Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Didn't start out liking it but the more I read the more I liked it.
Ave Maria (Please don't call her Ava) Mulligan has lived all her life in Big Stone Gap in the mountains of Virginia. Yet she's still seen as a "furriner" by everyone else because her mother was from Italy. Ave is sort of a "pillar of the community"; she's the town pharmacist, she makes house calls, she directs the town's outdoor summer drama, she's one of two volunteers for the rescue squad--you name, she's in it. But after her mother's recent death, Ave learns some surprising news about herself that leads her to question the direction her life is taking and make some big changes.
Probably the most important thing to me about this book is that I was either smiling or laughing most of the way through it, and at the end I was definitely left with a satisfied smile on my face. It was a sweet, yet funny story full of lovable, quirky characters. And two very viable male leads to think about! :-)
I just finished reading [b:The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society|2728527|The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society|Mary Ann Shaffer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1267058798s/2728527.jpg|2754161] recently, and I think fans of that book will enjoy this one. Not that there's anything really similar between the two. But they both left me smiling, and those books are always fun to find. I'll continue reading the rest of this series.
Probably the most important thing to me about this book is that I was either smiling or laughing most of the way through it, and at the end I was definitely left with a satisfied smile on my face. It was a sweet, yet funny story full of lovable, quirky characters. And two very viable male leads to think about! :-)
I just finished reading [b:The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society|2728527|The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society|Mary Ann Shaffer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1267058798s/2728527.jpg|2754161] recently, and I think fans of that book will enjoy this one. Not that there's anything really similar between the two. But they both left me smiling, and those books are always fun to find. I'll continue reading the rest of this series.
I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Basically because I found I could identify with the main character - I'm single, I do what I want, now get out of my way. The difference? She's in the 70s, and I love to take naps.
LOLA had a phone chat with Adriana Trigiani.
Birthday gift from Mom.
Birthday gift from Mom.
This is the book that started my mom's & my love for Adriana Trigiani. I decided to reread the whole Big Stone Gap series in anticipation of the new installment, Home to Big Stone Gap. Rereading a book I got ten years ago was really fun. Generally I don't reread books because there are too many new books out there for me to read, but maybe I'll have to try it more often.
Big Stone Gap is the story of 35-year-old town spinster Ave Maria Mulligan. The story is set in the small Blue Ridge Mountain town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia in the late 1970s. Clearly I was in love with the small town aspects of the story. There is certainly a charming cast of eccentric supporting characters, although they're really minimized in the abridged audiobook I listened to, which is a shame.
Ave Maria's the town pharmacist who's never quite felt like she fit into the life of Big Stone Gap. Her mother was born in Italy and somehow Ave Maria inherited her "foreignness" even though she was born in Virginia. While you miss out on a lot of interesting local color in the audiobook, it did help me focus on Ave Maria's personal struggles as the book is told from her perspective and spends a lot of time with her internal monologues.
It also happens to be a romance, although a very reluctant one. You don't get to be the town spinster without avoiding romance at all costs. Despite the fact that I married relatively young, I still identify with Ave Maria, I worried that I would when I read the book in high school. It's so surprising to reread her romantic development now that I'm old enough to have actually had some romance myself. I never been able to understand why as a teenager I loved the story of this 35-year-old so much, but I think it has something to do with the fact that Ave Maria is about as romantically developed as a teenager. She's spent so long shutting people out, that she's never really figured out the give and take that's part of romantic relationships.
Plus, in other areas of her life, she really does remind me of me - loves to read, hard-working small town girl, dutiful daughter and all around nice quiet unassuming good girl. She also happens to be best friends with the town librarian, who does anything but fit the typical old-cat-lady stereotype. Iva Lou Wade is essentially Samantha on Sex in the City, except 20 years ago & in rural Virginia.
One other quick thing that hasn't been mentioned, this is the book that made me fall in love with Italy. It plays a relatively small role in this book, yet it all seems so wonderful that I've wanted to visit northern Italy ever since I read it.
Big Stone Gap is the story of 35-year-old town spinster Ave Maria Mulligan. The story is set in the small Blue Ridge Mountain town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia in the late 1970s. Clearly I was in love with the small town aspects of the story. There is certainly a charming cast of eccentric supporting characters, although they're really minimized in the abridged audiobook I listened to, which is a shame.
Ave Maria's the town pharmacist who's never quite felt like she fit into the life of Big Stone Gap. Her mother was born in Italy and somehow Ave Maria inherited her "foreignness" even though she was born in Virginia. While you miss out on a lot of interesting local color in the audiobook, it did help me focus on Ave Maria's personal struggles as the book is told from her perspective and spends a lot of time with her internal monologues.
It also happens to be a romance, although a very reluctant one. You don't get to be the town spinster without avoiding romance at all costs. Despite the fact that I married relatively young, I still identify with Ave Maria, I worried that I would when I read the book in high school. It's so surprising to reread her romantic development now that I'm old enough to have actually had some romance myself. I never been able to understand why as a teenager I loved the story of this 35-year-old so much, but I think it has something to do with the fact that Ave Maria is about as romantically developed as a teenager. She's spent so long shutting people out, that she's never really figured out the give and take that's part of romantic relationships.
Plus, in other areas of her life, she really does remind me of me - loves to read, hard-working small town girl, dutiful daughter and all around nice quiet unassuming good girl. She also happens to be best friends with the town librarian, who does anything but fit the typical old-cat-lady stereotype. Iva Lou Wade is essentially Samantha on Sex in the City, except 20 years ago & in rural Virginia.
One other quick thing that hasn't been mentioned, this is the book that made me fall in love with Italy. It plays a relatively small role in this book, yet it all seems so wonderful that I've wanted to visit northern Italy ever since I read it.
Home to Big Stone Gap is really very similar to other Trigiani books. There are surprises to the story, but not in the way the characters react to them. This installment finds Ave Maria worrying about everything middle age has to offer, but as usual, her friends and family help her find ways to enjoy the life she's living. While I love Trigiani's books, I'm always disappointed at how little the plot is really controlled. Rather than cutting quickly from one important scene to another, the story just sort of meanders along until the end where Ave Maria finally figures out the point of this whole wandering tale. I guess it's pretty true to life where we often have trouble figuring out the meaning of our own personal stories, but I guess I prefer my fiction to be just a shade more plot driven.
This is something I dont normally read and I wasn't that impressed. I failed to see the 'hilarity' of the book-even though several critics on the back stated it was very funny. I also didn't really enjoy the love story- I didnt really emphatize with the lovers and thought they were a bit silly. Overall, it was okay but not rushing to read the sequal.
What a fun book to read. I love how the author places the reader right within the setting. You actually feel that you are right there. I definitely feel the need to continue reading the series. I want to know what happens next to Ava Maria, Jack Mac, and everyone else within that community. I want to know if she keeps here connection to her long-lost family.
Going "Home to Big Stone Gap" - so glad I did! This book was wonderful.
Loved these, I am not sure if I was going to enjoy these books, but I absolutely loved each one in this series!