Customer Reviews

311 Pelican Court (Cedar Cove, Book 3)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

311 Pelican Court, the third installment in the Cedar Cove series, was an excellent read. The family at this address are Rosie and Zach Cox with their children Allison and Eddie. Rosie and Zach are ordered through their divorce to let the children stay at the house and they are to find alternate housing on the days they don't have custody. This way the kids aren't going from one house to the other. They stay put and it's Zach and Rosie moving back and forth constantly.

This book isn't just about the Cox family though. All the characters from the previous book are in this one too. They all have their own problems and situations to get through. There is also some new characters added in and some characters from the previous book that play a bigger role in this book. This keeps the book entertaining and moving.

Debbie Macomber writes storylines everyone can believe. There is the Olivia, Jack, Stan "love triangle", Grace Sherman recovering from the death of her ex-husband Dan. Also the death of the mystery man at the bed and breakfast. Maryellen and Jon play a role in this book also trying to get along after the birth of their daughter. There is also bit in Grace's storyline involving Olivia's brother that is very interesting. I can't say more or I'll ruin the book.

311 Pelican Court is a good book filled with characters that could be your next door neighbors. There is enough going on in this small town that you will not be able to put this book down until you've read the last word. A definite must read!

This book is the third in the Cedar Cove Series and reading it is like coming back to visit old friends. The book features Rosie and Zach Cox, a newly-divorced couple who have been instructed by Judge Olivia Lockhart to keep their children in the family home and to alternate moving in to have visitation with their children. They find this a very awkward way to live and they also discover many other problems with the divorce. Olivia is still a major character and she is dealing with two men who want her to marry her. Her best friend Grace is learning to deal with widowhood and she also finds herself in a romantic triangle. Grace's daughter Maryellen has an out-of-wedlock baby and tries to keep the father out of his daughter's life. Olivia's mother Charlotte meets an interesting man and they soon find themselves in a protest march together. The death of a mysterious man in a local bed and breakfast is never completely resolved and it leaves some unfinished business to be tackled in book #4 of the series. This is a delightful and very readable book and the series just seems to get better with each addition.

In Cedar Cove, Judge Olivia Lockhart informs the divorced couple, schoolteacher Rosie and accountant Zach Cox, that instead of their fifteen year old daughter and their nine year old son shuffling back and forth between them in joint custody, the parents will. In other words the kids keep the house and a parent will reside in Zach's apartment when he or she is not with the children.

The Judge's former husband Stanley keeps visiting from Seattle hoping to reconcile with her as his second marriage ends. The Judge would like her former beau Cedar Cove Chronicle Editor Jack Griffin to show gumption and make a commitment to her.

Olivia's best friend librarian Grace Sherman suffers from depression while still grieving the suicide of her husband Dan. Their Maryellen is pregnant, but refuses to allow the father Jon Bowman access before during and after she gives birth.

Finally, at the Thyme and Tide bed and breakfast, a guest is dead. The owners Bob and Peggy Beldon are shocked, but more so he because the deceased looks hauntingly familiar from his Nam days that he shared with Dan.

311 PELICAN COURT, the sequel to 16 LIGHTHOUSE ROAD, is an interesting slice of life tale that reads more like a series of rotating vignettes than a novel. Each story line representing a slice is well written and brings insight into the key character(s) as well as the small town. The prime protagonists are fully developed and remain consistent with the prequel so those fans of the previous novel, Debbie Macomber, or just a deep contemporary drama will value the return to Cedar Cove.

Harriet Klausner

Debbie Macomber has created a marvelous little town everyone would want to live in. Set on the water's edge near Seattle, this charming town has characters aplenty with secrets to share and relationships for readers to revel in.

All the characters we have come to love from the first two novels---Olivia, Jack, Grace, Maryellen, Charlotte, Justine, Cecilia---reappear as their stories progress. Others who played minor roles previously--- Bob, Peggy, Roy, Corrie-- begin to step into the spotlight. This neat handling of characters keeps the storylines fresh and the reader intrigued.

