This is my second copy, I liked it so much I sent the first copy to my eldest sister and I now want to give another copy to my younger sister. I have just copied here the notes I made from the one I already journaled.

Book cover synopsis: ‘The most useful book I ever read taught me how to read faces, an ancient Chinese art. Even dimples have meaning. I have them and according to face-reading, something wonderful is supposed to happen to me when I turn thirty-five. It’s been four months since my birthday, and I’m still waiting…’

Big Stone Gap, Virginia, is the sort of sleepy hamlet where kids get married at eighteen, and stay forever. So thirty-five-year old Ave Maria Mulligan is something of an oddity. A self proclaimed spinster, as the local pharmacist she’s been keeping the townsfolk’s secrets for years.

Now Ave Maria is about to discover a scandal in her own family’s past that will blow the lid off her quiet, uneventful life. Soon she’s juggling tow unexpected marriage proposals and conducting a no-holds-barred family feud. With an unforgettable cast of characters and a heroine with an extraordinary story to tell. Big Stone Gap so a wonderfully vibrant, unashamedly feel-good debut.

I found this to be an ultimately heart warming tale about the growing disruption to the quiet life of a pharmacist and spinster in a small rural Virginia mountain town in the late 1970ies. When we meet Ave Maria her life seems to be becoming slightly muddled. In the past her actions have seemed very balanced and her life very ordered and clear cut, however things are about to change as she comes to terms with her mothers death and realises she wants to make some significant changes in her life. Ave Maria finds herself battling with herself and a man who seems to bring out the worse in her. Eventually she comes to understand that she has been cutting herself off from intimacy in order to protect herself from hurt and in order to fully experience life she has to open herself up to the vulnerability of being hurt. Gosh, this almost sounds trite as I write this but I really enjoyed the courageous journey Ave Maria takes toward reinventing her life and I found a number of passages most thought provoking myself. I am happy to ferret out the next in this trilogy, 'Big Cherry Holler' from the library.

I just caught this book yesterday (March 20, 2007) at the Orlando airport. My first bookcrossing book and I am excited to read it! Actually, my brother picked it up but he deemed it "too girly" based on the cover quote from Sarah Jessica Parker. The book is now sitting with me at my desk in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA... a reminder of my fun vacation in Florida as the rainy, gray Michigan weather drones on.

I thought the book was pretty good... not earth-shattering, but entertaining.

CAUGHT IN ORLANDO FLORIDA USA

Received this book from my sister (an avid bookcrosser) who was on vacation from Scotland. Read book while on vacation in Florida with my family and son's girlfriend. Really enjoyed reading my first book for pleasure reading in over 5 years ;-) It was about time and am now working my way through the sequel.
This book was released in the Orlando, Florida, USA airport in a departure lounge prior to getting onto our flight to Detroit via Nashvillle. I am looking forward to hearing from my sister that someone has picked up the book and has documented its continuing journey...

CAUGHT IN CHATHAM ON CANADA

RELEASE NOTES:

I gave this book to my mom who is going to join Bookcrossing.

Re-releasing... mom didn't want to become a bookcrosser. :-(

RELEASE NOTES:

In the magazine basket across from the coffee counter.