MILK GLASS MOON and HOME TO BIG STONE GAP are the last two in the Big Stone Gap Series by Adriana Trigiani. I've previously reviewed the first two: Big Stone Gap and Big Cherry Holler, the first which I loved, the second, which I didn't love. The entire series (4 books) spans 20 years, and we get to see many ways in which Ave grows as a person, and many ways in which she continues to struggle with the same weaknesses and fears. As I mentioned, I didn't love BIG CHERRY HOLLER, but I'm glad I continued reading, because these two definitely captured the magic of the first book!
MILK GLASS MOON finds Ave and Jack, happily married now, having grown a lot since the marital troubles they endured in the previous book. Their daughter, Etta, is ready to graduate, and Ave is excited for her to go to college and begin her young life! But Etta seems to want to plan her own life! So Ave's journey of letting go begins.
We also continue to read about the lives of various characters we love: Pearl, who was just a high school girl at the beginning of this series, is a grown woman now - a very smart business woman at that! Fleeta, the crusty cashier at the Pharmacy is still there, providing a lot of comic relief; and Iva Lou, Ave's dear friend, faces a life or death health crisis.
HOME TO BIG STONE GAP is especially a bittersweet story. Ave learns to appreciate the things in her life and to love people for who they are, and not for who she thinks they should be. She has matured a lot, as one can only after they have been through joy and sadness. As Ave and Jack age, their mortality becomes more of a reality, especially after Jack has a health scare. Ave is learning to savor life, and to accept the past and her shortcomings, as well as those of others. She learns to live each day fully, because you never know how much time you have with the people you love. There is a lot of real life going on in these books - and there were definitely parts where I had to wipe the tears off my face as I read.
At the beginning of this series, Ave had just turned 35, and after 20 years, she is definitely retrospective of all she's been through. The final book wrapped things up beautifully, with more time given to what Ave was thinking and how she looked back to evaluate all her life's experiences. One touch that the author added was to include recipes of dishes that were made at various events (although they are old-fashioned full-fat recipes, with heavy creme or lard, or Crisco, or butter as ingredients!)
A very enjoyable reading series!
Showing posts with label Adriana Trigiani. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adriana Trigiani. Show all posts
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
BIG CHERRY HOLLER By Adriana Trigiani
This is the sequel to BIG STONE GAP, which I reviewed at an earlier date. There's a couple of different angles I wanna take on this. First I'll tell you what the book was about, and how interesting it was, and then I'll comment on what happened in the story.
BIG CHERRY HOLLER included many of the same characters that I loved in BIG STONE GAP. In this story, we pick up 8 years later, after Ave Maria and Jack Mac have married (they fell in love in the previous book) They now have a daughter, Etta, and they had also had a son, Joe, who passed away when he was four. So Ave finds herself in a marriage that has grown a bit routine, but also a little cold and distant since the death of their son. She grieves, but cannot fully share her grief with Jack. He is quiet, never quite talking about his feelings. Jack suggests a trip to Italy to visit Ave's family, and then at the last minute, he tells her he's not going. He wants her to go alone, so she can decide what she wants to do about their marriage. While she's gone, she is tempted with a handsome stranger. But she finds out when she returns that Jack has also had his share of temptation while she's been away, and it appears that he has given in to it. SPOILER: The story ends with Ave realizing that she has never fully given herself to Jack. Instead of sharing her grief with him, she shut him out. Because of her behavior, he had felt lonely and rejected. Once she realized that she never fully loved him as he deserved to be loved, it was easier for her to forgive him for his indiscretions. He never admitted what he'd done, but in Ave's mind, it didn't matter, since she knew she had never been the wife she should have been anyway.
It was a little corny at times, and some things just didn't make sense. For example, Ave suspects Jack is cheating on her, but when he tells her he's sending her to Italy alone, it doesn't even cross her mind that he will be home...alone...and free. Another thing that didn't make sense is that Ave's friend, Iva Lou, kept telling her that she had to have a "plan" if she wanted to keep Jack. So I was expecting this elaborate "plan" that would be entertaining and clever. But no plan ever materialized. It seemed strange that it was emphasized, and then never a part of the story. Some of the conversations also seemed "stiff" and a bit contrived - without the natural flow of people talking to each other.
As for what happened between Ave and Jack, I came away with a bad taste in my mouth. While it was unclear what Jack did with the other woman, it did infer that he cheated. But it was made to seem like it was all about Ave's problems. I was also disappointed by Ave's reaction to Jack's cheating. It almost seemed like she felt she deserved it for been so disconnected. But who wouldn't go through a hard time after the death of a child? Even though she had experienced her own temptations in Italy, she did not cheat. Yet her friend Theodore told her that she had only restrained herself for "self righteous" reasons. I was so annoyed at the way Theodore spoke to her when she told him that Jack had cheated - it was like he was excusing Jack and condemning Ave. This was one of the conversations that seemed contrived. He is hard on her, and she immediately agrees. I didn't buy that Theodore would say those things, and i didn't buy that she would immediately see his point. I also felt that Jack planned his little tryst by sending Ave away, with the justification that he was letting her figure out what she wanted. He was already being tempted by the other woman, so the timing was just too convenient. He was made to be a man of integrity in the previous book, but I felt like he was a jerk in this book. In the end, it seemed that Ave, who endured the death of her child and her husband's infidelity, was the only one willing to look at herself and consider that she had done anything wrong.
