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Notebook #1
The Indigo Notebook
An exciting new series from the acclaimed author of Red Glass.
Zeeta's life with her free-spirited mother, Layla, is anything but normal. Every year Layla picks another country she wants to live in. This summer they’re in Ecuador, and Zeeta is determined to convince her mother to settle down. Zeeta makes friends with vendors at the town market and begs them to think of upstanding, “normal” men to set up with Layla. There, Zeeta meets Wendell. She learns that he was born nearby, but adopted by an American family. His one wish is to find his birth parents, and Zeeta agrees to help him. But when Wendell’s biological father turns out to be involved in something very dangerous, Zeeta wonders whether she’ll ever get the chance to tell her mom how she really feels—or to enjoy her deepening feelings for Wendell.
Zeeta's life with her free-spirited mother, Layla, is anything but normal. Every year Layla picks another country she wants to live in. This summer they’re in Ecuador, and Zeeta is determined to convince her mother to settle down. Zeeta makes friends with vendors at the town market and begs them to think of upstanding, “normal” men to set up with Layla. There, Zeeta meets Wendell. She learns that he was born nearby, but adopted by an American family. His one wish is to find his birth parents, and Zeeta agrees to help him. But when Wendell’s biological father turns out to be involved in something very dangerous, Zeeta wonders whether she’ll ever get the chance to tell her mom how she really feels—or to enjoy her deepening feelings for Wendell.
324 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Laura Resau
12 books358 followersLaura Resau is the author of The Alchemy of Flowers, her adult debut (coming summer 2025 with Harper Muse), and eleven acclaimed books for children and teens. Her books have garnered nineteen starred trade reviews, five Colorado Book Awards, and spots on “best-of” book lists from Oprah, School Library Journal, and the American Library Association. Trilingual, she’s lived in Provence and Oaxaca, and has a background in cultural anthropology, languages, and ESL. She now teaches creative writing at Western Colorado University. You might find her writing in her cozy vintage trailer in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she lives with her rock-hound husband, musician son, wild husky, and a hundred house plants.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews
August 31, 2016
The reason why I picked up this book was because I absolutely fell in love with Resau's writing in Red Glass. Her writing is still impecable here, but a little different like it should be.
Zeeta the seeker and Wendell the wanderer collide paths when they both meet in the colorful country of Ecuador. For Zeeta it's just another move, but she has this restless unease of not being normal and the feeling of not belonging to one place. Wendell on the other hand does have a home, but is looking for a missing piece of himself and hoping he'll find that by meeting his birth parents. The two will join forces to find Wendell's parents and along the way maybe Zeeta's mom, Layla, will finally become the responsible adult that Zeeta wants her to be. The question is do they really want those things? or will they find something different all together?
One of the author's strengths is letting the reader really feel immeresed into the cultures they are being introduced to. I can smell the food and even the air. I can hear the chatter and banter between the locals. This is no easy task and the author makes it look so easy. I enjoy reading books set outside of the United States to get a glimpse how other people live and this book will definitely do that for you. Zeeta is observant, but sometimes she annoyed me. I can't quite pinpoint it. It must had to do with the comment that she spoke seven languages, which is all fine and dandy but not realistic. She moves to a new country every year, so could she really keep up with learning and retaining all those languages? I don't think so, but that is a minor irk really. Wendell (what a horrid name poor guy) was great, and has a good perspective on things.
I am all for seeing the world and getting new insights on things, but I was a little disappointed that the US was made out to look like a society that sucks the good out of people. Yes we are far from perfect, but I'd liked to think there is some pretty awesome stuff about us.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how climatic the final scene turned out to be because I truly did not expect the book to deliver anything suspenseful. Though I sounded a bit negative up there I do recommend the book because it sends the message that everyone's life carries imporatance no matter how it is lived.
Zeeta the seeker and Wendell the wanderer collide paths when they both meet in the colorful country of Ecuador. For Zeeta it's just another move, but she has this restless unease of not being normal and the feeling of not belonging to one place. Wendell on the other hand does have a home, but is looking for a missing piece of himself and hoping he'll find that by meeting his birth parents. The two will join forces to find Wendell's parents and along the way maybe Zeeta's mom, Layla, will finally become the responsible adult that Zeeta wants her to be. The question is do they really want those things? or will they find something different all together?
One of the author's strengths is letting the reader really feel immeresed into the cultures they are being introduced to. I can smell the food and even the air. I can hear the chatter and banter between the locals. This is no easy task and the author makes it look so easy. I enjoy reading books set outside of the United States to get a glimpse how other people live and this book will definitely do that for you. Zeeta is observant, but sometimes she annoyed me. I can't quite pinpoint it. It must had to do with the comment that she spoke seven languages, which is all fine and dandy but not realistic. She moves to a new country every year, so could she really keep up with learning and retaining all those languages? I don't think so, but that is a minor irk really. Wendell (what a horrid name poor guy) was great, and has a good perspective on things.
I am all for seeing the world and getting new insights on things, but I was a little disappointed that the US was made out to look like a society that sucks the good out of people. Yes we are far from perfect, but I'd liked to think there is some pretty awesome stuff about us.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how climatic the final scene turned out to be because I truly did not expect the book to deliver anything suspenseful. Though I sounded a bit negative up there I do recommend the book because it sends the message that everyone's life carries imporatance no matter how it is lived.
February 23, 2011
While The Indigo Notebook contained interesting cultural points, it also possessed plenty of underdeveloped plot structures.
The best aspect of this book was its foray into the lives of foreign denizens - the main character, Zeeta, has visited an abundance of countries while traveling with her mother. She can speak seven different languages, not all fluently, but enough to survive as a passing tourist. Through her perspective the reader can garner gratuitous cultural knowledge of the Ecuadorean Andes, a place surely unknown to many young adults. There is even a helpful glossary and pronunciation guide at the back of the book, which I frequented throughout the novel.
One problem I had with this book was its lack of direction. I did not feel guided by the storyline, rather, I felt as if I was forced to trudge through the terrain of an uncharted land. There was too many things that happened, but were not properly explained. A few include Wendell's power, the emotional engendering of Zeeta's mom, and Zeeta's relationship with Jeff. I am aware that there is a sequel published, but it would have been more satisfying if some of these loose ends were tied up or at expanded upon in this first installment.
Overall, a decent read. A definite getaway from the paranormal and dystopia novels that have been inundating the young adult shelves. Recommended for those who want a light-hearted book that takes place in a Spanish-speaking country, or a setting different from the United States.
Want to read more of my reviews? Follow me here: http://thomasle18.wordpress.com/
The best aspect of this book was its foray into the lives of foreign denizens - the main character, Zeeta, has visited an abundance of countries while traveling with her mother. She can speak seven different languages, not all fluently, but enough to survive as a passing tourist. Through her perspective the reader can garner gratuitous cultural knowledge of the Ecuadorean Andes, a place surely unknown to many young adults. There is even a helpful glossary and pronunciation guide at the back of the book, which I frequented throughout the novel.
One problem I had with this book was its lack of direction. I did not feel guided by the storyline, rather, I felt as if I was forced to trudge through the terrain of an uncharted land. There was too many things that happened, but were not properly explained. A few include Wendell's power, the emotional engendering of Zeeta's mom, and Zeeta's relationship with Jeff. I am aware that there is a sequel published, but it would have been more satisfying if some of these loose ends were tied up or at expanded upon in this first installment.
Overall, a decent read. A definite getaway from the paranormal and dystopia novels that have been inundating the young adult shelves. Recommended for those who want a light-hearted book that takes place in a Spanish-speaking country, or a setting different from the United States.
Want to read more of my reviews? Follow me here: http://thomasle18.wordpress.com/
September 10, 2009
What a sweet book. It's a quick read, but it's laced with the same feeling of wanderlust that made me love The Bean Trees. There definitely are kids out there who are raised on the road like this, kids who feel like they are more responsible than their parents. Although I've met people who could have been Zeeta, I've never encountered a book written from this perspective, let alone one written for young adults. I get excited when books I read give voice to an overlooked population, no matter how small, especially when those books are aimed at teenagers.
The characters are great. Zeeta ("Z")is a free-spirited fifteen year old who has grown up running around the markets in countries all over the world. Layla, Zeeta's Rumi quoting, midnight dancing, essential oil wearing mother, has always had visions of traveling the globe with her daughter, and that's exactly what they do. Layla picks a country, teaches English there for about a year, then gets restless. So they pick up their lives and move on. Although there are a lot of things Zeeta likes about her mother, she wishes that Layla would give more thought to the future and allow her to live a normal, boring life.
