Milk Glass Moon written by Adriana Trigiani is book three of a triology in the Big Stone Gap series, (Big Stone Gap, Big Cherry Hollar and Milk Glass Moon). This book takes us six years further into the lives of Ave Maria Mulligan MacChesney and her family and friends.

All of the characters that we loved in the previous books are growing up or matured and their character is coming out well in this book. The mother/daughter relationship is strong in this book, as Ave Maria doesn't want to let going of the little girl that is now maturing, her daughter is facing her first love and mother is experiencing heartbreak.

This book is about life through Ave Maria's eyes, in the Southwestern part of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with all of the flavor of that small town distilled into this book making it a wild ride throgh the emotional roller coaster.

With twist and turns woven into the main story we learn what's happening to Ave Maria's friends, Iva Lou, Pearl Grimes, Theodore Tipton, Jack Mac, and Fleeta. With humor, you will laugh along with the characters as life in Big Stone Gap is changing.

You'll love reading the book as the narrative is simple but very effective and you can imagine the characters in your mind as you read on, making this book engaging. There is drama, mountain wisdom along ith a sprinkle of humor and romance all rolled into a very well told story.

The story transports us from Ave Maria's home in the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the Italian Alps, from New York City, and then to the Tuscan countryside. Milk Glass Moon is the story of a shifting mother-daughter relationship. Etta is testing her independence, and her mom is having a lot of trouble letting go.

Trigiani's other beloved characters are also back in this book as well. Jack Mac, Ave Maria's true love, who is willing to gamble security for the unknown; her best friend and confidant, bandleader Theodore Tipton, who starts a new life in New York City; librarian and sexpert Iva Lou Wade Makin, who faces a life-or-death crisis. Meanwhile, surprises emerge in the blossoming of crusty cashier Fleeta Mullins, the maturing of mountain girl turned savvy horsewoman Pearl Grimes, and the return of Pete Rutledge, the handsome stranger who turned Ave Maria's world upside down in Big Cherry Holler.

This book is simply warm and wonderful and reminds us of what it was like 'down home.'

As in her previous Big Stone Gap novels, Adriana Trigiani's newest title offers more than just an update on the lives of Ave Maria, Jack Mac and their daughter Etta. It's a chance for us to dip into the lifestyle of small-town America (and Italy) and the sensual landscapes of the southwestern Virginia mountains as well as the Italian Alps. It's encounters with unique and sometimes eccentric individuals who, in spite of their quirks or problems, endear themselves to us when they show they care about the people around them. It's a study of changing relationships between parents and children, between best friends, even between good friends of opposite genders. It's also a search for a personal sense of place: finding the exact spot on Earth where you are supposed to live, what you're supposed to do, and who you're supposed to be doing it with. And the ending leaves the door open for further adventures.

_Milk Glass Moon_ is such an engaging and easy read that, if you've got the time, you can easily finish this book in just one sitting. But that's almost cheating yourself of being able to spend valuable time with these intriguing characters. Perhaps we should savor every moment.

If Ms. Trigiani is scheduled to appear at a book signing near you, don't hesitate to go to see her. She's a fascinating speaker, and you'll find out how much of herself she puts into her books.

I was absolutely enchanted with this book. Adriana Trigiani has put together a wonderful story that will be remembered for a very long time. Big Stone Gap is a well-crafted novel that was written for the sentimental and romantic at heart. This is the story of a 35-year-old woman of Italian descent whose family secrets are revealed. Like a puzzle, Ave Maria's life reconstructs piece by piece. Ave Maria is a wonderful heroine. She tells the story with a great deal of heart and soul. Her voice literary comes out of every page! She is so real! I could relate to her a bit. After all, she, too, gets grief for being single and independent. But is that what she really wants? The other characters in the novel are great too, especially Iva Lou, Jack Mac, Pearl and Theodore. Also, I love the backdrop of the small town of Big Stone Gap in Virginia. I could smell the clean air of the mountains through the writing. Her descriptions are quite vivid. This is a beautiful and charming novel that should be read more than once. I highly recommend it.

I got this book - actually it was a gift from my cousin, but I was planning on reading it anyway - since my father grew up in Big Stone Gap. I loved the book - the characters were enticing and I would have enjoyed it even without the ancestral setting. I liked the fact that the mountain folk weren't all made out to be dumb hillbillies. My dad, who also read the book, says the regional references are pretty accurate, but now I want to ask him more about those places and revisit them!

