The answer is: a lot of people. Everyone else in the SWE Book Club enjoyed the book, as did the librarian who was behind the counter when I was checking it out. And just in case you didn't get the point that marriage equals happiness the first time around, there are sequels...SEQUELS!
Has the author even been married? I have. Believe me, despite the message that has been shoved down our throats since the moment we were born, marriage does not equal happiness. Shoot, at least Cinderella had the good sense to marry money.
If I had written the book, our heroine would have stood up to the forces of conservatism in her community by dating both of her suitors then, when she tired of that, renting out her home, hiring a manager for her business, and traveling around Italy for a year while living off of the proceeds. I simply couldn't identify with her, or her choices.
On the positive side, it was a fast read. Notably, it was the first time that I can recall when everyone in the bookclub had read that month's book (partly because the reader is not slowed down by having to look up any words). Also, despite being one-dimensional, the characters in the book are quirky and interesting. Plus, the reader is pulled along through the book by a series of "mysteries". So, I imagine that if the reader isn't an intellectual, feminist snob like me, it's an entertaining book.
There are so many great books out there to read -- most of which I will never be able get to -- that I'm sorry that I wasted my precious free time reading Big Stone Gap. So, unless you're a Harlequin Romance novel fan, I recommend that you avoid making the same mistake.