The residents of 311 Pelican Court are Rosie and Zach Cox. We met them previously when their seventeen year marriage ended in divorce. Now they are dealing with the fallout from Judge Lockhart's ruling---they must alternate nights in the house and not force their children, Allison and Eddie, to be tossed from parent to parent. How they cope with this unusual arrangement and come to terms with the misery they have inflicted on each other is the focal point of this installment.

We finally learn Jon's secret and the mystery of the dead man at the local B&B heats up and is on the brink of a resolution. Olivia's love triangle with Jack takes many steps forward and backwards as ex-husband Stan stands poised to win her back. Maryellen struggles with being a single mom, and Grace allows a dirty little secret to take over her life.

I'm hooked on Cedar Cove and can't wait to enjoy the next installment of this multi-faceted town that lies midway between Mitford and Peyton Place on the sex and sin meter.

I just finished 311 PELICAN COURT by Debbie Macomber and it really was a touching book. I love how you see glimpes of several different peoples lives and somehow they all intertwine. I defintely want to read the others and will be on the look for the next in the Cedar Cove Series.

I think I found a new favorite author in Debbie Macomber.

"311 Pelican Court", the third book in Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series, focuses mainly on the divorce of Zach and Rosie Cox. Judge Olivia Lockhart has decreed that while Zach and Rosie will split custody, their children will stay in one house, and Zach and Rosie will move back and forth between houses. This unique arrangement will change their relationship in a way they never could have imagined. Olivia is struggling with her own relationship issues as she has to decide between getting back together with her ex-husband Stan or continue her relationship with newspaperman Jack Griffin. Grace Sherman, still recovering from her husband's death, gets caught up in an online relationship, neglecting her would be suitor, Cliff Harding. Grace's daughter, Maryellen, has her own problems in her relationship with Jon Bowman, the father of her newborn daughter. Finally, the whole town wonders about the identity of the mysterious man found dead at Peg and Bob Beldon's bed and breakfast place.

"311 Pelican Court" is a warm entry in Debbie Macomber's soap opera-like Cedar Cove series. Macomber deftly interweaves each person's story, switching between them swiftly, so if you don't like one character's story, one you will like quickly follows. Of all the stories, I found Grace's addiction to her online relationship to be the most compelling and realistic. Macomber is a good story teller, but her writing can be awkward at times and her plot devices could sometimes use more thinking out, as when Grace tried to trick Olivia into going to the movies because Jack was there. That scene was totally unbelievable. Still, the stories are interesting enough that it's easy to overlook the sometimes clumsy writing.

This was a nice cozy read.

This is my second and best book yet from Debbie Macomber. I was given "204 Rosewood," the previous book in this series as a gift. I liked it, but there was a little difficulty following the wide array of characters. Ultimately I was hooked. I ordered the next one, which is this book, "311 Pelican," and I have to say, was one of the best books of this genre I have read.

Once again, we explore the winding roads of Cedar Cove in this continuing series that brings a small town closer to readers' hearts with each passing volume.

In a move that Texans familiar with the unique justice of many local judges will appreciate, Judge Olivia Lockhart has solved a difficult custody case with flair. To keep the children in a stable home, the parents are the ones who will be commuting between households weekly, not the children. They will share the family home with the kids on the designated days, and split an apartment on off days. Though neither parent likes it much, they have little choice. This lack of choice maybe their only chance.

Olivia is not without her own personal conflicts, however. She thought she had found love, but when her ex husband wants back in her life, she does not know what the right thing is. Her heart has made the decision, but her head and her suitors have to catch up to it.

Finally, their is a darker problem in Cedar Cove. A John Doe has turned up dead, and the mystery must be solved.

***** Fans of Jan Karon's books will warmly welcome this heart touching novel. The author never fails to expertly blend multiple stories and three dimensional characters to create a world that her readers can enjoy revisiting early and often. *****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Judge Olivia Lockhart has met yet another court decision that has folks reeling. This time during the divorce proceedings of Zach and Rosie Cox, Olivia has decreed their children get the house and Zach and Rosie are the ones who have to rotate between residences for the joint custody agreement. Now Zach and Rosie are adjusting to their new lives and revolving schedules. Rosie has gone back to work as a school teacher and Zach is adjusting to doing all the housework. What will happen next at 311 Pelican Court?