This year Layla and Zeeta have moved from Thailand to Ecuador. Zeeta adjusts to her environment through writing. She has filled many notebooks over the course of her travels, and they are all color coordinated: she sticks with one color notebook for each country. She's been through most of the colors of the rainbow already, so her year in Ecuador is the year of the indigo notebook.
Soon after arriving in Otavalo, a market town a couple hours drive from Quito, Zeeta meets Wendell. Wendell is a Quichua boy who was adopted and raised in the US, but has returned to Ecuador to search for his birth parents. Zeeta agrees to translate for him, and soon gets sucked into his quest. While a great adventure (and also a bit of a romance) is developing for Wendell and Zeeta, Layla is beginning to settle down with a clean-cut American. He's the normal magazine dad that Z has always dreamed of, and now she and Layla have to figure out how he will fit into their lives.
This book held especially strong appeal for me because I just returned from Ecuador a couple of months ago, but I would have related to it anyway. I think if Twilight had come out when I was in high school, I would deliberately avoided it. I avoided all of those books that "most girls" read. The Indigo Notebook, though, is exactly the type of book I would have wanted to read. There's a little bit of suspense and a little bit of romance, but it's all woven into the adventure of living in another country. It's balanced, and a very pleasant read.
The characters are great. Zeeta ("Z")is a free-spirited fifteen year old who has grown up running around the markets in countries all over the world. Layla, Zeeta's Rumi quoting, midnight dancing, essential oil wearing mother, has always had visions of traveling the globe with her daughter, and that's exactly what they do. Layla picks a country, teaches English there for about a year, then gets restless. So they pick up their lives and move on. Although there are a lot of things Zeeta likes about her mother, she wishes that Layla would give more thought to the future and allow her to live a normal, boring life.
This year Layla and Zeeta have moved from Thailand to Ecuador. Zeeta adjusts to her environment through writing. She has filled many notebooks over the course of her travels, and they are all color coordinated: she sticks with one color notebook for each country. She's been through most of the colors of the rainbow already, so her year in Ecuador is the year of the indigo notebook.
Soon after arriving in Otavalo, a market town a couple hours drive from Quito, Zeeta meets Wendell. Wendell is a Quichua boy who was adopted and raised in the US, but has returned to Ecuador to search for his birth parents. Zeeta agrees to translate for him, and soon gets sucked into his quest. While a great adventure (and also a bit of a romance) is developing for Wendell and Zeeta, Layla is beginning to settle down with a clean-cut American. He's the normal magazine dad that Z has always dreamed of, and now she and Layla have to figure out how he will fit into their lives.
This book held especially strong appeal for me because I just returned from Ecuador a couple of months ago, but I would have related to it anyway. I think if Twilight had come out when I was in high school, I would deliberately avoided it. I avoided all of those books that "most girls" read. The Indigo Notebook, though, is exactly the type of book I would have wanted to read. There's a little bit of suspense and a little bit of romance, but it's all woven into the adventure of living in another country. It's balanced, and a very pleasant read.
September 11, 2010
It's been more than a week since I've read this book but I do remember that I thought the writing was great. It flowed beautifully and seemed effortlessly. Resau can definitely write no doubt about it.
The plot is Zeeta helping an American boy, Wendell, find his birth parents in Ecuador. The other subplot is Zeeta's mother turning herself normal, instead of being free spirited and irresponsible as she has always been.
Really I loved the story and Zeeta is very observant. Wendell is nice though I don’t really like the name and Zeeta handles their relationship responsibly.
One thing that bothered me was one of the underlying messages. For some reason people who don't do a lot of traveling to exotic places and try to learn the natives' spiritual ways are cows. While Layla (Zeeta's mother), Zeeta, and Wendell who are people who do do this, are birds. I understood it to an extent but it seemed so absolute. Like either you are a bird or a cow based on these qualifications, and really who wants to be considered a cow? In the book they are deemed boring and uninteresting. But I'm rambling, I’ll stop.
This is not the whole book and I enjoyed reading it anyways, so if you aren’t bothered by this as I was than most definitely read it. I hope to read more of Resau's books but I don't understand why there is going to be a sequel to The Indigo Notebook. There is enough finality in this one.
The plot is Zeeta helping an American boy, Wendell, find his birth parents in Ecuador. The other subplot is Zeeta's mother turning herself normal, instead of being free spirited and irresponsible as she has always been.
Really I loved the story and Zeeta is very observant. Wendell is nice though I don’t really like the name and Zeeta handles their relationship responsibly.
One thing that bothered me was one of the underlying messages. For some reason people who don't do a lot of traveling to exotic places and try to learn the natives' spiritual ways are cows. While Layla (Zeeta's mother), Zeeta, and Wendell who are people who do do this, are birds. I understood it to an extent but it seemed so absolute. Like either you are a bird or a cow based on these qualifications, and really who wants to be considered a cow? In the book they are deemed boring and uninteresting. But I'm rambling, I’ll stop.
This is not the whole book and I enjoyed reading it anyways, so if you aren’t bothered by this as I was than most definitely read it. I hope to read more of Resau's books but I don't understand why there is going to be a sequel to The Indigo Notebook. There is enough finality in this one.
Read
July 9, 2010Laura Resau writes so elegantly that I would probably enjoy reading her grocery lists. (Creamy butter that melts softly under the sultry Arizona sun . . .)
In this book we have the main character, Zeeta, who has just moved to yet another country with her flakey, irresponsible, promiscuous mom. Zeeta meets and gets involved with Wendell who is in Ecuador searching for his birth parents. The adoption angle of the story had me choked up during one part. It's very sweet and probably influenced by the fact that Laura has adopted herself. (Meaning she's adopted a baby, not adopted herself.) And I loved the happy ending.
Zeeta and Wendell are definitely unique, likable, and memorable characters. My only complaint about the book was that in places it was so anti American culture. I can't tell you the last time I watched TV but I don't think it sucks the souls out of people (well, at least not Frasier reruns) and I've never golfed but I don't think golf courses slash into the veins of mother earth. Not all American teenagers pay ninety dollars for their shorts. In fact, my teens have never paid a third of that amount.
I think you can still live a full Carpe Diem sort of life without traipsing around the world and having a new surfer clown boyfriend every month.
Readers who like lyrical books will enjoy this one.
In this book we have the main character, Zeeta, who has just moved to yet another country with her flakey, irresponsible, promiscuous mom. Zeeta meets and gets involved with Wendell who is in Ecuador searching for his birth parents. The adoption angle of the story had me choked up during one part. It's very sweet and probably influenced by the fact that Laura has adopted herself. (Meaning she's adopted a baby, not adopted herself.) And I loved the happy ending.
Zeeta and Wendell are definitely unique, likable, and memorable characters. My only complaint about the book was that in places it was so anti American culture. I can't tell you the last time I watched TV but I don't think it sucks the souls out of people (well, at least not Frasier reruns) and I've never golfed but I don't think golf courses slash into the veins of mother earth. Not all American teenagers pay ninety dollars for their shorts. In fact, my teens have never paid a third of that amount.
I think you can still live a full Carpe Diem sort of life without traipsing around the world and having a new surfer clown boyfriend every month.
Readers who like lyrical books will enjoy this one.
November 10, 2023
Good characters and story
September 5, 2011
Having read the author's more recent book, "The Queen of Water", I wanted to read her earlier work of fiction set in Ecuador. (Well, "The Queen of Water" is ostensibly fiction, but is based on real events.) In "The Indigo Notebook", the author introduces us to a very interesting and likeable mother/daughter duo, fifteen-year-old Zeeta and her free-spirited mother, Layla. Zeeta is the product of a one night stand on a beach and so doesn't know who her father might be. Layla has moved every year of Zeeta's life, teaching English in a wide assortment of (usually developing) countries. Zeeta longs for a "normal" dad and some stability. The book could be a play on the saying "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it". Zeeta is a resilient survivor, learning new languages and making new friends with each move. In Ecuador, she meets a teen-age boy, Wendell, who also wishes to know his real father, having been adopted from the country as a baby. The two join forces, Zeeta as his translator, and Wendell with his gift for premonition. Along the way, the reader is treated to a fascinating look at Ecuadoran native culture of the indigenous Andean peoples. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Otavalo, courtesy of Ms. Resau!
May 25, 2017
In the country of ecadour two people find each other. Zeeta has wandered the world with her mother while Wendell has always been sheltered at home. Zeeta longs for what she believes normal is and Wendell has always longed to find his birth parents.
