description: It's 1978, and 35-year-old self-appointed spinster Ave Maria Mulligan is stuck in a rut in Big Stone Gap in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. And that isn't just a metaphor for her life. As the town pharmacist, she is keeper of some of the town's secrets. But as she herself puts it, "God knows I don't get any pleasure in knowing that the town manager performs self-colonics." Ave Maria is also the drama director and an earnest member of the local rescue squad, but it's really she who needs rescuing from her drab life. She spends much of her time at the bookmobile when it comes through town, gossiping with Iva Lou, who is not your stereotypical librarian. It is through Iva Lou that Ave Maria vicariously experiences any sort of love life. But Ave Maria is soon presented with a big family secret all her own that, with a little help from her, could change her destiny. There are other things happening in Stone Gap, including a mine disaster that prompts Ave Maria to quit the rescue squad. But the Big Thing is that the legendary Elizabeth Taylor is about to visit town with her then-office-seeking husband, John Warner. The preparation for the visit and the event itself form the backdrop to Ave Marie's own drama as her secret presents her with new possibilities.
language: English
title: Big Stone Gap
titlecomplete: Big Stone Gap
characters: Otto, Theodore Tipton, Worley, Uncle Wayne, Inez Eisenberg, Elmo Gaspar, Nan MacChesney, Tayloe Slagle, Nellie Goodloe, Elizabeth Taylor, Gala Nuccio, Zia Antonietta, Betty Slagle, Lew Eisenberg, Pearl Grimes, Iva Lou Wade, Mario Barbari, John Warner, Fleeta Mullins, Jack "Jack Mac" MacChesney, Aunt Alice, Ave Maria Mulligan, Spec, Meoli Vilminore, Aunt Cecelia, Lyle Makin
genres: Audiobook, Book Club, Adult, Southern, Historical Fiction, Chick Lit, Fiction, Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
ratings_count: 45872
places: Big Stone Gap, Virginia, Virginia
series: Big Stone Gap
publisher: Pan Australia