AN ABSOLUTELY LOVELY SURPRISE
My dear friend, Debbie and I were wandering through a bookstore in Michigan about a year ago, when she pointed out a book by Adriana Trigiani. She insisted I read BIG STONE GAP, BIG CHERRY HOLLER, and MILK GLASS MOON as soon as I could get my hands on them (at the time, I was still unemployed, so purchasing them was out of the question).
Some months later, the book club that I was a part of asked me to choose the read for one of the summer months. I was in a slight panic because everyone else's picks had been so insightful and brilliantly chosen. I didn't want to disappoint. It was then that I remembered Debbie's recommendation of BIG STONE GAP.
After completing the book (in a day and a half!), honestly, I really could have cared less if anyone else in the group enjoyed the book one ounce, because BIG STONE GAP moved me in ways that I didn't think was possible. For that moment in time, I related to Ave, the main character in the Adriana's book, on a level that I have rarely experienced while reading. Minus the mountains, I was Ave, living in Ave's world ... corny as that may sound (those that know me well, really shouldn't be surprised with corny). Ave's fears, hopes, dreams, frustrations ... it all resonated in my life.
I was thirty-four years old, living in a small town where everyone knew me ... knew my family. My little spot in the world seemed entirely too small for the dreams in my head. I ached with Ave throughout that entire book-- knowing that I felt the very same things she felt! It was as if Adriana Trigiani had crawled right into my head.
You can imagine my delight when I'd read that she was writing a fourth installment of the series, and I eagerly awaited its arrival on bookstore shelves.
I almost bought HOME TO BIG STONE GAP for myself at Christmastime, but decided to wait. So, it was an absolute thrill to be given it as a birthday gift -- thank you, Annie!
The bigger thrill? And I will be absolutely crushed if I find out someone has played a joke on me ... the bigger thrill was opening up the comments page this morning and discovering that Adriana Trigiani had replied to my blog!!!
The woman that birthed Ave MacChesney had written to me ... even more surprising, she'd read my blog! For a girl that dreams of being on the NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER LIST some day, getting an email reply from Ms. Trigiani was a most happy surprise ... a cherry on a very large, sticky-sweet sundae!
Thank you, Ms. Trigiani, for making my birthday end on such a sweet note!
Some months later, the book club that I was a part of asked me to choose the read for one of the summer months. I was in a slight panic because everyone else's picks had been so insightful and brilliantly chosen. I didn't want to disappoint. It was then that I remembered Debbie's recommendation of BIG STONE GAP.
After completing the book (in a day and a half!), honestly, I really could have cared less if anyone else in the group enjoyed the book one ounce, because BIG STONE GAP moved me in ways that I didn't think was possible. For that moment in time, I related to Ave, the main character in the Adriana's book, on a level that I have rarely experienced while reading. Minus the mountains, I was Ave, living in Ave's world ... corny as that may sound (those that know me well, really shouldn't be surprised with corny). Ave's fears, hopes, dreams, frustrations ... it all resonated in my life.
I was thirty-four years old, living in a small town where everyone knew me ... knew my family. My little spot in the world seemed entirely too small for the dreams in my head. I ached with Ave throughout that entire book-- knowing that I felt the very same things she felt! It was as if Adriana Trigiani had crawled right into my head.
You can imagine my delight when I'd read that she was writing a fourth installment of the series, and I eagerly awaited its arrival on bookstore shelves.
I almost bought HOME TO BIG STONE GAP for myself at Christmastime, but decided to wait. So, it was an absolute thrill to be given it as a birthday gift -- thank you, Annie!
The bigger thrill? And I will be absolutely crushed if I find out someone has played a joke on me ... the bigger thrill was opening up the comments page this morning and discovering that Adriana Trigiani had replied to my blog!!!
The woman that birthed Ave MacChesney had written to me ... even more surprising, she'd read my blog! For a girl that dreams of being on the NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER LIST some day, getting an email reply from Ms. Trigiani was a most happy surprise ... a cherry on a very large, sticky-sweet sundae!
Thank you, Ms. Trigiani, for making my birthday end on such a sweet note!
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