Remember the saying be careful what you wish for.rings very true here for both of them. As Zeeta's mother tries to conform to a typical household that Zeeta believes is right.she sees her mother turn into a person she no longer knows. . Wendell has the typical daydreams about his birth parents he may be dissappointed in the truth.
Resau uses her writing to bring the lush countryside to life and you can tell she researched Ecadour and its culture.
Remember the saying be careful what you wish for.rings very true here for both of them. As Zeeta's mother tries to conform to a typical household that Zeeta believes is right.she sees her mother turn into a person she no longer knows. . Wendell has the typical daydreams about his birth parents he may be dissappointed in the truth.
Resau uses her writing to bring the lush countryside to life and you can tell she researched Ecadour and its culture.
January 27, 2010
"If you had one wish, what would it be?" Zeeta asks.
Zeeta wishes for a normal family. Gaby wishes for happiness. Wendell wishes to find his birth family. And so begins a story woven in Ecuador with threads of Remi, Spanish, love and longing.
"The way I see it, people think they know what they want, and it turns out they don't have a clue," responds Gaby.
Resau shows us this truth through a beautifully written story of searching for wishes and what we think we want. And it turns out, Gaby is right. We don't have a clue.
Zeeta wishes for a normal family. Gaby wishes for happiness. Wendell wishes to find his birth family. And so begins a story woven in Ecuador with threads of Remi, Spanish, love and longing.
"The way I see it, people think they know what they want, and it turns out they don't have a clue," responds Gaby.
Resau shows us this truth through a beautifully written story of searching for wishes and what we think we want. And it turns out, Gaby is right. We don't have a clue.
Read
October 17, 2012I listened to the audio recording of The Indigo Notebook and I’m not quite sure how to review it. My general impression is that I enjoyed it, but as I sat down to review, I realized I was calling out mostly things that troubled me. I tried again and again, but this is what I keep coming back to. I’ll leave it to you to draw your own conclusions.
I’ve always loved travel books and The Indigo Notebook has that exotic location charm in spades. The setting of small Andean town, Otovalo, is described in lovely detail. I particularly enjoyed hearing about all the native dishes that Zeeta and her mother, Layla, try. To call them adventurous eaters would be an understatement! For that reason, I’m glad listened to the audio version, since I have a tendency to skim excessive description. In this book, you won’t want to miss those lush setting details.
Main character, Zeeta, is the first troubling element. She is not a fan of her mother’s world-traveling lifestyle and longs for a “normal” life in the American suburbs. Rather typically, she doesn’t appreciate what she’s got ‘til it’s (almost) gone and then she’s unhappy when Layla begins to curb her free-spirited ways, though that’s what Zeeta’s been begging her to do. I find this to be completely plausible for a self-absorbed teen, but it occasionally made her a grating narrator. Further, Zeeta sometimes seems to know her dream is a little too rose-colored and many characters repeatedly convey the message that “what we think we really want may be the very last thing we need.” This theme is so strong and so prevalent that the reader feels a little pounded by it. All of that makes me wonder why Zeeta – an otherwise perceptive character – doesn’t pick up on it sooner.
When we meet Zeeta, she is on a quest to help Wendell, an indigenous boy adopted by American parents and raised in in the US, find his birth parents. Their slow-developing friendship and romance were enjoyable, though I was incredulous about the ease with which they stumbles upon clues to his parentage and come to just the right place so quickly in their search. I suppose it would be unsatisfying to read about weeks of fruitless searching through boring archives, and Wendell does have some mystical psychic powers. So I’m sort of willing to just chalk that up to a combination of magical realism and plot necessity and move on.
One thing I can’t get past is the portrayal of the local population. I worry it was stereotypical. In the Otovalo of the The Indigo Notebook, most of the natives Zeeta meets are impoverished, but satisfied with their lives and wise as to the ways of the heart and the soul. I’ve never been to Ecuador and I cannot speak with any authority about the indigenous population there, but it felt like a stereotype of the wise Native. I understand Resau has spent time in this region, has close relationships there and donates some of her royalties to non-profits working with indigenous peoples. I do not mean to cast any aspersions in making this comment, but I can’t help but say that the portrayal of natives in this novel made me uncomfortable.
Finally, actors can make or break an audio version of a novel and I’ve experienced both. As with the story itself, my review of The Indigo Notebook’s narrator, Justine Eyre, is mixed. Eyre sounds too old for Zeeta and her reading is quite precise – almost affected. She has no accent and many accents at once. At first, this troubled me, but ultimately I decided that is the perfect voice for Zeeta, who is from no where and everywhere all at once, and who is mature beyond her years from handling the practical aspects of her mother’s wandering life. I also really enjoyed the voice Eyre used for hippie-dippie Layla. But while she got that one spot-on, Eyre missed the mark with Wendell. He ended up sounding more like a dumb surfer dude than a sensitive, thoughtful, artsy, troubled young man.
All of this sounds like I didn’t enjoy this book, but I did find The Indigo Notebook entertaining. I am planning on reading or listening to the sequels. I can’t quite put my finger on why I liked it or what I enjoyed as easily as I can on the elements that troubled me. Maybe that’s reason enough to recommend it! Read it for yourself to see whether you’re caught up by Zeeta’s travels, despite the flaws.
I’ve always loved travel books and The Indigo Notebook has that exotic location charm in spades. The setting of small Andean town, Otovalo, is described in lovely detail. I particularly enjoyed hearing about all the native dishes that Zeeta and her mother, Layla, try. To call them adventurous eaters would be an understatement! For that reason, I’m glad listened to the audio version, since I have a tendency to skim excessive description. In this book, you won’t want to miss those lush setting details.
Main character, Zeeta, is the first troubling element. She is not a fan of her mother’s world-traveling lifestyle and longs for a “normal” life in the American suburbs. Rather typically, she doesn’t appreciate what she’s got ‘til it’s (almost) gone and then she’s unhappy when Layla begins to curb her free-spirited ways, though that’s what Zeeta’s been begging her to do. I find this to be completely plausible for a self-absorbed teen, but it occasionally made her a grating narrator. Further, Zeeta sometimes seems to know her dream is a little too rose-colored and many characters repeatedly convey the message that “what we think we really want may be the very last thing we need.” This theme is so strong and so prevalent that the reader feels a little pounded by it. All of that makes me wonder why Zeeta – an otherwise perceptive character – doesn’t pick up on it sooner.
When we meet Zeeta, she is on a quest to help Wendell, an indigenous boy adopted by American parents and raised in in the US, find his birth parents. Their slow-developing friendship and romance were enjoyable, though I was incredulous about the ease with which they stumbles upon clues to his parentage and come to just the right place so quickly in their search. I suppose it would be unsatisfying to read about weeks of fruitless searching through boring archives, and Wendell does have some mystical psychic powers. So I’m sort of willing to just chalk that up to a combination of magical realism and plot necessity and move on.
One thing I can’t get past is the portrayal of the local population. I worry it was stereotypical. In the Otovalo of the The Indigo Notebook, most of the natives Zeeta meets are impoverished, but satisfied with their lives and wise as to the ways of the heart and the soul. I’ve never been to Ecuador and I cannot speak with any authority about the indigenous population there, but it felt like a stereotype of the wise Native. I understand Resau has spent time in this region, has close relationships there and donates some of her royalties to non-profits working with indigenous peoples. I do not mean to cast any aspersions in making this comment, but I can’t help but say that the portrayal of natives in this novel made me uncomfortable.
Finally, actors can make or break an audio version of a novel and I’ve experienced both. As with the story itself, my review of The Indigo Notebook’s narrator, Justine Eyre, is mixed. Eyre sounds too old for Zeeta and her reading is quite precise – almost affected. She has no accent and many accents at once. At first, this troubled me, but ultimately I decided that is the perfect voice for Zeeta, who is from no where and everywhere all at once, and who is mature beyond her years from handling the practical aspects of her mother’s wandering life. I also really enjoyed the voice Eyre used for hippie-dippie Layla. But while she got that one spot-on, Eyre missed the mark with Wendell. He ended up sounding more like a dumb surfer dude than a sensitive, thoughtful, artsy, troubled young man.
All of this sounds like I didn’t enjoy this book, but I did find The Indigo Notebook entertaining. I am planning on reading or listening to the sequels. I can’t quite put my finger on why I liked it or what I enjoyed as easily as I can on the elements that troubled me. Maybe that’s reason enough to recommend it! Read it for yourself to see whether you’re caught up by Zeeta’s travels, despite the flaws.
