It's 1978 in the small town of Big Stone Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and thirty-five year old Ave Maria Mulligan is a “ferriner" not just because her mother is Italian. Her best friend Theodore is called that just because he wasn't born there. She has reason to feel even more of an outsider when she reads a letter left her by her mother who died only a month ago. Ave Maria's first person voice is engaging, and the story gives you a real feeling for this mining town, with lots of endearing characters. It does have one major implausibility--alluded to by a reviewer below--how and who Ave Maria gives away her pharmacy to. But overall this was a quick, enjoyable read, one of those fairly fluffy feel-good books with more than a dollop of romance and strong friendships. It's supposedly part of a series, but the novel works fine as a standalone.
