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2.92 AVERAGE
2.92 AVERAGE
Worst book ever! Absolutely nothing happens, she just goes to caves and looks at paintings, over and over, and over again. It is a miserable read. I thought maybe she would see her son, maybe she would learn something unexpected, maybe she would see the future, but again nothing happened. Once you get to page 611 something kind of starts to try to happen, but it doesn't. The author really, really needs and editor and to lay off the cut and paste function. If I never hear about how a stomach of an animal is made into a nearly watertight sack and how the stopper is made form a backbone and knotted hide it will be too soon. I can't express how much I hated this book and how disappointed I am in the author. The first book was so good and this one is so bad.
“Land of Painted Caves” by Jean Auel is the sixth and final installation of the best selling “Earth’s Children” series. Through dynamic storytelling and meticulous attention to detail Auel continues the story of Ayla, her mate Jondala and daughter Jonayla as Ayla strives to become Healer while balancing family life through a vivid prehistoric landscape. This story combines the timeless struggle of raising a family and nurturing a career compounded by a surreal, unforgiving and exotic backdrop.
Dude, this thing sucks. Written on the level of a grade school reading textbook. Oh, and no plot.
I was originally excited about the prospect of this book and where it would take the characters after all this time, but I ended up a bit disappointed. There was so much repetition of what happened in previous books and the set up for what happened was just a do-over of what happened in previous books. I'm trying not to be spoilery.
Overall, I was happy with how Jean Auel decided to wrap up her six-book Earth's Children series. This last installment had less repetition in it than The Shelters of Stone, and she breaks the book into three parts with a few years passing by between each part so that Ayla may continue to grow on her personal journey to becoming part of the Zelandonia. Winter is not a season that Auel focuses on. All three parts take place during warmer weather and during the summer gatherings, which allows for a greater number of characters to interact. In the last fifty pages or so I became a little irritated with Ayla, Jondalar and their relationship. I don't want to spoil anything, but the problem centered on events that were repetitious in the nature of Ayla and Jondalar's relationship. A bit frustrating since what's really going through my mind is "Haven't we already had this problem? Are you two really this ignorant of each other?" Ayla receives a Gift of Knowledge from the Mother that allows Auel to chime in with her feelings about family dynamics and what constitutes a family. Again, these events are in the last section of the book, but they are a little preachy at times. Some of the minor characters like Marona, Madroman, and Laramer make some more trouble, but I was happy with how Auel handled them. In particular, I was happy with Laramer's outcome and the implication it had for his family. I'm glad to know that my Cro-magnon friends of many years are doing fine and will continue to evolve, but I'm equally glad that this series has reached a culmination. Auel's focus on central characters during a specific time period makes for interesting reading most of the time.
Ik vond het een mooi boek maar er zat veel herhaling in van de eerdere delen dat begon me een beetje te irriteren. Deel een vond ik het mooist, maar het is een mooi slot van de interessante 6 delige serie over de neanderthalers en homo sapiens. Voor deze serie had ik nooit eerder een boek gelezen dat zich afspeelde in de prehistorie, dat maakte het heel interessant en bijzonder.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved it, though maybe I'm just glad to finally have closure. I was surprised by the twists found in parts of this book, and I might have wanted the ending to be different. Durc meeting his half brother, perhaps, even though I get the feeling that was more symbolism than not. Who knows.
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A let down in the series. Could have used some editing (we don't need to hear the backstory every time Ayla's introduced to a new character). There was the start of a storyline towards the end, but it seemed like too little, too late.