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Big Stone Gap #2
Big Cherry Holler
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER •Ave Maria must decide between old love and new adventures in this enthralling secondnovel inthe beloved Big Stone Gap series“Heartwarming . . . Everything that really matters is humor, romance, wisdom, and drama.”—The Dallas Morning NewsEight years have passed since Ave Maria Mulligan married Jack Mac, moved up into the hills, and dug in her roots even deeper. But Ave Maria soon discovers that the mountains cannot shelter her from the painful lessons of the heart. As her life reaches a crossroads, almost everybody in town has advice to offer—including the Bookmobile’s self-appointed sexpert Iva Lou Wade, savvy pharmacy owner Pearl Grimes, crusty chain-smoking cashier Fleeta, and of course, the always-wise band director Theodore Tipton. But when Ave Maria takes her daughter to Italy for the summer, her passion for aseductive stranger will test her marriage—and push her to choose the man who is truly her destiny.At once funny and deeply poignant, resonant with the power of love and forgiveness and the unexpected events that force us to stake a claim in our own lives, Big Cherry Holler is a wise, wonderful story to treasure.Don’t miss any of Adriana Trigiani’s beloved Big Stone Gap seriesBIG STONE GAP •BIG CHERRY HOLLER � MILK GLASS MOON •HOME TO BIG STONE GAP
298 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2001
374 people are currently reading
4,443 people want to read
About the author
Adriana Trigiani
60books6,214followersJoin Adriana Trigiani and the great authors and luminaries of our time on the YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ PODCAST! Available wherever you listen to podcasts:
Beloved by millions of readers around the world for her "dazzling" novels (USA Today), Adriana Trigiani is "a master of palpable and visual detail" (Washington Post) and "a comedy writer with a heart of gold" (New York Times). She is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including her latest, The Good Left Undone- an instant New York Times best seller, Book of the Month pick and People's Book of the Week. Her work is published in 38 languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker, Adriana's screen credits include writer/director of the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, the adaptation of her novel Very Valentine and director of Then Came You. Adriana grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she co-founded The Origin Project, an in-school writing program serving over 2,700 students in Appalachia. She is at work on her next novel for Dutton at Penguin Random House.
Follow Adriana on Facebook and Instagram @AdrianaTrigiani and on TikTok @AdrianaTrigianiAuthor or visit her website: AdrianaTrigiani.com.
Beloved by millions of readers around the world for her "dazzling" novels (USA Today), Adriana Trigiani is "a master of palpable and visual detail" (Washington Post) and "a comedy writer with a heart of gold" (New York Times). She is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including her latest, The Good Left Undone- an instant New York Times best seller, Book of the Month pick and People's Book of the Week. Her work is published in 38 languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker, Adriana's screen credits include writer/director of the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, the adaptation of her novel Very Valentine and director of Then Came You. Adriana grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she co-founded The Origin Project, an in-school writing program serving over 2,700 students in Appalachia. She is at work on her next novel for Dutton at Penguin Random House.
Follow Adriana on Facebook and Instagram @AdrianaTrigiani and on TikTok @AdrianaTrigianiAuthor or visit her website: AdrianaTrigiani.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 994 reviews
September 15, 2010
For all the enjoyment I got out of the first book in the series, I was looking forward to this second installment. Wow, talk about taking the series in a very different direction. I would describe the first book as "light, quirky, fun, silly, and relate-able in a goofy way." I would describe this book as "sad, depressing, and filled with heartache."
My main problem with this book is the base assumption of the author. Namely:
1) All unhappy men will cheat if given the chance
2) All marital problems are because the wife isn't doing right by her man. It is her duty to keep her husband happy. If he isn't happy, she is failing him and the marriage.
3) With 1 & 2 being true, when a man cheats, it is his wifes fault. If she was a better wife, he wouldn't have done it.
Several characters in the story are involved in a cheating plot line and all of them have the same moral (see 1, 2 and 3 above).