April 20, 2014
THE SUNDAY FAMILY READ
I came across this author on someone's blog and must apologize to said blogger for not remembering who you are. But thanks so much because The Indigo Notebook turned out to be a unique and wonderful YA read.
The story opens as 15-year-old Zeeta is flying from Laos to Ecuador with her flighty, blissed out, aging hippie mom. Layla, the mom, likes to move to a different country every year, making her living as an ESL teacher and hooking up with equally dreamy and usually feckless boyfriends.
Zeeta is left to be the practical one and longs for a suburban life in Maryland and a Handsome Magazine Dad. Luckily, her lifestyle has bestowed the gifts of making friends easily and learning languages quickly.
Once they are settled, Zeeta meets Wendall, an adopted teen from Colorado, who has come to spend the summer in Ecuador and search for his birth parents. They fall in love and help each other through their troubles. Actually, Zeeta does most of the helping. She is just that type.
This is not a Traveling Pants romance nor is it Eleanor & Park dysfunctional parents angst. Yes, there is the exotic location but with realistic local characters, traditions, foods, and hardships. Also Zeeta rebels against her mom but then worries when Layla starts dating a Handsome Magazine Dad and loses all her wacky, New Age sparkle.
For me, it was just about a perfect YA novel. The plot kept twisting in many unexpected ways and the happy ending gives almost everyone what they want. There are two sequels, The Ruby Notebook and The Jade Notebook. I will be reading them.
January 28, 2011
Reviewed by Monica Sheffo for TeensReadToo.com
At fifteen, Zeeta's life as been anything but ordinary. In those fifteen years, she has lived in fifteen different countries with her flighty single mother, Layla.
To document her many experiences and the interesting people she has met along the way, Zeeta keeps a journal. Each journal is a different color to symbolize the country she was living in at the time.
This year, she's in Ecuador, where she first meets Wendell, an American boy in search of the birth family he's never known. When she promises to aid him on his quest, she isn't fully aware of what she is agreeing to. Together, they will depart on a journey full of magic and self-discovery as they begin to fall for one another, leading them to realizations that will change their lives forever.
Laura Resau presents her readers with a unique plot and a memorable cast of characters, creating an unforgettable read. Zeeta is a strong, independent protagonist who many girls will aspire to be like, and with good reason.
Infused with the local language as well as Ecuador's rich culture, THE INDIGO NOTEBOOK is a treasure in its own right.
At fifteen, Zeeta's life as been anything but ordinary. In those fifteen years, she has lived in fifteen different countries with her flighty single mother, Layla.
To document her many experiences and the interesting people she has met along the way, Zeeta keeps a journal. Each journal is a different color to symbolize the country she was living in at the time.
This year, she's in Ecuador, where she first meets Wendell, an American boy in search of the birth family he's never known. When she promises to aid him on his quest, she isn't fully aware of what she is agreeing to. Together, they will depart on a journey full of magic and self-discovery as they begin to fall for one another, leading them to realizations that will change their lives forever.
Laura Resau presents her readers with a unique plot and a memorable cast of characters, creating an unforgettable read. Zeeta is a strong, independent protagonist who many girls will aspire to be like, and with good reason.
Infused with the local language as well as Ecuador's rich culture, THE INDIGO NOTEBOOK is a treasure in its own right.
August 6, 2012
I liked this story enough to read it a couple times. Laura created a wonderful book which is fun, colorful and easy to read. The characters all seemed very much like they could be real people. I Loved Zeeta and her mother Layla's relationship. Layla is a free-spirited woman who loves to travel to exotic places. Zetta has lived in 15 different countries one for every year of life, and now all she wants is to settle down and start a normal life, and a normal family. Zetta writes her experiences from Ecuador in her Indigo notebook. I love that she wrote down all the slang from all the countires and what they meant. In the local market place Zeeta meets a boy named Windell who is looking for his birth parents. She helps him search for them and along the way they get into all kinds of stuff. I don't want to spoil it, so your going to have to read it for yourself, but I don't think you'll be disappointed because Laura Resau is a great author with an amazing ability to make you feel like you are right beside Zetta the whole way. I rate it 4.5
May 30, 2010
This is really a good one -- a nicely paced, nicely connected story about a girl who's been a world traveler pretty much since she was born. Her mother is an ESL teacher who realized she was pregnant a few months after she'd left whomever the father might have been. So it was just Layla, the young ESL teacher, and Zeeta, her baby girl born in Italy. Now Layla's a teenager, and they've landed in Ecuador, after Thailand. Zeeta is sick of her mother's flighty Rumi-quoting ways, and wishes for normalcy more than anything.
I've been an ESL teacher abroad, and I liked connecting with this in that way. I've been a kid who wished for something different than what she had, and I connected to it in that way. I feel like this is a really relatable story, despite the fact that we haven't all lived this sort of life.
I've been an ESL teacher abroad, and I liked connecting with this in that way. I've been a kid who wished for something different than what she had, and I connected to it in that way. I feel like this is a really relatable story, despite the fact that we haven't all lived this sort of life.
July 6, 2009
This one is about a woman and her daughter who travel the world, living in a different country every year. Zeeta, who is fifteen, yearns for a "normal" life involving a permanent home. There's also an Ecuadorian boy searching for his birth parents who happens to be precognitive.
The story is fun and it moves pretty well, but Zeeta and her mother are very unbelievable characters and much of the book is devoted to developing them. The "plot" is an afterthought, and an unimaginative one at that. It was readable, but there was nothing special or enlightening about it.
Also, is it just me, or are the girl-with-free-spirited-mom books quickly forming their own TIRED genre?
The story is fun and it moves pretty well, but Zeeta and her mother are very unbelievable characters and much of the book is devoted to developing them. The "plot" is an afterthought, and an unimaginative one at that. It was readable, but there was nothing special or enlightening about it.
Also, is it just me, or are the girl-with-free-spirited-mom books quickly forming their own TIRED genre?
May 25, 2010
This is a beautiful story of love, family, a magical waterfall and a crystal cave. I can see the bright colors and clothing. I can imagine walking through the market and I can almost taste Mamita Luz's bread. It is a great reminder that families are not just made up of blood relatives and that sometimes what you think you want, is not always what you need.
This is the first book in The Notebook Series, each of which will be set in a different country. The second book is due out in the fall of this year. I can't wait to read it! I've also reserved a few of her other works at the library. I can't wait to read those either!
This is the first book in The Notebook Series, each of which will be set in a different country. The second book is due out in the fall of this year. I can't wait to read it! I've also reserved a few of her other works at the library. I can't wait to read those either!
July 4, 2017
Pros: The book is well crafted. The mysteries are intriguing, the characters are complex, the themes are presented without becoming overbearing.
Cons: I don't really care for the mystical elements of the book. I feel like the book will probably appeal more to teenage readers and less to adult readers.
Overall, this was an enjoyable, well-crafted read, but in my opinion it lacks a depth of quality that would set it apart and earn it more stars.
Cons: I don't really care for the mystical elements of the book. I feel like the book will probably appeal more to teenage readers and less to adult readers.
Overall, this was an enjoyable, well-crafted read, but in my opinion it lacks a depth of quality that would set it apart and earn it more stars.
December 9, 2009
Resau gives readers well-rounded characters, interesting locales, fascinating glimpses into other cultures in a book about self0discovery. All this, and Rumi poetry, as well!
September 9, 2013
Resau's writing is very smooth. This was an impulsive pick at the library due to my children's lack of ability to be calm. I am very glad this was the book I grabbed!
November 17, 2017
The Scoop:
Zeeta and her free-spirited, wanderlust, ESL-teaching, Rumi-quoting mother Layla have lived in 15 different countries. That's one country for each year that Zeeta has been alive. And for each of those countries, Zeeta has kept a notebook (well, since she could write, at least) that holds her observations, thoughts and the stories of the native people. This year, the year of living in Otavalo, Ecuador, Zeeta has an indigo notebook.
