard to take at times.
November 1, 2009
I truly enjoyed this book. I loved Ava Maria (what a name!), and all the characters in Stone Gap. I loved the descriptions of the small mountain community and the way it brought back memories of my visits to Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Ava Maria begins the book with this thought: This will be a good weekend for reading, I picked up a dozen of Vernie Crabtree's killer chocolate chip cookies . . . those, a pot of coffee, and a good book are all I will need for the rainy weekend rolling in."
and how about: The Bookmobile is just a government truck, but to me it's a glittering royal coach delivering stories and knowledge and life itself."
I laughed out loud when she described Iva Lou's outfit in the bookmobile: "Her ice blue turtleneck is so tight it looks like she's wearing her brain on the outside." This is how we are introduced to the characters and community of Stone Gap. I look forward to learning more about them in the next book in the series "Big Cherry Hollar".
and how about: The Bookmobile is just a government truck, but to me it's a glittering royal coach delivering stories and knowledge and life itself."
I laughed out loud when she described Iva Lou's outfit in the bookmobile: "Her ice blue turtleneck is so tight it looks like she's wearing her brain on the outside." This is how we are introduced to the characters and community of Stone Gap. I look forward to learning more about them in the next book in the series "Big Cherry Hollar".
December 1, 2009
Blah, I couldn't finish this. Usually when an audiobook is read by the author, that makes the book better... however, her voice sounds like she's got a Southern lisp. I wanted to stick it out, but just had to quit when the main character - who heretofore had seemed like a strong, independent woman - started crying/whining that she wanted to have sex Right Now and be loved, the same day she finds out she's a 'bastard child' and also directs the final play of the summer. What?
Also, I am appalled that this book spawned a whole series.
Also, I am appalled that this book spawned a whole series.
June 24, 2016
This book captures the essence of life in a small, country town. I loved the quirky Southern characters. It's the story of Ava Maria Mulligan, a strong, independent woman who's afraid to love. Born and raised in a small, Southern town, the descriptions of how everyone knows everyone else's business, love and support in times of need, good folks with big hearts was spot on.
Fun summer read.
Trigiani's writing reminded me of Fannie Flag in this book. For sentimental reasons I loved everything about the bookmobile.
Fun summer read.
Trigiani's writing reminded me of Fannie Flag in this book. For sentimental reasons I loved everything about the bookmobile.
June 7, 2022
Such a great book. I absolutely love that the setting of this book is in Big Stone Gap, VA (where several of my nieces live/have lived and/or work) and so many places that are mentioned are so familiar to me. Pennington Gap is mentioned several times (where I grew up) and Jonesville is mentioned (where my husband grew up) and other landmarks that are so familiar to me. It's like going home. ❤
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,450 reviews