The first half of the book describes the slow process of a marriage decading. It was totally depressing and tedious. The second half picks up a bit, mostly because the two main characters (Jack and Ave) are apart so the reader can't be slowly killed by hearing how things are not working for them. There is a happy ending for them (which is why it got a 2 stars instead of a 1 star), but the ending was only happy because Ave pretty much realized that ALL their problems were completely her fault and she would be better.
Some women may feel empowered by the story because of the concept that marital happiness is completely controlled by the wife alone, but I was pretty offended by that. I am pretty sure my husband can make his own choices beyond simply reacting to mine.
Overall a total disappointment. Finished the book mostly out of respect for the first. I checked out book 3 in the series at the same time as book 2, but I am not sure if I will give it a chance. The reviews on ŷ seem to indicate that book 3 is back to how book 1 was, so that gives me hope.
My main problem with this book is the base assumption of the author. Namely:
1) All unhappy men will cheat if given the chance
2) All marital problems are because the wife isn't doing right by her man. It is her duty to keep her husband happy. If he isn't happy, she is failing him and the marriage.
3) With 1 & 2 being true, when a man cheats, it is his wifes fault. If she was a better wife, he wouldn't have done it.
Several characters in the story are involved in a cheating plot line and all of them have the same moral (see 1, 2 and 3 above).
The first half of the book describes the slow process of a marriage decading. It was totally depressing and tedious. The second half picks up a bit, mostly because the two main characters (Jack and Ave) are apart so the reader can't be slowly killed by hearing how things are not working for them. There is a happy ending for them (which is why it got a 2 stars instead of a 1 star), but the ending was only happy because Ave pretty much realized that ALL their problems were completely her fault and she would be better.
Some women may feel empowered by the story because of the concept that marital happiness is completely controlled by the wife alone, but I was pretty offended by that. I am pretty sure my husband can make his own choices beyond simply reacting to mine.
Overall a total disappointment. Finished the book mostly out of respect for the first. I checked out book 3 in the series at the same time as book 2, but I am not sure if I will give it a chance. The reviews on ŷ seem to indicate that book 3 is back to how book 1 was, so that gives me hope.
July 28, 2017
This series is read by the author and her emphasis is obviously made in the places that she deemed important. She has mastered the "down-home" dialog that is needed for this series. This is #2 in the series and takes place 8 years after the first book (or audio) ended.
You don't expect someone from the back hills of Virginia - where Big Stone Gap is supposedly located - to be a descendant of an Italian family. However Ava Maria has her extended family living in Italy. This book of the series takes Ava Maria and her daughter Etta across the pond for a month to visit. Her husband Jack was supposed to go also, but family discord kept him for going. After eight years of marriage, the birth of their daughter, the death of their son Joe, and the loss of Jacks mining job, Jack does not believe that Ava Maria is still in love with him. Ava meets Pete in Italy. Is she still in love with Jack? How important is her marriage? Does she want to save it?
Other than loving the authors voice as she narrates this book, I believe that I enjoyed book #1 in the series a bit better than book #2. On to book (audio) #3 in the series to see where this will be going.
You don't expect someone from the back hills of Virginia - where Big Stone Gap is supposedly located - to be a descendant of an Italian family. However Ava Maria has her extended family living in Italy. This book of the series takes Ava Maria and her daughter Etta across the pond for a month to visit. Her husband Jack was supposed to go also, but family discord kept him for going. After eight years of marriage, the birth of their daughter, the death of their son Joe, and the loss of Jacks mining job, Jack does not believe that Ava Maria is still in love with him. Ava meets Pete in Italy. Is she still in love with Jack? How important is her marriage? Does she want to save it?
Other than loving the authors voice as she narrates this book, I believe that I enjoyed book #1 in the series a bit better than book #2. On to book (audio) #3 in the series to see where this will be going.