Now, more than ever (she's just three years away from going to college) with the year-after-year of moves and making new friends and learning new customs Zeeta wishes for her mother to finally grow some roots and just "stick." And, maybe, Zeeta's wish is going to come true in Ecuador. Even while enlisting her newfound friends at the local market to find a potential suitor for her mother Zeeta notices subtle changes in her mother. Because, after a near-death experience at a waterfall her mother is beginning to morph into somebody who could be more tradtional, more grounded, more parental. Layla goes from having a boyfriend that is a surfing clown (even down to making making balloon animals) to one that is more stable and has a career in the business world. During this time Zeeta has met an American teenager named Wendell who has traveled to Otavalo to find out the identities of his birth parents. Zeeta agrees to become his translator and they set out on a journey to learn of the Otavalenos and the Quechua Indians that might hold an answer to Wendell's heritage. And, Zeeta, besides being tasked to help Wendell to find answers to his own life (and mysterious abilities) might be finding out that maybe the life she's always been dreaming about isn't exactly what she wants after all.
My Thoughts:
I am eternally grateful that I listened to this book. I am not the best with languages and knowing how to pronounce words in languages other than English (sometimes that gives me issues, too, but I digress). This book was sent in Ecuador and, even though I didn't actually see any of the words, I knew that I would never get anywhere close to right pronunciation as the narrator could do and be even better at it. So, her being able to pronounce the foreign words correctly and use the right accent (probably--who am I to judge whether or not an accent is correct but it sounded good) far outweighed my problem with her sounding a little too old for the character of Zeeta. All of the other characters had complimentary voices but for some reason I had a problem with the way Zeeta's voice sounded. But, that distraction was minor.
I had never read any of Laura Resau's books before and I'm glad this was my initiation. Her descriptions of the area were so well written and articulated that I felt I was right there eating bread in the village of Agua Santa with Mamita Luze (like I said, I listened to the book so I have no idea if I am spelling any of these correctly). Or, I felt like I was sitting with Zeeta and her merchant friend, Gabby, at the Otavalo Market. I felt from Resau's descriptions of these places that she had to have personally visited and loved it (click on the links to Laura's personal blog postings about the book which includes recipes and pictures depicting her time in Ecuador). There was so much depth to the location, people and food that I wanted to move Ecuador up on my list of places to visit (even though I had never thought of visiting there before).
Not only was the location a character unto itself but the characters were so well crafted that I wanted to join them at the market or other locales so lovingly depicted. Zeeta, having such a "flaky" mother had to be mature for her age, was the best person to go on a journey through Ecuador with. She was travel-hardened and she knew what to do so she wouldn't stick out in a new country. She was the best person for "fish-out-of-water" Wendell to have as a guide in the search for his birth parents. Her mother was just the right amount of flaky that it wasn't overboard and she still seemed like a somewhat responsible adult. The rest of the native Otavalenos and Quechua Indians were wonderful secondary characters and, like most villages/towns/cities of the world they had the good and the bad residents.
I don't think I realized how much I enjoyed this book until I started writing down my impressions and am surprised at how much stuck out with me. It might have been the bit of "offness" to narrator's portrayal of Zeeta that threw me from realizing on how much I was enjoying this book. Or, I think at the time I thought maybe it was just about a teenage girl, who wasn't really regular because of all the places she had lived, but she had a mom who wasn't her ideal (how many teenagers think the exact same thing?) and a life that wasn't as perfect as she wanted (again, same teenage thought train here, right?). But when I got right down to what I enjoyed it was the lovely, descriptive writing style that pulled me into Zeeta's life and the lives and locations in Ecuador.
So, I know I said at the beginning that I'm grateful that I listened to it but maybe it was a good thing I can't for the life of me find an audio version of the next chapter in Zeeta's life, The Ruby Notebook (although I'm sure I'll be retracting that thought when I have trouble pronouncing all the French words--thank goodness for Google translate).
Zeeta and her free-spirited, wanderlust, ESL-teaching, Rumi-quoting mother Layla have lived in 15 different countries. That's one country for each year that Zeeta has been alive. And for each of those countries, Zeeta has kept a notebook (well, since she could write, at least) that holds her observations, thoughts and the stories of the native people. This year, the year of living in Otavalo, Ecuador, Zeeta has an indigo notebook.
Now, more than ever (she's just three years away from going to college) with the year-after-year of moves and making new friends and learning new customs Zeeta wishes for her mother to finally grow some roots and just "stick." And, maybe, Zeeta's wish is going to come true in Ecuador. Even while enlisting her newfound friends at the local market to find a potential suitor for her mother Zeeta notices subtle changes in her mother. Because, after a near-death experience at a waterfall her mother is beginning to morph into somebody who could be more tradtional, more grounded, more parental. Layla goes from having a boyfriend that is a surfing clown (even down to making making balloon animals) to one that is more stable and has a career in the business world. During this time Zeeta has met an American teenager named Wendell who has traveled to Otavalo to find out the identities of his birth parents. Zeeta agrees to become his translator and they set out on a journey to learn of the Otavalenos and the Quechua Indians that might hold an answer to Wendell's heritage. And, Zeeta, besides being tasked to help Wendell to find answers to his own life (and mysterious abilities) might be finding out that maybe the life she's always been dreaming about isn't exactly what she wants after all.
My Thoughts:
I am eternally grateful that I listened to this book. I am not the best with languages and knowing how to pronounce words in languages other than English (sometimes that gives me issues, too, but I digress). This book was sent in Ecuador and, even though I didn't actually see any of the words, I knew that I would never get anywhere close to right pronunciation as the narrator could do and be even better at it. So, her being able to pronounce the foreign words correctly and use the right accent (probably--who am I to judge whether or not an accent is correct but it sounded good) far outweighed my problem with her sounding a little too old for the character of Zeeta. All of the other characters had complimentary voices but for some reason I had a problem with the way Zeeta's voice sounded. But, that distraction was minor.
I had never read any of Laura Resau's books before and I'm glad this was my initiation. Her descriptions of the area were so well written and articulated that I felt I was right there eating bread in the village of Agua Santa with Mamita Luze (like I said, I listened to the book so I have no idea if I am spelling any of these correctly). Or, I felt like I was sitting with Zeeta and her merchant friend, Gabby, at the Otavalo Market. I felt from Resau's descriptions of these places that she had to have personally visited and loved it (click on the links to Laura's personal blog postings about the book which includes recipes and pictures depicting her time in Ecuador). There was so much depth to the location, people and food that I wanted to move Ecuador up on my list of places to visit (even though I had never thought of visiting there before).
Not only was the location a character unto itself but the characters were so well crafted that I wanted to join them at the market or other locales so lovingly depicted. Zeeta, having such a "flaky" mother had to be mature for her age, was the best person to go on a journey through Ecuador with. She was travel-hardened and she knew what to do so she wouldn't stick out in a new country. She was the best person for "fish-out-of-water" Wendell to have as a guide in the search for his birth parents. Her mother was just the right amount of flaky that it wasn't overboard and she still seemed like a somewhat responsible adult. The rest of the native Otavalenos and Quechua Indians were wonderful secondary characters and, like most villages/towns/cities of the world they had the good and the bad residents.
I don't think I realized how much I enjoyed this book until I started writing down my impressions and am surprised at how much stuck out with me. It might have been the bit of "offness" to narrator's portrayal of Zeeta that threw me from realizing on how much I was enjoying this book. Or, I think at the time I thought maybe it was just about a teenage girl, who wasn't really regular because of all the places she had lived, but she had a mom who wasn't her ideal (how many teenagers think the exact same thing?) and a life that wasn't as perfect as she wanted (again, same teenage thought train here, right?). But when I got right down to what I enjoyed it was the lovely, descriptive writing style that pulled me into Zeeta's life and the lives and locations in Ecuador.
So, I know I said at the beginning that I'm grateful that I listened to it but maybe it was a good thing I can't for the life of me find an audio version of the next chapter in Zeeta's life, The Ruby Notebook (although I'm sure I'll be retracting that thought when I have trouble pronouncing all the French words--thank goodness for Google translate).
August 5, 2011
4.5/5
This is a silly thing to dislike and I didn't dislike it per se but I genuinely did not understand the Rumi quotes. My confusion over what he was saying made me feel like a complete idiot but maybe in time I will understand better. For now I'm content just thinking that he writes vague poetry that celebrates nature, simplicity and individuality (and that might not even be right). I was bothered by the fact that the Layla storyline was really cliche, whimsical mother kept safe/protected by down-to-earth daughter who desperately wants her mother to change. I was hoping Layla would have a less abrupt change (ex: *spoiler highlight to read* What made the one accident in Ecuador lead Layla back to Jeff? Why didn't Layla do that when she had other close-calls and Zeeta begged her to go back to a 'normal' life?* End of spoiler*) and be a little less of a caricature.