I will continue reading this series because I am invested in, and love these characters. I also hope that the books that follow will be more like BIG STONE GAP. I really wanted to love this book, since Ms. Trigiani was so kind to send me the whole series, but while it was "ok", and semi-enjoyable, it just didnt have the magic of the first one.
BIG CHERRY HOLLER included many of the same characters that I loved in BIG STONE GAP. In this story, we pick up 8 years later, after Ave Maria and Jack Mac have married (they fell in love in the previous book) They now have a daughter, Etta, and they had also had a son, Joe, who passed away when he was four. So Ave finds herself in a marriage that has grown a bit routine, but also a little cold and distant since the death of their son. She grieves, but cannot fully share her grief with Jack. He is quiet, never quite talking about his feelings. Jack suggests a trip to Italy to visit Ave's family, and then at the last minute, he tells her he's not going. He wants her to go alone, so she can decide what she wants to do about their marriage. While she's gone, she is tempted with a handsome stranger. But she finds out when she returns that Jack has also had his share of temptation while she's been away, and it appears that he has given in to it. SPOILER: The story ends with Ave realizing that she has never fully given herself to Jack. Instead of sharing her grief with him, she shut him out. Because of her behavior, he had felt lonely and rejected. Once she realized that she never fully loved him as he deserved to be loved, it was easier for her to forgive him for his indiscretions. He never admitted what he'd done, but in Ave's mind, it didn't matter, since she knew she had never been the wife she should have been anyway.
It was a little corny at times, and some things just didn't make sense. For example, Ave suspects Jack is cheating on her, but when he tells her he's sending her to Italy alone, it doesn't even cross her mind that he will be home...alone...and free. Another thing that didn't make sense is that Ave's friend, Iva Lou, kept telling her that she had to have a "plan" if she wanted to keep Jack. So I was expecting this elaborate "plan" that would be entertaining and clever. But no plan ever materialized. It seemed strange that it was emphasized, and then never a part of the story. Some of the conversations also seemed "stiff" and a bit contrived - without the natural flow of people talking to each other.
As for what happened between Ave and Jack, I came away with a bad taste in my mouth. While it was unclear what Jack did with the other woman, it did infer that he cheated. But it was made to seem like it was all about Ave's problems. I was also disappointed by Ave's reaction to Jack's cheating. It almost seemed like she felt she deserved it for been so disconnected. But who wouldn't go through a hard time after the death of a child? Even though she had experienced her own temptations in Italy, she did not cheat. Yet her friend Theodore told her that she had only restrained herself for "self righteous" reasons. I was so annoyed at the way Theodore spoke to her when she told him that Jack had cheated - it was like he was excusing Jack and condemning Ave. This was one of the conversations that seemed contrived. He is hard on her, and she immediately agrees. I didn't buy that Theodore would say those things, and i didn't buy that she would immediately see his point. I also felt that Jack planned his little tryst by sending Ave away, with the justification that he was letting her figure out what she wanted. He was already being tempted by the other woman, so the timing was just too convenient. He was made to be a man of integrity in the previous book, but I felt like he was a jerk in this book. In the end, it seemed that Ave, who endured the death of her child and her husband's infidelity, was the only one willing to look at herself and consider that she had done anything wrong.
I will continue reading this series because I am invested in, and love these characters. I also hope that the books that follow will be more like BIG STONE GAP. I really wanted to love this book, since Ms. Trigiani was so kind to send me the whole series, but while it was "ok", and semi-enjoyable, it just didnt have the magic of the first one.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
BIG STONE GAP by Adriana Trigiani
It was one of the few times that my "to-be-read" stack was low. So one day at Sam's Club, I grabbed a few novels that looked good. Nothing I'd heard of, no familiar authors. Just something "different". Those books ended up sitting on my nightstand for a few months, but eventually, I grabbed one! It was Big Stone Gap, by Adriana Trigiani.
Big Stone Gap is the story of a small town woman - she's single, just turned 35, recently lost her beloved mother, and she's also just found that her father was not her father! She's an independent, confident woman; yet at the same time, she's scared, alone and not so confident! This is the sweet, touching story of Ave Maria figuring some things out - her road to "self discovery", if you will. And Big Stone Gap is a town full of lovable characters! The story flows smoothly, and even though the situations are things you can relate to, you still can't wait to see what's going to happen next! Additionally, Ms. Trigiani's description of people and places makes it easy to imagine every bit of the story. I even found myself talking with a southern accent while I was reading it!
Big Stone Gap is the first in a series - Big Cherry Holler, Milk Glass Moon, and Home to Big Stone Gap are the titles that follow. I've got Big Cherry Holler on order now, and I'm really looking forward to reading more of Ms Trigiani's work!
Big Stone Gap is the story of a small town woman - she's single, just turned 35, recently lost her beloved mother, and she's also just found that her father was not her father! She's an independent, confident woman; yet at the same time, she's scared, alone and not so confident! This is the sweet, touching story of Ave Maria figuring some things out - her road to "self discovery", if you will. And Big Stone Gap is a town full of lovable characters! The story flows smoothly, and even though the situations are things you can relate to, you still can't wait to see what's going to happen next! Additionally, Ms. Trigiani's description of people and places makes it easy to imagine every bit of the story. I even found myself talking with a southern accent while I was reading it!
Big Stone Gap is the first in a series - Big Cherry Holler, Milk Glass Moon, and Home to Big Stone Gap are the titles that follow. I've got Big Cherry Holler on order now, and I'm really looking forward to reading more of Ms Trigiani's work!
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