January 29, 2009
This book is sexist. They have troubles in their marriage, the woman blames everything on herself and tries everything she can to fix it, even when it appears her husband might be looking at other women. And yet, he still says everything she is doing isn't enough and she needs to do better. And her job advancement makes him mad, but he can start a company and it is fine and dandy. Worst of all, the author buys into all this crap instead of using the story to vindicate all the women who are carrying the full weight of making a marriage work, making a home, a career, and being a perfect wife, mother, friend, and community member. This book pissed me off- it was like you fall in love, you get married, then you become a slave to your husband and children, never have time to think about yourself again, and nothing you do is good enough. Also, the writer doesn't even do a good job of showing the main character doing all the things that she is later accused of doing.
April 12, 2010
The pros of this book:
I love her storytelling ability and I also couldn't put this book down. I wish that I could live in Italy and loved the descriptions of this area. I love the sense of community in Big Gap and love all the quirky characters.
The cons:
I really had a hard time with how Ave was the only one who seemed to take any responsibility for the issues in their marriage. I hated that she knew her husband was straying and chose to stay quiet about it. I hated that she thought that even his affair was her fault and never even made him explain himself once she gets back from Italy and even still thinks it was all her fault and that she can fix everything for a marriage where it takes two people. I really had a hard time with the second half of the book for this reason. She just bugged me and so did Jack Mac at this point. I would've liked to see them work through their issues together instead of her taking all the fault and blame.
I love her storytelling ability and I also couldn't put this book down. I wish that I could live in Italy and loved the descriptions of this area. I love the sense of community in Big Gap and love all the quirky characters.
The cons:
I really had a hard time with how Ave was the only one who seemed to take any responsibility for the issues in their marriage. I hated that she knew her husband was straying and chose to stay quiet about it. I hated that she thought that even his affair was her fault and never even made him explain himself once she gets back from Italy and even still thinks it was all her fault and that she can fix everything for a marriage where it takes two people. I really had a hard time with the second half of the book for this reason. She just bugged me and so did Jack Mac at this point. I would've liked to see them work through their issues together instead of her taking all the fault and blame.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2022
Review originally published October 2003
An unlikely combination of cultures, family backgrounds, and environments is the premise for the warm-hearted series called Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani.
The second book in the series, Big Cherry Holler, continues the story of Ave, now married and a mother. With her newfound belief in love, a new extended family, a home to run, and a part-time job, she is trying to make happiness stay.
What she hasn’t counted on is that fate and ghosts from her past will come back to haunt her and test her marriage. This book is the story of a marriage, deep secrets, unmet expectations, and betrayal. It is also a story of a community that has to pull itself up after the decline of the coal mining business.
Find this book and other titles within .
An unlikely combination of cultures, family backgrounds, and environments is the premise for the warm-hearted series called Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani.
The second book in the series, Big Cherry Holler, continues the story of Ave, now married and a mother. With her newfound belief in love, a new extended family, a home to run, and a part-time job, she is trying to make happiness stay.
What she hasn’t counted on is that fate and ghosts from her past will come back to haunt her and test her marriage. This book is the story of a marriage, deep secrets, unmet expectations, and betrayal. It is also a story of a community that has to pull itself up after the decline of the coal mining business.
Find this book and other titles within .
November 30, 2009
Sequel to Big Stone Gap, the second in this series focuses more on the relationship between Jack and Ave Maria eight years into their marriage. There was a slight departure from the light-heartedness of the first novel, the fluffiness replaced with a seriousness that made this novel more affecting. The writing is much improved and the characters still quirky and charming. It was painful and slightly distressing at times, but there was something beautiful and tender in Ave’s grief, which is why I thought this was a better novel than the first. With that said, I had a few issues.
I was turned off by Ave Maria’s self-flagellating. Sure, this is told from her perspective, and I understand that her character makes it only natural that she blame herself for the state of her marriage. Her voice would lose some of its authenticity without it. What kills me is that this idea seems to be validated over and over. Ave can’t get over her son’s death. Ave is too independent. Ave is cold and detached. And the list goes on…and on and on. Is she completely blameless? Absolutely not, but it seems as though Jack’s misgivings and his part in the slow demise of their marriage is attributed to Ave, and that is what I have a huge problem with.
Still, it was a great novel and I look forwarding to reading the next in this series.