This book left me with a serious case of wanderlust. It was hard for me at first to fathom how Zeeta could want to give up her traveling lifestyle with Layla. She spoke seven different languages and had already lived in fifteen different countries. I want to travel the world and speak at least four languages so badly, I'm envious of all those who get to travel and it's hard for me to understand people/characters who don't appreciate the immense opportunity they've been given to travel the world. The author did an excellent job of (almost) completely immersing me in the world of Otavalo (I do wish more Quichua and Spanish words had been thrown in). The hustle and bustle of the market, the loud, cajoling calls of the vendors to tourists with backpacks and water bottles, the dazzling crystal caves in a quiet village, every scene is described in glowing terms down to the most minut detail. Zeeta is the typical teenager in that she doesn't know exactly what she wants and often feels torn between two different sides. She is observant, meticulous and she has a cautiously adventurous spirit. I didn't think Zeeta was boringly practical because she was always willing to explore, she just wanted to know her mother had a financial nest egg for their future.
The Indigo Notebook excels in bringing to life the colors, sounds, smells and even the textures of Ecuador to readers who may never get the chance to visit the country. Not only does it provide more than a cursory glance at life in Ecuador but it opens the page to the larger world of Central American culture (obviously Latin American cultures are very diverse but there are some unifying/common elements). The 'treatment' of being bicultural/multiracial was rarely mentioned but when it was, it was handled deftly. Zeeta's mother is white but Layla doesn't remember what ethnicity her father was but it's clear he wasn't white (and that is why this is not an off-color review). Zeeta observes (and is somewhat irked) that the conversation between Layla and her new 'boy toy' will soon "take a turn to how 'mixed-race' kids always turn out beautiful-in the same way that mutts are tougher than purebreds-and then he'll ask, Where is her father from anyway?" (pg. 6). Through Wendall's avid search for his birth parents, Zeeta is able to live vicariously through him because she doesn't have a clue as to her father's name and where he might live. This is a tale that I was absolutely enamored with due to its fantastic setting of Ecuador, mostly unique characters and the fact that Ecuador did not overpower Zeeta and the other characters. The setting did not overtake the plot and/or the characters which is something that I think is quite important. Otavalo was a major character in and of itself but it wasn't more important than Zeeta, Wendall, and a few other characters. I can't wait to read the next book in the series, The Ruby Notebook!
This is a silly thing to dislike and I didn't dislike it per se but I genuinely did not understand the Rumi quotes. My confusion over what he was saying made me feel like a complete idiot but maybe in time I will understand better. For now I'm content just thinking that he writes vague poetry that celebrates nature, simplicity and individuality (and that might not even be right). I was bothered by the fact that the Layla storyline was really cliche, whimsical mother kept safe/protected by down-to-earth daughter who desperately wants her mother to change. I was hoping Layla would have a less abrupt change (ex: *spoiler highlight to read* What made the one accident in Ecuador lead Layla back to Jeff? Why didn't Layla do that when she had other close-calls and Zeeta begged her to go back to a 'normal' life?* End of spoiler*) and be a little less of a caricature.
This book left me with a serious case of wanderlust. It was hard for me at first to fathom how Zeeta could want to give up her traveling lifestyle with Layla. She spoke seven different languages and had already lived in fifteen different countries. I want to travel the world and speak at least four languages so badly, I'm envious of all those who get to travel and it's hard for me to understand people/characters who don't appreciate the immense opportunity they've been given to travel the world. The author did an excellent job of (almost) completely immersing me in the world of Otavalo (I do wish more Quichua and Spanish words had been thrown in). The hustle and bustle of the market, the loud, cajoling calls of the vendors to tourists with backpacks and water bottles, the dazzling crystal caves in a quiet village, every scene is described in glowing terms down to the most minut detail. Zeeta is the typical teenager in that she doesn't know exactly what she wants and often feels torn between two different sides. She is observant, meticulous and she has a cautiously adventurous spirit. I didn't think Zeeta was boringly practical because she was always willing to explore, she just wanted to know her mother had a financial nest egg for their future.
The Indigo Notebook excels in bringing to life the colors, sounds, smells and even the textures of Ecuador to readers who may never get the chance to visit the country. Not only does it provide more than a cursory glance at life in Ecuador but it opens the page to the larger world of Central American culture (obviously Latin American cultures are very diverse but there are some unifying/common elements). The 'treatment' of being bicultural/multiracial was rarely mentioned but when it was, it was handled deftly. Zeeta's mother is white but Layla doesn't remember what ethnicity her father was but it's clear he wasn't white (and that is why this is not an off-color review). Zeeta observes (and is somewhat irked) that the conversation between Layla and her new 'boy toy' will soon "take a turn to how 'mixed-race' kids always turn out beautiful-in the same way that mutts are tougher than purebreds-and then he'll ask, Where is her father from anyway?" (pg. 6). Through Wendall's avid search for his birth parents, Zeeta is able to live vicariously through him because she doesn't have a clue as to her father's name and where he might live. This is a tale that I was absolutely enamored with due to its fantastic setting of Ecuador, mostly unique characters and the fact that Ecuador did not overpower Zeeta and the other characters. The setting did not overtake the plot and/or the characters which is something that I think is quite important. Otavalo was a major character in and of itself but it wasn't more important than Zeeta, Wendall, and a few other characters. I can't wait to read the next book in the series, The Ruby Notebook!
July 10, 2017
Zeeta now 15, is a mixed-race child of a white-hippy-mom, Layla, who is a horrible, dumb, neglectful parent. (sigh, if she were a responsible parent there would be no story of course.)
Zeeta has been dragged to a new country every year learning new languages and adjusting perfectly. She is the outsider who has learned to make friends easily every year in a new school.
There is something delicious about being the one who has it together, but it can be a drag being your mother's mother and having to worry about financial problems as a child of a ditsy hippy. and this has given Zeeta a misplaced sense of duty and responsibility that gets her into dangerous situations.
Layla, the impossible-to-like mom is a cardboard caricature who acts like a dreamy teenager. Where is her motivation and nuance? She is radically left of center and always crazy and impractical and then just as easily switches to conservative with her new wealthy right winged American boyfriend who she thinks she must become like to give Zeeta the stability she has asked for.
Usually people who have to stay on the move all the time are running from something, or have emotional mental or substance abuse issues. Unless they are on assignment as scientists or writers or researchers. and Leila is not really anything. she just likes to "vacation".
She seems only to be ditsy and dumb and pretty, with no real talent or focus for art or writing anything except looking younger than her age and getting a new cute boyfriend every few months. She does teach ESL, and keeps them out of complete poverty. (which seems somehow out of character). and Zeeta also teaches English to suppliments thier income.
There is an unspoken assumption that creative people have to be ditsy, flighty, sloppy; and people who make money have to be dull, unadventurous, right wing conservatives.
Wendell, the boy Zeeta likes is also an outsider with cinnamon colored skin of the native Ecuadorians but adopted and raise by white people who seem to be liberals but stable with peace corps friends from thier wild past.
Even though he looks Ecuadorian Wendell is a "gringo", and thus has no Street smarts and is generally clueless like all the white people in the book. I don't understand what Zeeta likes about him. he is dull and always need to be helped out of scrapes
even though he is a year older than her she is always taking care of him.
Zeeta has to turn to brown, wisdom-filled elders for giudance and she herself somehow has natural wisdom and street smarts while her own mom is an idiot stuck in the clouds.
I relate to Zeeta, having grown up a mixed-race kid of a white, middle class single hippy mom and traveled the world doing puppet shows and going to new schools every few years.
But this is a simplified, glamourized version of that type of life, with a ditsy but harmless mom and boyfriends who are never dangerous or preditory.
They always go to third world places that Layla can afford, never Paris or Amsterdam or London where there is actual plumbing and electricity that work.
There is not much Glamour in cleaning up after your mom and living in filth abd poverty, with giant roaches until you are old enough to take over the housework and start working part time to take up the slack.
an engaging read with a fresh POV.
Zeeta has been dragged to a new country every year learning new languages and adjusting perfectly. She is the outsider who has learned to make friends easily every year in a new school.
There is something delicious about being the one who has it together, but it can be a drag being your mother's mother and having to worry about financial problems as a child of a ditsy hippy. and this has given Zeeta a misplaced sense of duty and responsibility that gets her into dangerous situations.
Layla, the impossible-to-like mom is a cardboard caricature who acts like a dreamy teenager. Where is her motivation and nuance? She is radically left of center and always crazy and impractical and then just as easily switches to conservative with her new wealthy right winged American boyfriend who she thinks she must become like to give Zeeta the stability she has asked for.
