Amy H. (emksmama) reviewed on 3/13/2007 + 38 more book reviews

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.


This was a neat book...the first I've read by this author, and I was pleased to see that she has a sequel to this (Big Cherry Holler) that's set 8 years after the conclusion of Big Stone Gap. Told in the first person, I really enjoyed the writing style. Books set in the late 70's but written post 2000 are rare, and this is truly a gem!

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