I was turned off by Ave Maria’s self-flagellating. Sure, this is told from her perspective, and I understand that her character makes it only natural that she blame herself for the state of her marriage. Her voice would lose some of its authenticity without it. What kills me is that this idea seems to be validated over and over. Ave can’t get over her son’s death. Ave is too independent. Ave is cold and detached. And the list goes on…and on and on. Is she completely blameless? Absolutely not, but it seems as though Jack’s misgivings and his part in the slow demise of their marriage is attributed to Ave, and that is what I have a huge problem with.
Still, it was a great novel and I look forwarding to reading the next in this series.
July 7, 2011
A deeper book than its predecessor in some ways. Ave Maria and Jack have been married for eight years and have lost a child, and it's taken a toll on their marriage. What got me were several moments where Ave Maria comes to some painful realizations about herself and Jack. Trigiani can have you laughing out loud one moment and reaching for the tissues the next. Wonderful.
March 2, 2018
I loved this one. I could relate to the MC in more ways than I'd like to admit. I think the author spoke my language through the MC. I also enjoyed the humor; it had such charm. BUT....the one thing I loved the most was her descriptive strokes. She has a way with words that elevated characters, setting, and relationships. I loved that and really, sometimes that is all it takes to get 5 stars from my stingy fingers.
This book is chick lit and the second installment to a series. I haven't read the first book in this series, but I have read the third one and gave that one 4 stars. The author narrating her own book bugged with the that one, but it didn't even cross my mind once with this one. I think I was just in the mood for this today. So, 5 stars.
This book is chick lit and the second installment to a series. I haven't read the first book in this series, but I have read the third one and gave that one 4 stars. The author narrating her own book bugged with the that one, but it didn't even cross my mind once with this one. I think I was just in the mood for this today. So, 5 stars.
March 30, 2013
What a great follow up to . These are my favorite kind of books, where I am drawn right in to the characters lives--joys and struggles, mundane and exciting. I have new friends and neighbors and coworkers in this story. I have watched Pearl grow up. I wish Ava would confide in me. Theodore is one of my best friends too! I love Etta's entrance into tween years. There are characters I want to toss off a cliff; the author wrote the frustrating & "love to hate" characters so well. Beautiful novel all the way around. here I come!
April 10, 2013
Like the first one of the series, I found myself drawn into the story and the small town lives of the characters, but I still don't like Ave Maria very much! All of her internal issues and insecurities end up feeling selfish and somewhat contrived to me. Her poor husband! I also wasn't crazy about the resolution of their marriage problems so quickly at the end of the book... and is everything solved by a trip to Italy? I'll have to read the third book and find out I guess!
December 27, 2014
I didn't love this sequel as much as I loved Big Stone Gap and as much as I usually love Ms Trigiani's storytelling. Slight spoiler alert... The problem for me was I wanted to jump into the book and throttle Ave for tiptoeing around Jack's "ego". Why do women feel they have to do that?? Anyone with common sense would see she made the right decision to help support the family in a time of need. They have a child that has to come before his "ego". She should have told him right away, but she shouldn't need his permission. Then her best friend Theodore, who is now out of the closet, take's her husbands side and gives her a lecture. ( Is everybody blind in this book?) Next thing, Jack is carrying on with another woman, or at least putting himself in a pretty good position for a another women to stroke his "ego". The book ends in a nice neat bow, but I can't buy it. I know there are more books in the series, I will have to debate them. Better books to read by Ms. Trigiani are Very Valentine, Brava Valentine and Lucia Lucia.
July 20, 2012
The 1st half is a little tedious & depressing but it pulls up its socks, so persist. Not as light & funny as the 1st novel, Trigiani’s writing style has matured and so have the characters in Big Stone Gap, be prepared for a lot of soul searching. The main character Ave Maria is someone I'd like to meet in real life and have a heart to heart with! All marital problems are not the wife’s fault alone; Ave Maria’s character clearly champions this mindset. There is no getting around it, this book is sexist. Still a good read though.