Usually people who have to stay on the move all the time are running from something, or have emotional mental or substance abuse issues. Unless they are on assignment as scientists or writers or researchers. and Leila is not really anything. she just likes to "vacation".
She seems only to be ditsy and dumb and pretty, with no real talent or focus for art or writing anything except looking younger than her age and getting a new cute boyfriend every few months. She does teach ESL, and keeps them out of complete poverty. (which seems somehow out of character). and Zeeta also teaches English to suppliments thier income.
There is an unspoken assumption that creative people have to be ditsy, flighty, sloppy; and people who make money have to be dull, unadventurous, right wing conservatives.
Wendell, the boy Zeeta likes is also an outsider with cinnamon colored skin of the native Ecuadorians but adopted and raise by white people who seem to be liberals but stable with peace corps friends from thier wild past.
Even though he looks Ecuadorian Wendell is a "gringo", and thus has no Street smarts and is generally clueless like all the white people in the book. I don't understand what Zeeta likes about him. he is dull and always need to be helped out of scrapes
even though he is a year older than her she is always taking care of him.
Zeeta has to turn to brown, wisdom-filled elders for giudance and she herself somehow has natural wisdom and street smarts while her own mom is an idiot stuck in the clouds.
I relate to Zeeta, having grown up a mixed-race kid of a white, middle class single hippy mom and traveled the world doing puppet shows and going to new schools every few years.
But this is a simplified, glamourized version of that type of life, with a ditsy but harmless mom and boyfriends who are never dangerous or preditory.
They always go to third world places that Layla can afford, never Paris or Amsterdam or London where there is actual plumbing and electricity that work.
There is not much Glamour in cleaning up after your mom and living in filth abd poverty, with giant roaches until you are old enough to take over the housework and start working part time to take up the slack.
an engaging read with a fresh POV.
October 19, 2013
I had my doubts about this book whilst reading the first chapter. The cover depicted a suitcase, implying some mediocre traveling story with undeveloped young characters that learn the meaning of life while trying out the cultures of the indigenous country they happen upon. The Indigo Notebook, by Laura Resau, followed this format though with the abrupt addition of inhuman powers. The book follows Zeeta, the daughter of a wide-eyed free spirited traveler Layla. It is the typical story of the wild mother and the responsible daughter, honestly it could not have been more unoriginal. Anyway, the story starts when they make another move from Thailand to Ecuador. Zeeta’s only wish is for her life to be normal (how unpredictable!) a feat that is made impossible by her mother’s capricious nature. While there, an incredibly ordinary suitor for Layla appears, and Zeeta makes it her mission to get them together, believing a normal life would ensue. Wendell, an adorably named American boy who was adopted from Ecuador asks for her help in finding his parents and mayhem follows as her feelings for him cannot co exist with his infatuation with his ex girlfriend. But Zeeta should have been careful for what she wished for, as even though the grass maybe greener on the other side there will always be another meadow. Now, do not misinterpret my remarks on this novel, it is well written for young adult fiction. The authors voice succeeds in illustrating the scenic views and commotion of Ecuador, and allows the reader to be immersed in the country. The plot itself is where the story was futile. It was boring and stretched out, too long for what it was worth. Zeeta was hardly a typical teenager, her multiple travels could tell the reader that. However, she is annoying, as her role as the down to earth daughter has been written and filmed many times over. The characters are generic, resembling cardboard cutouts pasted onto a foreign background with disregard to how real humans might interact with each other. The weirdly placed science fiction element is an unnecessary addition to an overly packed plot as it is. It makes the characters even harder to relate to. In conclusion I do not recommend this book to anyone, there is a world out there filled with great novels and this one is not one of them, but to those few that do enjoy a book based on its setting I guess this book would suffice. Its vivid imagery will do the traveling for the reader.
October 3, 2013
For her whole life, Zeeta and her English teaching mother have lived in a new country every year. This nomadic life isn’t Zeeta’s style, and she yearns for a family like the one she sees in old magazine advertisements. When Zeeta and Layla find their new temporary home in Ecuador, a near death experience leads Layla to promise to become the mother Zeeta has always wanted. Meanwhile, Zeeta begins to help Wendell, an American teen who is searching for his birth parents. Both Wendell and Zeeta are looking for something. For Wendell, it’s his family, who will hopefully be able to provide the answers he’s looking for. For Zeeta, it’s the normal life she’s always craved. But getting what they wished for is much more complicated than they imagined, and maybe not what they needed at all.
I haven’t been taking risks lately with what I read, bit I decided to read The Indigo Notebook without knowing anything about it. This ended up being a very good decision. This is a story about travel and experiencing new cultures, mixed with mystery, coming of age, romance and a great overall message. The characters were realistic and unique, Layla and Zeeta’s relationship being particularly interesting. Zeeta is the responsible one, and she doesn’t have any home country. She speaks multiple languages and keeps a notebook for each country she visits, in which she writes about the people she meets and their hopes and dreams. I really liked her mother Layla, her complete opposite. Flakey and spiritual, Layla lives the life that makes her happy. Wendell didn’t have as much depth as the other characters, but his storyline added a lot to the novel as a whole. The plot was well developed and interesting, and the setting was well utilized, and was what originally grabbed me. Overall, this book was unique and well written, giving the reader a rare story about a close mother and teenage daughter. I am looking forward to reading the sequel, The Ruby Notebook. A great book for anyone who loves to travel and learn about new places, The Indigo Notebook is a fun book with a strong female character living a life that so many people would envy, but she wishes for something more normal.
4/5
I haven’t been taking risks lately with what I read, bit I decided to read The Indigo Notebook without knowing anything about it. This ended up being a very good decision. This is a story about travel and experiencing new cultures, mixed with mystery, coming of age, romance and a great overall message. The characters were realistic and unique, Layla and Zeeta’s relationship being particularly interesting. Zeeta is the responsible one, and she doesn’t have any home country. She speaks multiple languages and keeps a notebook for each country she visits, in which she writes about the people she meets and their hopes and dreams. I really liked her mother Layla, her complete opposite. Flakey and spiritual, Layla lives the life that makes her happy. Wendell didn’t have as much depth as the other characters, but his storyline added a lot to the novel as a whole. The plot was well developed and interesting, and the setting was well utilized, and was what originally grabbed me. Overall, this book was unique and well written, giving the reader a rare story about a close mother and teenage daughter. I am looking forward to reading the sequel, The Ruby Notebook. A great book for anyone who loves to travel and learn about new places, The Indigo Notebook is a fun book with a strong female character living a life that so many people would envy, but she wishes for something more normal.
4/5
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February 1, 2016Last week I found The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau in our class library and decided I liked the summary on the inside cover, so I read the story and it gave me a new perspective on human desires. The plot focuses around the idea that we always want what we can't have, which is demonstrated by the main character Zeeta who travels the world with her mom but wishes only to be normal. People say her mom is fun and spontaneous, and she is a lucky girl, but Zeeta, having such a hectic life and mother, must takes up the responsibility role. During her stay in Ecuador, Zeeta meets Wendell and assists him on achieving his personal goal while getting her world jumbled around when she switches personalities with her mom. She learns not to envy others but rather to enjoy all that she has and to love her moms unpredictable personality.
I would recommend this book to people who like reading realistic fiction or stories with a lesson or moral. The Indigo Notebook follows Zeeta as she learns that envying others is a waste of time and was a realistic look into the lives of people who move around and kids who are adopted as babies. I enjoyed the way Laura brought in a character like Jeff, who was responsible and normal in every way, a complete opposite of Zeetas mothers usual boyfriends and introduced gradual personality changes throughout the book so that you really experienced her mothers transformation along with Zeeta. As the things that made her mom special disappeared, I started becoming frustrated and worried as if it was real so the author did a great job involving the reader. I also thought it was nice how she tied in aspects of the culture where Zeeta was staying this time like slang phrases and trends such as Wendells long hair tied into braids as was common in that area.
I could not find much that I disliked about the book, except I thought Wendells parents would have turned out to have a more twisted story. I was really hoping for his birth dad to take on the villain role.
Overall I thought this was a great book that had realistic, comedic and tragic elements to it and I think it would be a great book to take up if you've been wanting to try realistic fiction.
