8th out of 29 books
—
10 voters
The Jade Notebook (Notebook #3)
by
Laura Resau (Goodreads Author)
Down-to-earth Zeeta and her flighty mom, Layla, have spent years traveling the globe and soaking up everything each new culture has to offer. Now they've settled in the beachside town of Mazunte, Mexico, where Zeeta's true love, Wendell, has an internship photographing rare sea turtles. At first glance, Zeeta feels sure that Mazunte is paradise—she envisions dips in jade w...more
Hardcover, 384 pages
Published
February 14th 2012
by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
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The third and final installment in the Notebook series, The Jade Notebook was a combination of a sweet romance and a terrifying mystery. After their many troubles together as a couple, it seems like Wendell and Zeeta have finally found paradise together. They were such a great match; they complimented each other perfectly. I was glad they had each other to lean on throughout the many difficulties their respective families put them through. As for the mystery of the stolen baby sea turtle eggs, I...more
Zeeta, honey, I respect you and all that you are. You've lived in seventeen different countries in seventeen years. You're conversationally proficient in dozens of languages. You're responsible, outgoing and caring. But, girl, really? You need to believe that Wendell, the love of your life, is going to be around for the long haul. He's basically planned his past two summers around where you're living! None of this wishy-washy girly crap about him leaving you (I get it, I wouldn't mind a Wendell...more
Zeeta and Layla have moved to Mexico and are running a small resort near a town famed for it's beaches where sea turtles lay their eggs. Zeeta's boyfriend, Wendall, has joined them as well and Zeeta thinks this is paradise. She does not want to ever leave this place, so she is doing everything she can to get her mom to sign a long-term contract with the resort owners. However, odd things start disturbing Zeeta's paradise: poachers, jaguars, witches – plus she is still searching out her missing f...more
This is the third and final installment in Zeeta's adventures around the world. Because it's the last one you expect a fair amount of tying up of loose ends, but this one is too neat and tidy. There is the same format used in the previous two books in which there is a mystery that Zeeta and her boyfriend Wendell must solve. There is also the usual teen girl insecurity in love stuff and crazy mom stuff. The problem is that this one is just too transparent. It is obvious who the bad guys are and w...more
I like the two previous books and was looking forward to reading this one. I'm not sure why I couldn't get into it. It just wasn't grabbing me. The pace picked up in the last third, but the plot was predictable. Laura Resau has a gift for describing lush scenery, that was enjoyable. Maybe I expected more from these characters and it was just more of the same.
I adore Meche. I find the characters strong and compelling. But the plot? Not so much. The sense of place is excellent, the flavor of the people and the the food and the environs very distinct. The people themselves are very compelling, original and so totally believable that the tortured plot shows up in bas relief.
Inspiring, lovely, and left me with warm feelings. The jade notebook is a delicious treat along with the other notebooks. The last hundred pages kept me on my feet. Overall this novel gives and takes a little. Requires a little patience for one to fully get sucked into the story, but in the end you experience a piece of Zeeta's journey and a taste of mole (book reference to chocolatey goodness).
Was this a book that kept me up to consume it like a delicious bowl of mole (to reference the details in the plot)? Absolutely. Zeeta's voice is extremely authentic. The characters develop, change, and move beyond rumors and expectations about who they are. While this is the final book in the notebook trilogy, it holds its own as an independent novel. However, the nuanced writing gets cut down by the saccharine epilogue that ties a neat bow on a series whose strength is its complexities. It is t...more
Third in the series. Has everything I've loved about the previous books. Well drawn, interesting characters. Fabulous setting (beaches and mole and the language and turtles!). Interesting plot that puts my favorites in danger. And of course the unraveling of Zeeta's search.
My only complaint is that I knew these characters so well and the books are so familiar, that I had EVERYTHING figured out early on. The moment a character entered the story, I could place them (correctly) in relation to Zeeta...more
My only complaint is that I knew these characters so well and the books are so familiar, that I had EVERYTHING figured out early on. The moment a character entered the story, I could place them (correctly) in relation to Zeeta...more
See my review of "The Jade Notebook" here: http://www.examiner.com/literature-in...
Continuing the sequence (Ruby Notebook, Indigo Notebook), this novel finds Zeeta, her flighty mom Layla and her boyfriend Wendell in a small beachside Mexican village where Zeeta hopes to find her birth father and Wendell studies/photographs sea turtles. But there's a couple of mysteries (bruja next door with a pet jaguar, poaching of turtle eggs) that they get embroiled in. A little issue-driven, but vivid in description and setting. Enjoyed.
Sep 17, 2012
Ann
added it
I've enjoyed all of the notebook series. I like this one best.
It took a lot of convincing on my behalf to keep reading the book. I'm glad I decided to continue it, as the story turned out to be very pleasant. The first half of the book is very slow, and is quite predictable, but I still enjoyed it! Even though I didn't read the other two books in this series, this book works really well as a stand alone. Nice little story; I'm pleased that it had a happy ending.
May 20, 2013
Ogechi Wosu
marked it as to-read
May 18, 2013
Cecelia
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May 17, 2013
Arianaaa
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May 17, 2013
Mandi
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I'm the author of the young adult novels The Queen of Water, Red Glass, What the Moon Saw, The Indigo Notebook, The Ruby Notebook , The Jade Notebook, and the middle-grade novel Star in the Forest. I grew up in Maryland, then moved around for ten years (as student, ESL teacher, and anthropologist), making my home in New Orleans; Aix-en-Provence, France; Oaxaca, Mexico; Tucson; and now, Fort Colli...more
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“And now, tonight, we're living through the bitter part, or maybe the painful, burning part. But more sweetness will come, sooner or later. Trust that it will.”
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