Home to Big Stone Gap

A Novel

By: Adriana Trigiani

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLER • Ave Maria starts a new chapter in this wise, powerful, and humorous novel, the fourth book in the beloved Big Stone Gap series

“[Adriana Trigiani is] one of the reigning queens of women’s fiction.”—USA Today

Nestled in the lush Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the town of Big Stone Gap has been home for Ave Maria Mulligan MacChesney and her beloved family and friends for generations. But with her daughter, Etta, having flown the nest to enchanting Italy, Ave Maria has reached a turning point, and she realizes that it’s time to go in search of brand-new dreams. Yet before she can put her foot on the path, her life is turned upside down.

Ave Maria agrees to helm the town musical, a hilarious reunion of local talent past and present. A lifelong friendship collapses when a mysterious stranger comes to town and reveals a long-buried secret. An unexpected health crisis threatens her family. An old heartthrob reappears, challenging her marriage. An opportunistic coal company threatens to undermine the town’s way of life and the mountain landscape Ave Maria has treasured since she was a girl. Now she has no choice but to reinvent her world, her life, and herself, whether she wants to or not.

Millions of people around the world have fallen in love with the novels of the New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani, and she’s at her best in this exquisite book. Home to Big Stone Gap is an emotional and unforgettable journey that reminds us that you can go home again and again.

Don’t miss any of Adriana Trigiani’s beloved Big Stone Gap series
BIG STONE GAP • BIG CHERRY HOLLER • MILK GLASS MOON • HOME TO BIG STONE GAP

Go home again - don't miss the rest of the Big Stone Gap series.

©2006 Adriana Trigiani (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Once again, Trigiani captures the warmth of family, the comfort of a small town and the power of love. . . . Trigiani’s rich and expressive writing draws readers into Ave’s world with every word and captivates from beginning to end.”—Romantic Times Book Reviews

“Glorious setting . . . a sweet tale about life and loss in a small country town . . . There’s plenty of drama waiting for Ave Maria.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Funny and heartwarming . . . Her quirky characters are at once completely local and utterly universal.”—Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Miss the connection

As a rule I will skip titles read by the author but this series is my one exception. So when I searched the catalog for the unabridged title as to not miss one word of the colorful story I never thought to check the narration. It’s just not the same, I struggled through the entire reading to connect with these beloved characters that I’ve grown up with. Had I read the reviews I would have chosen differently.

Different narrator changed the whole feel

I absolutely love Cassandra Campbell which is why I decided to buy this 4th in the series with her narration. I had no idea how much Trigiani's twangy voice and upbeat energy and even the little bit of music was so much a part of these characters for me. I listened for an hour, but I deeply missed Ave Maria's voice from the first 3 books, so I gave it up and bought her version. I want to get the most out of this delightful series. I reiterate, I am someone who searches under Cassandra Campbell because I enjoy her narration, but it just did not work for me here. I highly recommend her reading of Trigiani's Queen of the Big Time. It was great!

She Has Done Better

I have been a long time fan of Miss Trigiani's but this book was dissappointing. Maybe she has been writing about these characters for too long. I listened to the end because I cannot give up on a story.

I would highly suggest reading Lucia! Lucia! before this one.

Disappointing

It reads like the author was trying to crank out one more book for this series and she filled it with recipes to meet a minimum number of pages.

It is a shame that the author didn't record this book. She read the others so well that she was a hard act to follow. This reader has done a nice job with other books I've listened to, but she just isn't right for this book. She is more southern than mountain and lacks a bit a cynical edge for the main character.

Home to Big Stone Gap

I love all of Adriana's books and this one was even better with Audible doing the reading.

The Reader Was a Real Disappointment

If you could sum up Home to Big Stone Gap in three words, what would they be?

Fabulous! Fabulous! Fabulous!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Iva Lou was my favorite character. She seemed so carefree, colorful and true to her life.

How could the performance have been better?

The reader was a real disappointment. Adriana read the three previous books in the Big Stone Gap series and she was wonderful. Her accent was perfect for the area having grown up there. The reader mispronounced Appalachia and other common names that the people from the area would recognize. The reader's accent was more geared toward South Carolina instead of our dear Southwest Virginia area tucked back in the mountains. I wish Adriana had chosen to finish out this series as the reader. I feel it would have made it more complete. I wonder if Adriana has even had a chance to listen to this last book? If so, I feel sure she would have had the reader correct some of the pronunciations of the names of the area and the local people who are from there that she chose to use as characters in her book. Read to us Adriana, Read to us!!!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The moment that moved me most was when Avae walked down the stairs on Christmas morning finding her father looking up at her having secretly arrived from Italy the night before.

Any additional comments?

I would suggest for everyone to read Adriana's books. She is a fabulous author that makes you want to read more and more of her writings. Love her books!

Where is Adriana Trigiani?

Would you try another book from Adriana Trigiani and/or Cassandra Campbell?

I LOVED the first 3 Big Stone Gap books read by the author, Adriana Trigiani and, I guess that I am having a hard time getting interested with Cassandra reading the book.

How could the performance have been better?

I do not think it is good to changed readers in a series...if possible. In this case it was the author so, I am sure she could have read this book also...

disappointed

I enjoyed one book by the author but not this one. the main character whines constantly about her lack of good luck so often I got tired of it and quit reading the book.

Loved this whole series!

From the first book to the last, I felt like I was part of this community. Ava Maria became a friend of mine and I enjoyed her whole journey from Big Stone Gap, Big Cherry Holler, Milk Glass Moon, and this final book Return to Milk Glass Moon. Adriana Trigiani read her first three books but the last was a different reader, which for me took some getting used to.

Mostly pretty good - a miss on the performance

The winding up of the story of Big Stone Gap was fairly predictable and nice enough. I think it was a big mistake for Adriana not to read this final book. Though Cassandra Campbell is an exceptional voice actor, she missed the mark with this one. Ave Maria didn't even have an accent, but Jack did (slightly)? Ave lived in Big Stone Gap all her life. A real miss there. And the "Scottish brogue" was more of just a try at an "Irish accent." These things were really a distraction from the story itself. I kept thinking about the narration rather than the story. I think I probably would have enjoyed it much more if Adriana had read.