I would recommend this book to people who like reading realistic fiction or stories with a lesson or moral. The Indigo Notebook follows Zeeta as she learns that envying others is a waste of time and was a realistic look into the lives of people who move around and kids who are adopted as babies. I enjoyed the way Laura brought in a character like Jeff, who was responsible and normal in every way, a complete opposite of Zeetas mothers usual boyfriends and introduced gradual personality changes throughout the book so that you really experienced her mothers transformation along with Zeeta. As the things that made her mom special disappeared, I started becoming frustrated and worried as if it was real so the author did a great job involving the reader. I also thought it was nice how she tied in aspects of the culture where Zeeta was staying this time like slang phrases and trends such as Wendells long hair tied into braids as was common in that area.
I could not find much that I disliked about the book, except I thought Wendells parents would have turned out to have a more twisted story. I was really hoping for his birth dad to take on the villain role.
Overall I thought this was a great book that had realistic, comedic and tragic elements to it and I think it would be a great book to take up if you've been wanting to try realistic fiction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2010
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|
Courtesy of booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com
*****
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|
Courtesy of booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com
September 30, 2013
I lived in 4 countries on 4 continents growing up so I was attracted to this book, although 15 year old Zeeta has me beat by a mile, several miles actually---one country every year! Her mother Layla is a nomadic free-spirit who is on a constant quest for enlightenment of a sort. She lives in the now and has a series of artistic-surfer-beach bum-type boyfriends. As is natural for most teenagers, Zeeta longs for the life she does not have--which would be a safe and stable environment with all the modern amenities and a caring and stable father. We find out that really, Zeeta is the grown-up and Layla, the child. Layla has found another job teaching English in Ecuador. On the plane, they meet 2 fellow passengers who will alter their current life---an older, golf-loving American business man, Jeff, and an Ecuadorian-born teen, Wendell, who is on a quest for his birth parents. He was adopted as an infant to an American couple. Another life-altering experience is Layla's near-drowning in a local lake. She is so shaken that she promises Zeeta that she will change her ways and become the regular mother Zeeta has always wanted. But she has had near-death experiences before and has always gone back to her old self once her fright is over. But Layla seems to really change this time around. Is this what Zeeta really wants after all? On his side, Wendell has developed the gift of seeing in the future in a sense. He can sense when something bad is going to happen. He is frightened by this gift. Will he find his birth parents and will they be able to help him with this gift that he inherited from them? The title "The Indigo Notebook" refers to the journals that Zeeta has kept since she was 8 years old--a different color for every country. Ecuador is indigo. By the way, kudos to reader Justine Eyre's excellent accents!
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February 20, 2015Zeeta is a teenage girl living with her eccentric—to say the least—mother. Her mom is an English teaching hippie, and the two live a gypsy life traveling from country to country. They spend the summer in Ecuador, where Zeeta’s goal is to convince her mother to settle down and assume the role of a responsible, normal mother. She mingles with the locals, and soon meets a boy named Wendell who is visiting in search of his birth parents. Instantly attracted, Zeeta agrees to help him on his quest and serves as his interpreter. Things start to go strange after she performs a wishing ritual and wishes for her mother to become “normal”. Suddenly, the life she always thought she wanted turns out to be different than she had imagined. On top of that, Wendell’s mysterious quest takes a dangerous (and illegal) turn, only adding to the tension as Zeeta finds herself falling for him.
This is one of my new favorite books. I could be biased, as I love everything related to exciting cultures and exotic places, but it truly stands out from other young adult novels I have read. The plot is completely original: a perfect balance between the mystic and the realistic, love and adventure, the familiar and the extraordinary. One unique aspect that I was especially drawn to was the authentic portrayal of the Ecuadorian culture as well as the integration of the Spanish language into the novel. It even included a glossary of Spanish terms at the end. This was informative, enthralling, and extremely well written. This book contains references to alcohol and domestic abuse.
This is one of my new favorite books. I could be biased, as I love everything related to exciting cultures and exotic places, but it truly stands out from other young adult novels I have read. The plot is completely original: a perfect balance between the mystic and the realistic, love and adventure, the familiar and the extraordinary. One unique aspect that I was especially drawn to was the authentic portrayal of the Ecuadorian culture as well as the integration of the Spanish language into the novel. It even included a glossary of Spanish terms at the end. This was informative, enthralling, and extremely well written. This book contains references to alcohol and domestic abuse.
December 28, 2009
Realistic fiction, travel, family, adventure/mystery.
15 year old Zeeta and her 35 year old English teacher mom travel and live in a new country each year--this year in Ecuador. Zeeta dreams of a normal life with a fantasy father and family. In each country she gets a new writer's notebook which serves to help her in her chaotic life. "Writing in my notebooks always makes me notice more things" (p. 12). Mother and daughter visit landmarks in each country. For example they get up very early in the morning to see a waterfall but the mom has a near drowning which causes her to change and lose her spirit.
In a outdoor market Zeeta meets Wendell who is searching for his birth parents in Ecuador. They forge a friendship since both wonder who they are, where they are from, etc. Zeeta usually asks new people she meets, "What matters most in your life?" "What do you want more than anything?" and "If you had one wish, what would it be?" She writes all of these answers/observations down in her notebook. Wendell and Zeeta begin looking for his birth parents in different villages.
Throughout the book mom quotes Rumi. Eventually Zeeta realizes her dream father or dream of a normal life won't make her happy. What truly makes us happy in life?
I enjoyed this book. Do I consider it multicultural--no. Definitely a tourist multicultural book because culture isn't the focus. The main ideas are identity, family, first love.
15 year old Zeeta and her 35 year old English teacher mom travel and live in a new country each year--this year in Ecuador. Zeeta dreams of a normal life with a fantasy father and family. In each country she gets a new writer's notebook which serves to help her in her chaotic life. "Writing in my notebooks always makes me notice more things" (p. 12). Mother and daughter visit landmarks in each country. For example they get up very early in the morning to see a waterfall but the mom has a near drowning which causes her to change and lose her spirit.
In a outdoor market Zeeta meets Wendell who is searching for his birth parents in Ecuador. They forge a friendship since both wonder who they are, where they are from, etc. Zeeta usually asks new people she meets, "What matters most in your life?" "What do you want more than anything?" and "If you had one wish, what would it be?" She writes all of these answers/observations down in her notebook. Wendell and Zeeta begin looking for his birth parents in different villages.
Throughout the book mom quotes Rumi. Eventually Zeeta realizes her dream father or dream of a normal life won't make her happy. What truly makes us happy in life?
I enjoyed this book. Do I consider it multicultural--no. Definitely a tourist multicultural book because culture isn't the focus. The main ideas are identity, family, first love.
November 26, 2012
If you had just one wish, what would it be, the main character, Zeeta, asks of all her new acquaintances. She listens seriously, and records their answer in her Indigo (dark purple) notebook, which she is using to record her adventures during her stay in Ecuador.
Zeeta has a new color notebook for each country, where she records thoughts, observations, comments and questions about and to the people she meets. She and her mother are wanderers, going from place to place, only stopping for a short while then moving on.
In this tale, she meets Wendell, a young American boy, who is looking for his birth parents and asks Zeeta to help.
I enjoyed the way the story flowed, touching mainly on the personal and not too much on outside events except as they related to the storyline. The language was smooth and lyrical, with the exception that tourists who don't try to learn the language are referred to as cows, and all Americans are referred to as "gringo", both of which are insulting in the way they are used. (A cow is a placid bovine, a gringo is a derogatory term for white foreigner). Gringo is especially insulting in the way it is used to describe Wendell, who is of mixed Latino and Peruvian native descent (in other words not white).
Other than that the language was relaxing and drew vivid mind pictures. I especially liked the description of the couple that helps out, and the way that language was used to help conceal an old secret - and to bring it out.
Zeeta has a new color notebook for each country, where she records thoughts, observations, comments and questions about and to the people she meets. She and her mother are wanderers, going from place to place, only stopping for a short while then moving on.
In this tale, she meets Wendell, a young American boy, who is looking for his birth parents and asks Zeeta to help.
I enjoyed the way the story flowed, touching mainly on the personal and not too much on outside events except as they related to the storyline. The language was smooth and lyrical, with the exception that tourists who don't try to learn the language are referred to as cows, and all Americans are referred to as "gringo", both of which are insulting in the way they are used. (A cow is a placid bovine, a gringo is a derogatory term for white foreigner). Gringo is especially insulting in the way it is used to describe Wendell, who is of mixed Latino and Peruvian native descent (in other words not white).
Other than that the language was relaxing and drew vivid mind pictures. I especially liked the description of the couple that helps out, and the way that language was used to help conceal an old secret - and to bring it out.
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