Customer Reviews

Milk Glass Moon: A Novel

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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. With the same great writing that you'll find in book such as her "Big Stone Gap" or Jackson McCrae's "The Children's Corner," and a plot worthy of a movie, MGM will not disappoint.

I have to say that I had high hopes for Milk Glass Moon. I was hoping the trilogy would go out with a *bang*. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed in this one. The first half of the book was pretty slow moving for me and it lacked the *country feel* that the first Big Stone Gap and Big Cherry Hollar had. I felt that towards the end of the book the story was rushed.

All in all, it was an easy read but it just didn't live up to the standards of the first two.

The thing that will strike you first about Trigiani's MILK GLASS MOON is the wonderful settings. Secondly, the characters will jump out at you. Trigiani, along with Chevalier, are two of my favorite authors and both know how to handle their materials. The writing in this novel is just, well, excellent, and the author's plots are wonderfully thought out. This book is a must.

Also recommended: McCrae's THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD

as this book is no exception! I think Milk Glass Moon is the best in the triolgy. I love all the characters of this little community and cried several times throughout, but won't give away any details. You won't be sorry in picking up this book!

By far, this is my favorite Trigiani novel. Second place goes to Big Cherry Holler.

That said, Milk Glass Moon is a terriffic read, full of insight and color. It's easy to read, yet not in a "talking down to you" way. I highly recommend this one.

Also recommended: Big Cherry Holler, Mr. Paradise, Bark of the Dogwood

The author captures our attention and brings us immense joy in another glimpse of the life in Big Stone Gap.
When's the next one coming out, Ms. Trigiani?

Big Stone Gap is populated by a basket full of basket cases, a host of eccentric residents who make for good tales told by story-teller A. Trigiani. In this final installment of her trilogy, it feels at the outset that heroine Ave Maria Mulligan MacChesney is finally on the right track. But if that's the case, there's no story - so of course Ave is wrong, and more adventures lie in wait. This time it's mostly mother/adolescent daughter Etta angst, and we watch as not only Etta matures toward independence, but also Ave, as she "redreams" her future and tentatively heads down yet another path on the map of Life.
Earthy wisdom, wacky characters, and a good story await readers.

Reading the last book in the Big Stone Gap trilogy felt like coming home. I loved everything about it - all my favorite characters and that nice comfy feeling you get when turning pages was there. I couldn't have asked for a better way to end the story.

This time around the novel focus mainly on Ave Maria trying to raise her daughter, Etta. The story spans about six years and so we get a nice glimpse into what Ave Maria goes through when trying to rear Etta through her teenage years. And of course, Big Stone Gap wouldn't be complete without cantankerous Fleeta Mullins, Ave's help at the Mutual Pharmacy; all of Ave's wonderful family from across the pond; as well as one of my favorites, Iva Lou Wade Makin, who has a struggle all her own.

Chock full of homespun humor and as comforting as a warm glass of milk, Milk Glass Moon was everything I expected it to be. I feel sad to say good-bye to all my wonderful friends at Big Stone Gap, but the ending of the book left me with such a nice feeling. I highly recommend this trilogy to readers. Thank you, Adriana, for this awesome gift.

I just want to say that "Milk Glass Moon" was fantastic. As were all three Gap books. I too hope there will be more. I loved them all. I will miss all the characters including the ones in Italy. This is a great read, but please read the other two first. Hope to see more Gap books......

If this is the final book in the Big Stone Gap series, I will be disappointed. Ave Maria and Etta grows up over the years together. Etta resists her mother's attempts to make her over into a different person and Ave Maria resists the fact that her baby is growing up. It is a wonderful book about growing up, loving and learning to let go.

All of the main characters are still in this book though they, too, have grown older. Iva Lou is still the loyal best friend though she undergoes a crisis of her own. Spec is still the crusty father-figure for Ave. Theodore is still the best friend, only now he lives in New York and happily in love. Fleeta is still the crusty woman who wows everyone with her baking skills. Pearl is still the young girl that Ave befriended, only she is married and has a child of her own. Jack is still Ave's husband and this time, the tension between them is not there. They too have grown up together over the years.

This is a bittersweet story of friends and family growing together as a child comes of age. No matter where they are, the gorgeous mountains ~~ either of Gap Creek or of the Italy Alps ~~ are in the background. This book is more lyrically-written as if the author has come into her own and found her voice. It is a sweet novel ~~ one that makes you wish for more after the last page is turned. If this is the finale of the Big Stone Gap series, then it is worth every drop of tears I've shed on this one!

10-3-03