Of course, as we regular visitors to Cedar Cove know, there is never a dull moment in the picturesque small town. Olivia and Jack's on again off again relationship leaves room for Olivia's ex-husband, Stan, to try to move back into her life. Grace has discovered what it feels like to be involved in an illicit internet relationship and has to decide between patient Cliff Harding and her internet affair. Roy McAfee is still trying to solve the mystery of the man who died at the bed-and-breakfast and discovering some shocking secrets.

Each of my previous visits to Cedar Cove have been delightful and this third trip in 311 Pelican Court, is like coming home again. All of the residents have become my friends and I am always excited to hear what else has been going on in their lives. I especially love that Debbie Macomber doesn't rush her stories in the series. It's not uncommon for one book to cover a year or more worth of time and events. These extended visits give us a much stronger sense of all of the residents in town and really feel like the variety of story lines are given their due, while still focusing on the lead characters in each book.

Zach and Rosie's family has so much to get used to with the collapse of their marriage. Anger and bitterness may me the name of the game initially, but the deeper emotions that brought them together in the first place are still there, if buried. Zach has taken Rosie for granted, not realizing how much she has to do every single day as a stay at home mom and perpetual volunteer. Rosie has gotten so wrapped up in all her little projects and the feeling of pride they give her that she has lost sight of what is most important in her life. These two have a lot to work through in their divorce and don't see in the beginning how much their children are suffering. Watching them come to terms with, and put to rest, their past problems makes for a stronger relationship in the end, one they may never have found without the divorce.

Of course, everyone in Cedar Cove has their own share of problems to deal with. Grace had been so unhappy for so long that when she is finally free of her marriage, it opens new doors for her she never imagined. Temptation rears its ugly head as she struggles with a life she had never known before. Olivia and Jack care deeply for each other but their busy lives cause difficulties in their growing relationship, especially when Stan divorces his second wife and realizes what he let go when he abandoned Olivia all those years ago. While I normally do not care for love triangles, this one appealed to me because of the circumstances surrounding it all. One of my favorite secondary stories in 311 Pelican Court was Maryellen and Jon's relationship. After giving birth to their child, Maryellen's eyes are opened to a life she never wanted or expected. As she begins to realize how deep her feelings for Jon go, she grows more and more frustrated he is resistant to a life together.

Roy McAfee's story takes a back seat to many of the others but enough time is spent with him and his investigation into the dead John Doe at the bed-and-breakfast to set up the chain of events leading into the next book in the series, 44 Cranberry Point, which centers on the owners of the B-and-B. However, don't think that because this story is going to be more explored later that it means we're left in the lurch. Several answers finally come to light as to how a small group of men is connected. Yet, enough mystery is left there to keep us wondering what will come next.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, May 2008. All rights reserved.

I have not yet finished this 3rd book in the Cedar Cove series, but I have read more than enough to give my opinion: Another wonderful read in this series.

When I read "Country Brides", I felt this was too easy, too sweet reading. Not so with the Cedar Cove books. I enjoy very much meeting the same persons and following their lives. And after the two first books it's no longer confusing with the many characters. In fact, with so many of them part of the same families, it's become no problem at all.

Debbie Macomber writes about ordinary women in small town America (which was the way she was described the first time I read about her) and she does it so well. These books are both realistic and honest and it's easy to relate to the daily lives of the characters in the books. I'm Norwegian living in a small town not so different from Cedar Cove, and I realize how similar our way of life is.

The Cedar Cove series may be light and entertaining reading but certainly not superficial. The story flows easy and captures the reader. Intelligent, sensitive and wise - moving you to joy and tears and so obviously written by a gifted author with a lot of life experience.

The story of the people of Cedar Cove is certainly a page-turner, but at the same time oddly calming and comforting reading.