May 21, 2017
Everyday life interrupts marriage and eventually the couple becomes redundant and in a cycle. Take Ava Marie & Jack McChesney; After 8 years of marriage, there's a strain between them that causes them to sway in different directions. Ava Marie is worried about another woman attempting to take Jack from her but soon realizes that there are things about herself that has placed a rift in her marriage with the biggest issue of not allowing Jack to be the head of household and understanding that he's a man and not super man.
It's funny, inspiring and reveals life without seeming unrealistic and full of boring extra wording. The author invites you into the lives of the close knit community and how they look out for one another. Sometimes they're nosy and a little overbearing but since I didn't grow up there, it bothers me more than them so their interaction is normal to them.
It's funny, inspiring and reveals life without seeming unrealistic and full of boring extra wording. The author invites you into the lives of the close knit community and how they look out for one another. Sometimes they're nosy and a little overbearing but since I didn't grow up there, it bothers me more than them so their interaction is normal to them.
September 23, 2020
The first book in this series was really so sweet but I should've known that, of course, things won't be smooth sailing for these two. Fast forward 8 years, Ave Maria has a 7 yo daughter with Jack and has lost a son to leukemia a few years ago. Even as Ave & Jack still love each other, their marriage or partnership isn't doing too well. And this second instalment is of them finding their way back to each other.
Argh, yes, it has that detestable whiff that I'd like to avoid in fiction so I struggled with the novel. However, I also struggled with a lot of the thought about love and marriage and everything in between. At first, I really wasn't sure what they're on about. But nearing the end, I found myself resonating a lot with Ave and her thoughts of herself and her role in marriage/partnership so far. So I guess I ended enjoying the novel even if I had to struggle to persevere through the parts I really do not like which was most of it...
Argh, yes, it has that detestable whiff that I'd like to avoid in fiction so I struggled with the novel. However, I also struggled with a lot of the thought about love and marriage and everything in between. At first, I really wasn't sure what they're on about. But nearing the end, I found myself resonating a lot with Ave and her thoughts of herself and her role in marriage/partnership so far. So I guess I ended enjoying the novel even if I had to struggle to persevere through the parts I really do not like which was most of it...
January 13, 2022
The second installment in the story of Ave Maria (née Mulligan) picks up eight years after the first, and is filled not with the same ups and downs of Ave's life as Big Stone Gap's town spinster, but with the new hiccups and upheavals of her life as a Cracker Neck Holler wife and mother. What remains the same, however, is the gentle depiction of Trigiani's heroine learning big, tough truths about herself and how it affects those around her. And once again, the narration by the author brings fantastic flavor to the book.
February 12, 2020
Read this book
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
January 25, 2021Nothing like the tone of the first book in the series - DNF.
August 25, 2018
This was so different from the first book... All the marriage drama had my avoiding it a bit..
February 29, 2024
This was the second book in the Big Stone Gap series. It was a bit more serious than the first one, but had all the same great characters. I love following the story of Ave Maria and all her family and friends. On to Book Three!
October 6, 2016
Did not finish.
It's a shame that this book was so misguided and sexist. I really enjoyed the first book, the characters and town are memorable, and you care so much about them. Then this book happened.
NO ONE DESERVES TO BE CHEATED ON. Yet, that's the message of this book. Ave Maria didn't pay enough attention to her husband, because she was too busy raising their daughter, mourning the loss of their son, cleaning, cooking, and working. So, she obviously deserves to be stepped out on.
It also really bothered me that it was all Ave Maria's job. Everything. And yet Jack Mac was irritated when she took the manager position at the Pharmacy without telling him. Like, no. You go girl. You've worked hard. You don't need your husband's permission to accept a promotion that isn't going to uproot the family and is going to provide extra income while he's trying to find another job because the mines closed.
It's a shame that this book was so misguided and sexist. I really enjoyed the first book, the characters and town are memorable, and you care so much about them. Then this book happened.
NO ONE DESERVES TO BE CHEATED ON. Yet, that's the message of this book. Ave Maria didn't pay enough attention to her husband, because she was too busy raising their daughter, mourning the loss of their son, cleaning, cooking, and working. So, she obviously deserves to be stepped out on.
