Description
Product Description NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The first novel in the beloved Big Stone Gap series, now a major motion picture written and directed by Adriana Trigiani, starring Ashley Judd, Patrick Wilson, Whoopi Goldberg, John Benjamin Hickey, Jane Krakowski, Anthony LaPaglia, and Jenna Elfman “Delightfully quirky . . . chock-full of engaging, oddball characters and unexpected plot twists.”—People (Book of the Week)It's 1978, and Ave Maria Mulligan is the thirty-five-year-old self-proclaimed spinster of Big Stone Gap, a sleepy hamlet in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She’s also the local pharmacist, the co-captain of the Rescue Squad, and the director of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, the town’s long-running Outdoor Drama. Ave Maria is content with her life—until, one fateful day, her past opens wide with the revelation of a long-buried secret that will alter the course of her life. Before she knows it, Ave Maria is fielding marriage proposals, trying to claim her rightful inheritance, and planning the trip of a lifetime to Italy—one that will change her view of the world and her own place in it forever.Millions of readers around the world have fallen in love with the small town of Big Stone Gap, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and its self-proclaimed spinster. Full of wit and wonder, hilarity and heart, Big Stone Gap is a gem of a book, and one that you will share with friends and family for years to come. WINNER OF THE LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA ANNUAL LITERARY AWARD Don’t miss any of Adriana Trigiani’s beloved Big Stone Gap seriesBIG STONE GAP • BIG CHERRY HOLLER • MILK GLASS MOON • HOME TO BIG STONE GAP Review “Charming . . . Readers would do well to fall into the nearest easy chair and savor the story.”—USA Today “[Trigiani] is more than a one-hit wonder, more than a Southern writer, more than a women’s novelist. She is an amazing young talent.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch“[A] heartfelt tale . . . In an anecdotal style reminiscent of Fannie Flagg, Adriana Trigiani engagingly captures a slice of small-town America.”—San Jose Mercury News “In a sassy Southern voice, [Trigiani] creates honest, endearingly original characters.”—Mademoiselle “A touching tale of a sleepy Southern town and a young woman on the brink of self-discovery and acceptance. Author Adriana Trigiani offers one-of-a-kind characters.”—Southern Living “Big Stone Gap is a Southern novel that has the ring of truth, by which I mean its characters are bizzare, its story is hilarious, and it hooked me on page one.”—John Berendt “Adriana Trigiana writes with wit and grace about misguided romances and family secrets, and so very winningly about generous hearts. This urban Yankee reader found hours of bliss in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.”—Elinor Lipman “Funny, charming, and original.”—Fannie Flagg “It’s one of my all-time favorite novels . . . unforgettable.”—Whoopi Goldberg “Ave Maria Mulligan is so real, she’s almost a miracle. The story is poignant without being sentimental, and funny without being mean. The people and the place of Big Stone Gap have stayed with me long after reading the book.”—Rosanne Cash From the Back Cover 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 gi