The Big Stone Gap Trilogy: "Big Cherry Holler", "Big Stone Gap", "Milk Glass Moon"

Big Stone Gap #1-3

by Adriana Trigiani

The first in the series, BIG STONE GAP stars an unforgettable cast of characters and a heroine with an extraordinary story to tell. This is a wonderfully vibrant, unashamedly feel-good debut. BIG CHERRY HOLLER is the extraordinary sequel to BIG STONE GAP, taking us back to mountain life in Virginia and also to Italy. A deeply felt, brilliantly evoked story of two lovers who have lost their way, and their struggle to find each other again. The third in the series, MILK GLASS MOON sees Ave Maria led to places she never dreamed she would go, and to people who enter her life and rock its foundation.

Genres: Fiction, Marriage, Chick Lit, Romance, Book Club, Historical Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Join 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.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Adriana Trigiani's characters. They feel like people I know and like. It's a fun, comfortable read.

[Kristin- Kristin's Bookstack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book of living in a small mountain town. The main character, Ave Maria, has quite a few struggles and issues in her life that keep her from truly enjoying life and being grateful for what she has. She lost a son to lukemia several years ago and has not truly gotten over it and her 18 year old daughter has just gotten married to an Italian and is staying in Italy. Then her husband starts having heart problems and her life begins to change for the better. She finds out that one of his greatest desires is to travel to Ireland to see where his ancestors came from and she makes it her mission to make that dream come true. The perfect opportunity to visit Ireland presents itself and the couple spends several weeks there where they learn about family, meet new friends, and find a renewel of life.

[Liz Wagner murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book. The Big Stone Gap reminds me of the small town I grew up in. Charming story with characters you fall in love with.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a little while to get back into Big Stone Gap- I last read it when it first came out in 2000 and absolutely adored it and the two books that follow on ( Big Cherry Holler and Milk Glass Moon). I'm glad I persevered because I feel almost bereft after finishing my favourite, Milk Glass Moon. The characters are memorable, imperfect, hilarious and heartwarming. They make you long for small town living- no matter where you've grown up. They show you the power of forgiveness and the importance of the family you were saddled with- in good and bad. But must of all, the blessing of the family you create and also get to choose for yourself.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in the trilogy. The story takes place in the Appalachian town of Big Stone Gap. Ave Maria, the main character, has never know her father and struggles to find her true identity. The characters and story line in this book warm the heart. I very much enjoy Adriana Trigiani's writing and how she brings depth but also lightheartedness into her stories. The second and third books in this trilogy are definitely on my list.

[Mary Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started Milk Glass Moom since I enjoyed some of Trigiani's books set in NYC and Italy. I guess Big Stone Gap is just not my place. I seldom quit before finishing a book, but I couldn't keep going with this one.

[Becky Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these stories! They transport me to another place to follow heart warming characters in a “coming home” type setting. It’s an easy read that goes just deep enough to enjoy on a beach or lazy Sunday afternoon.

[Alice Leak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Big Stone Gap trilogy and overall gave it a 4* rating. This is not the end of the story, I have just discovered, so would like to read Home to Big Stone Gap and watch the movie to see how it compares to the book

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just very quick, easy, fun, comforting reads. Loved the characters and the setting.

[Julie Weight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed these. I like this author a lot.

[Mary Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this story of ave maria in small town america

[jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ages ago

[Stasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this series!

[Ruth Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Milk Glass Moon was another great continuation of the Big Gap Novels.

[Sally Biddick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything written by Adriana Trigiani is compelling. You become immersed in the communities and families she writes. Powerful life themes tackled so well

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Instead of writing separate reviews for all 3 books in the trilogy, I thought I would just combine them into one. The first book was the best, where you get to know all the strange characters in the Appalachian town of Big Stone Gap. You follow the heartache of Ave Maria, as she struggles to find her identity and the love of her life. The second book, Big Cherry Holler, flounders a little. It seems to focus more on the negative aspects of her life and the opinions she has formed. The third book, Milk Glass Moon, rebounds pretty well after the disappointing second book. The last book kind of ties everything up, but little did we know that there would be a fourth book to come.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I empathized often as this woman grows in her small town life. The events she goes through as a woman are well detailed without being boring and it gets you thinking about your life. Do I worry like the main character? Does my husband feel like this? Great books to read. But I just could not read them all in a row. It was too much drama at times. The main character goes through the death of a child and her mother, contemplates having an affair, while her husband may be having one, and she even has a gay man and older women friends who make sense of her life for her!

[Karen Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this trilogy. I found it very entertaining, I love the southern culture, and the dialect of the mountain people. There were also real life issues addressed - even though this is a summer read kind of book. Trigiani's "thing" is fabric. All of her books contain alot of descriptions of beautiful fabrics. I like to visualize but I don't like too many words - she's on the line. I would recommend it as a summer read!

[Marijn Woudstra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well.... OK I did read the first two books in this collection straight after each other and in two days. But my TV didn't work and it was rainy this Pentecost... The books are nice, but oh boy, did I want the hit the female protagonist. Stop whining! Love your husband and your kid and your life! Don’t analyze everything and don’t come up, after we readers think everything is hunky-dory, with another excuse or problem… But, since my TV is still broke, I will probably read the sequel tonight.

[Kat Hilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series very much. This series is about a lady named Ave Maria (just like the song). She is in her mid thirties and tells about her love, family, and business lives. Her writing skills increase as she writes more books. I've also read the 'Brava Valentine" series and loved those. "The Shoemaker's Wife" is my favorite so far. I plan on reading all her books, as she is now one of my favorite authors.

[Pj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of this trilogy is a little over the top, but I really enjoyed them. I guess they could be considered "Chick Lit" but is certainly NO Bridget Jones kind of trash. This heroine is real. She gets dirty (I imagine her wearing plaid), she's smart, and balsy. I just love her. I especially enjoyed that the author read it on audio tape. She has a lovely country accent.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was interesting to read about the main character's family and how she deals with the past and her present. Some strange characters in this book. But i ended up really caring about them. Some parts were a little hard to believe but still over all it was well written. makes me want to visit Italy.

[Ann McCarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've listened to two of the three in this series and enjoyed them both so far. They are easy, enjoyable, escapist books. I especially like the strong and interesting characters and the overriding sense of place in the novels. Recommended when you are in the mood for something pleasant and not too taxing or troubling.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great series. I especially love the last book in the series. It had a lot of great thoughts on death and really helped me when my father passes away. It is not about death or a sad bood. The character dealt with death in her family and it helped me as well.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a series that starts with Big Stone Gap, a small town nestled in Virgina. It is really the characters that in the town that keep you reading. Trigiani is a great author and if you read the first book you will want to continue to see how their lives unfold.

[Pam KC Hagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing is pure and the writer captures the beauty of every day life. She takes the mundane and elevates it to beauty--as opposed to so many books that try to be "good" by writing badly about catastrophes.

[Claire Hughes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a feather weight when I was expecting a bit more heft. Had all the markings of a super story but fell short. I am not sure why exactly. I loved the characters, the story line and decent writing.....just didn't grab me.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these books. I couldn't put them down. These stories are so simple yet describe the real, funny, sad and complex feelings of a woman going through stages of her life. I laughed and cried all the way through.

[Stella Branch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series of books. The characters are well drawn out, and the story of how this woman's life changes - for better and for worse - is so beautifully done. There's an added bonus of recipes from her life , and as a woman who is a feeder, I really appreciated them.

[Deborah Clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book from start to finish, and fell in love with all the character straight away and just couldn't put the book down, id definitely go back and read it again which isn't like me as normally when I've read a book that's it.