The story is about Ave Maria Mulligan, 35 year old pharmacist, who is at a turning point in her life. She considers herself the town "spinster" and through some events that happen after her mother's death, she decides her life needs some changes. She feels she doesn't fit in to the natives of Big Stone Gap, even though she was born there, mostly because her mother was an Italian immigrant and she's Catholic. The changes don't exactly turn out to be the ones she plans, but oh what a fun ride along the way!

Big Stone Gap is one of those novels that reeled me in from the time I opened the cover. The characers are real--the kind a person might actually encounter in this part of the South. Ave Maria, a local girl still unmarried at 36, is delightful--someone you might like as a friend. A pharmacist in Big Stone Gap, she is still reeling from the loss of her mother, a native of Italy who came to America as an unwed mother and ended up in this small, Southern town. After her mother's death, a letter left to Ave Maria reveals some startling facts that change her way of thinking and eventually lead her back to Italy to meet her biological father. Ave Maria's friendship/romance with Theodore, the local high school band director, has its ups and downs; and Jac Mac, a local coal miner, finally declares his feelings for Ave Maria in a very unromantic scene! Trigiani's spellbinding story kept me guessing at what would happen next, and laughing at the antics of characters like Iva Lou and Pearl. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy a well-written story with a strong plot, lots of action, interesting characters, humor, and a bit of old-fashioned romance.

I probably should not have started this book with such high expectations, but since I so much enjoyed Big Stone Gap, I assumed I would love Big Cherry Holler, also. Although the book begins promisingly, with Ave Maria's young daughter competing in a radio quiz bowl, and the voices of the characters I loved from Big Stone gap were back and sounding familiar and enticing me back into their world, I was extremely disappointed with the conclusion that Ave Maria was not only "wrong" in her attraction (but there was little credit given her for saying "no") to another man, but she was ALSO "to blame" for Jack's affair... that's just plain wrong - Jack should have been responsible for his own choices and actions, not Ave Maria - it seems the author is saying that just because Ave is not a "perfect wife" (like Jack is "perfect"? Bull!), it was ok for Jack to cheat. Ave's best friend, Theodore, sure doesn't act like a "friend" when Ave comes to him, broken-hearted and needful of support only to be told coldly that she brought it all on herself... now I'm not one who thinks a true friend should lie, but to tell a hysterical, hurting FRIEND how wrong she is instead of first offering care, comfort and a validation of that friend's feelings seems cold and cruel to me. It's like telling a friend who is starving that it's her fault that she's hungry and she needs to wake up and smell the coffee, then slamming the door on that friend instead of feeding her.

And we're not done bashing Ave Maria yet... the way she mourns for her dead son is "wrong," and since Jack was ready long before Ave was to talk about it, he becomes superior to her and a victim of Ave's "distance," even though he sure doesn't seem all too patient or eager to accept Ave's attempts to communicate love and a willingness to try to communicate to her husband. How cold is it, anyway, to agree to take a summer trip with your wife, tell her you're not going at the last minute, and then not show any kind of feelings when she tells you how much she's looked forward to spending time together on the trip?

If you want to take a chance with this book, I recommend checking it out from the library rather than buying it.

Well, Eva Maria and Jack Mac have been married 8 years. They have a precocious daughter, Etta, and they have survived the death of their beloved son, Joe. Now they are growing more and more distant, and Eva--being Eva--blames herself and is having problems seeing past her own needs. She listens to everyone's advice (Ida Lou, of course, gives her birds 'n bees advice on how to keep a husband happy), but she really has to get away from it all in order to find out what she really wants.

All the wonderful, quirky characters from Big Stone Gap return to make this a fun read. However, don't expect the same level of bust-a-gut humor present in the first book. Eva is much more introspective and is much more enmeshed in the life issues we all face while approaching middle age. This book is not a light read and will most likely push you to consider your own life, your goals, and how you treat the people you love. My only gripe is that Eva's character is the one who seems to bear the brunt of all the ills of her marriage...that's a gripe, however, that does not get in the way of enjoying this novel.

I read this in one sitting just because I couldn't put it down. Although it is different than the first in the series, it's a very good read, and I highly recommend it for fans of this type of literature.

I eagerly awaited the revisit to the town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia by way of Adriana Trigiani. I came to think of the characters as extended family, and the thought of seeing them again warmed my heart. And Adriana can make me laugh like no other!

In *Big Cherry Holler*, Ave Maria and Jack Mac have been married for eight years and are still living up on the mountain. Their daughter Etta is a lively third grader, and their son, Joe, died of leukemia a few years prior. Because Ave and Jack are having a difficult time of getting it back together following their loss, the possibility of infidelity arises. Of course, the town gossips, gets involved and the adventure begins.

Once again, Adriana has given us all something to cherish and enjoy! I can't wait for another novel by Adriana!!