It also really bothered me that it was all Ave Maria's job. Everything. And yet Jack Mac was irritated when she took the manager position at the Pharmacy without telling him. Like, no. You go girl. You've worked hard. You don't need your husband's permission to accept a promotion that isn't going to uproot the family and is going to provide extra income while he's trying to find another job because the mines closed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2013
My favorite thing about this book is that it takes a real look at feelings within the marriage. Nothing is sugar coated or not dealt with. The main character is far from perfect, and the author deals with that but not by making light of the situations. There are places where I think a lot of other authors would make the story about revenge. Adriana does not. Looking forward to book three in the series!
January 30, 2015
I liked this book better than Big Stone Gap, maybe because it spoke more to where I am in my own life. The continuing saga of Ave Maria pulled me in completely.
One really refreshing thing this story avoided was pat answers and oversimplification of the complications if life, love, and relationships.
One really refreshing thing this story avoided was pat answers and oversimplification of the complications if life, love, and relationships.
February 8, 2015
Perfect beach reading. In this follow-up to the first one, the heroine, Ave, has a midlife crisis and questions her relationships with her husband. There were plenty of things I could relate to and the characters were alive enough. It was a nice, light, read.
January 8, 2017
This book is fine. Not great, not bad, but fine. It's like eating Skittles when what you really wanted was a steak. Skittles are tasty, but not satisfying. The writing is about a 6th grade reading level -- not a challenge.
August 18, 2021
I really don't know why I put myself through this when I didn't like the first one but my god this might be the worst book ever written.
April 26, 2020
This is the second book in the series. Marginal SPOILER for the first book *END SPOILER*
It was ok. Not as good as the first one, in my opinion, particularly the first half. It picked up a bit in the second half, but I was annoyed with both Jack and Ave for much of the book. I am undecided on whether or not I’ll read the 3rd book... I probably will, anyway.
It was ok. Not as good as the first one, in my opinion, particularly the first half. It picked up a bit in the second half, but I was annoyed with both Jack and Ave for much of the book. I am undecided on whether or not I’ll read the 3rd book... I probably will, anyway.
May 26, 2020
Big Stone Gap was one of my top reads of the past years - absolutely unforgettable, emotional and truthful. Big Cherry Holler could never live up to it, but it was still great. For a long time after I read Big Stone Gap I told myself I'd never read the rest of the series. BSG was perfect, and I knew enough about the BCH plot to know that that perfect BSG ending wouldn't hold up, eight years later where BCH picks up Ave Maria and Jack's story.
Then I caved.
And it was wonderful. I'll definitely continue with the rest of the books now that I've taken the plunge. I love the way Adriana Trigiani writes - it's comforting, it's real - and I'm so glad I discovered these characters and this story.
Then I caved.
And it was wonderful. I'll definitely continue with the rest of the books now that I've taken the plunge. I love the way Adriana Trigiani writes - it's comforting, it's real - and I'm so glad I discovered these characters and this story.
March 13, 2018
Not as good as Big Stone Gap, but I love author’s descriptions of Wise County, Virginia, where my Mom grew up, the small town, and the characters of coal mining. Brings back memories of visiting the area, and my Mom’s stories. Coming from that environment truly gave her an insight into all of mankind!
Oddly enough this story features a drug store...just like the one my Great Aunt Chastain and Uncle Guy owned.
Oddly enough this story features a drug store...just like the one my Great Aunt Chastain and Uncle Guy owned.
June 28, 2019
This book is more serious than the first book. However, as a lover of biography, the tone made it a more pleasurable read for me. I became more attached to the characters in their ups and downs and the chapters that take place in Italy are so deliciously descriptive, be warned, you will want to travel abroad if you do not already.
March 23, 2025
In my second reading through this series, Book 2 was better. Ave Maria finally deals with her emotional immaturity and I preferred the realness of that struggle much more than her obliviousness in Book 1. I was reminded in this read why I liked the series and saved these books on a shelf - surviving years of book-purges from my home. Life is messy and love is hard. It was good to graduate with Ave Maria to a place that embraced her life and love, rather than escape it. Moving.
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