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By CATHY JETT
Author Adriana Trigiani burst onto the book scene six years ago with "Big Stone Gap," the story of a small-town spinster who discovers a secret about her past and finds true love.
The Cinderella story set in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains captivated millions of readers and quickly became a book club favorite. Trigiani followed it up with two more novels in the "Big Stone Gap" trilogy, then branched out into other characters and locales.
Now she's back in familiar territory with "Home to Big Stone Gap," and reading it is like meeting an old friend for a long chat to catch up on life and swap recipes, which Trigiani loves to sprinkle throughout her stories.
The novel opens with heroine Ave Maria Mulligan MacChesney at a crucial turning point that many women face. She and husband Jack Mac have just returned from Italy, where their daughter Etta has tied the knot. With the nest now empty, it's time, best friend Theodore Tipton tells her, to "start living your life for YOU."
That's not an easy thing to do for someone who confesses early on: "I don't like change. I said that so much, Jack Mac finally said, 'Get used to it.' Doesn't make it one bit easier, though, not one bit."
But before Ave can come to grips with what life will be like without her daughter at home--much less living far away in Italy--even more change starts barreling her way whether she likes it or not.
For starters, the normally energetic Jack Mac is having health problems, and passes out at work. Ave, her heart gripped with fear, rushes him to the hospital and chastises herself for not noticing the telltale signs of high blood pressure during the flurry of wedding preparations.
But once her husband recuperates, she isn't above giving him a piece of her mind when a smooth-talking Virginia Tech grad tries to involve him in a controversial mountaintop removal project that could change the landscape of Big Stone Gap forever.
Meanwhile Fleeta, the crusty widow who runs the lunch counter at Ave Maria's pharmacy, has decided to remarry, and local librarian and chum Iva Lou has roped Ave into helping with the wedding plans.
As if that weren't enough, Ave gets talked into directing the town's annual winter musical, a production of "The Sound of Music" that appears headed for disaster. And then a stranger reveals a long-buried secret that shatters both Ave's opinion of Iva Lou and their friendship.
Luckily, Ave's good friends and a trip of a lifetime to Scotland help her sort through her problems and realize that there's no place she'd rather be than home in her beloved Big Stone Gap.
Throughout, Trigiani's sure touch and eye for telling detail paint a realistic portrait of small-town life that can be comforting at times as well as constricting.
Fans will be delighted to hear that this will not be the last readers will hear of Ave and the rest of the charmingly imperfect characters who populate Big Stone Gap. Trigiani has told interviewers that she plans to follow Ave's travails throughout her life. And "Big Stone Gap" itself may eventually appear on the silver screen. Trigiani has written the screenplay and is slated to direct.
To reach reporter CATHY JETT:
Email: cjett@freelancestar.com
Home to Big Stone Gap By Adriana Trigiani (Random House, 305 |
