Customer Reviews

The Indigo Notebook

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To quote from one of my favorite Rolling Stones songs--..."You can't always get what you want; But if you try sometimes you might find...You get what you need."
Another well-known line captures another nuance--be careful what you wish for. These phrases encapsulate what's at the heart of one of the primary plot conflicts in "The Indigo Notebook." Zeeta is a girl who's been dragged all over the world by her flighty, hippie-like mother, Layla. If you're a person who values a traditional mother then the character of Layla may make you angry for her irresponsibility in thinking through what she exposes herself and her daughter to as well as her mystical poetry-spouting abilities that appear to be of somewhat marginal value to her long-suffering child. Layla is much more than a stereotype though. She is a woman with the courage to live out her convictions and to experience her life as a complex set of metaphysical--and physical--adventures. She doesn't take an easy route through her life and she does have some real flaws--one of them being that she is thoughtless about the effects her choices have on her daughter Zeeta. Zeeta craves her vision of normality. She has experienced this normality for short periods of time when she and her mother have visited her grandparents. She would like to put down roots and dreams about her mother getting involved with a regular guy who will instill a sense of security into their haphazard, moneyless existence. Zeeta gets her wish when her mother has a close brush with death. Her mother gets involved with a corporate type man that they met on the plane to Ecuador and he sets about organizing Layla and Zeeta's worlds. Zeeta finds that she has begun to miss the vitality and spontaneity of her mother's character. And then there's her complicated relationship with Wendell, a boy who is searching for his birth parents. He has his own life disenchantments to deal with.
As always, Laura Resau has an exquisite ear for dialogue and an inner eye that makes it possible for her readers to experience all of the sights and smells of the country that her characters inhabit.
I love all of Laura's books because after I finish one, I feel as though I've taken a bath in another culture and that I understand more than I did before.
I highly recommend this book to adult and teen readers who want to understand more about the world--and about themselves.

When it comes to creating a sense of place, Laura Resau is gifted beyond any writer I've read. This time, we get to travel to Ecuador with her characters, and explore what it means to get fixated on wanting things to go one way, only to learn that life is much bigger, messier, and more challenging than any particular idea of how things should be. We also experience how love shows itself unexpectedly in different faces, and we see love's transcendant powers. As an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will read it again.

I got this book for my boys since it is within both of their AR reading ranges for school. I pre-read it to make sure it is appropriate for them since they are only 8 and 10 and their reading range is a quite a bit higher. This book was hard for me to put down as it was very interesting but it was not appropriate for young children. There is some inappropriate language and some content better suited for teenagers (the girl in the story spends a lot of the story reflecting on boyfriend/girlfriend relationships and there are some scary parts).

This book is a great read for adults or kids. The writing is fun, easy to read, and artful, and the heart of the issues that the book considers: identity, relationship with our parents, culture, are issues that matter to both adults and young adult readers. What caught me by surprise was how often this book surprised me--not only does it consider human relationships between real characters, but the plot also keeps you guessing and turning the pages. A treat!

When I finished this book, I got out my map to see where Zeeta and Layla had been, and where they should go next. This book made me want to travel--not that it made travel look easy and relaxing--far from it--but Zeeta and Layla's globetrotting adventures show us how much adventure is waiting out there for anyone who's brave enough to go after it. Zeeta is funny, smart, adaptable, and tough. I'll follow her anywhere.

My 14 yr. old loved the book, so I read it also, and loved it too!

Fifteen year old Zeeta and her eccentric mother, Layla, travel the world hitting a new country every year. From Italy to Guatemala to Australia to Thailand, Zeeta has been traveling her whole life and she's ready to stop, to have a normal life. When Layla moves Zeeta to a small village in the Ecuadorian Andes, Zeeta meets an American boy named Wendell who is desperately scouring the market place for his long lost birth parents. Together the unlikely pair team up to search the country side and discover an exotic array of adventure, danger, and secrets. As Wendell and Zeeta find themselves and their wishes growing closer, will they be able to handle the truth and the reality? Do they know what they truly want?*****Full of stunning details, whimsical characters, and tropical air, The Indigo Notebook was exciting to read and has become a favorite that I will enjoy reading again. Zeeta is a great heroine, and although she wants a normal life, she has an experience of a lifetime and realizes what she really wants. Zeeta's free-spirited mother and sweet-natured Wendell are such neat characters couldn't get enough of them. Zetta's quest for a Handsome Magazine Dad and Wendell's shocking discovery about his parents is enough give you the night owl bug and keep you reading nonstop. I really enjoyed reading something that was set somewhere besides high school and be able to travel through a book-which is kinda a rare thing these days. The Indigo Notebook is a great book for teens not only because of its lovable characters or its excitingly exotic backdrop, but for the sense of life it gives to its message of being content and pursing your dreams.Overall, I loved the colorful and refreshing story of understanding your heart that The Indigo Notebook had to offer. I hope you get a chance to read it soon!

|Age Group: YA, ages 13+|Content: None|Recommned? Yes|
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The cover enticed me with its promise of discovering unfamiliar cultures, and it did not disappoint. I was hooked from page 1, when Zeeta grumpily tells of her hippie mother's yearning for a locale that is "more exotic, more dazzling, more spiritual than wherever we are." And so they go to Ecuador, where the dazzling, spiritual and exotic weave together with romance, remorse and danger.

I'm excited to hear that the author is planning a series. I can't wait to hear more of Zeeta's adventures.

Laura Resau uses beautiful language to tell the story Zeeta's experience in Ecquador, which is action-packed and full of surprises.

I loved this book! Reading it felt like I won a wild trip to Ecuador with the best company. Seeing the very responsible Zeeta, her free-spirited mother, and sweet, confused Wendell solve a mystery, survive danger, and grow in their understanding of one another was absolutely satisfying. I can hardly wait to read the next in the "Notebook" series.