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daniobsessivelyreads's review against another edition
5.0
I very much enjoyed this part of Ayla and Jondalar's story. At the beginning of this book, they had just arrived at Jondalar's home. Ayla was not immediately accepted by all, but she was accepted by most. The drama that ensues from her integrating herself into cave life is quite entertaining.
albaesfeliz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
book_concierge's review
2.0
Book on CD performed by Sandra Burr
NOTE – if you have NOT read at least the first three books in the Earth’s Children series, this review might be considered a spoiler.
Book number five in the Earth’s Children series continues the adventures of Ayla and Jondalar. They have finally arrived back at Jondalar’s home, the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii. The people of the Ninth Cave readily welcome Jondalar back from his five-year journey, and they even welcome his foreign companion. Ayla controls animals (two horses and a wolf), was raised by “flatheads,” and is a healer. She has also invented a new, faster way to start a fire, and pioneered the use of a thread puller (needle), including using it to stitch serious wounds together. All these elements were explained in detail in previous books.
Not much really happens in this novel. Ayla gets to know Jondalar’s family and the others in the Ninth Cave. A few people are suspicious and angry about her meteoric rise to a prominent position in the group. And while she makes a few enemies, there aren’t any obvious repercussions. By the end of the novel, when she has to make a serious decision about her future within the Ninth Cave, I was just eager for something to finally happen. But I guess I’d have to read the sixth book to find out.
The novel is incredibly repetitious. From the long, detailed introductions (which are repeated numerous times throughout the novel), to the multiple references to how she trained the horses, found the firestones, was raised by the Clan, gained her knowledge of healing herbs, etc the book is just a long litany of what has occurred in the previous books. Additionally, Auel doesn’t trust her readers to figure out the undercurrents of emotion from context. After showing us a confrontation between Ayla and a member of the Ninth cave, she proceeds to tell us that Ayla has made an enemy. Duh. The author does this repeatedly, telling us that a character is conflicted, disturbed, angry, loving, gentle, etc. She should trust her readers to be at least half as smart at Ayla.
The novel is mostly padding, however there is some interesting information about the painted caves in this region of current-day France and about basic survival tools that these ancient humans used. Auel has clearly done a lot of research in writing the series and I appreciate that. Those sections where she is describing the landscape or the process for tanning hides, or the many uses of various parts of an animal were vivid and interesting to me. I just wish there was more plot and substance to this book.
I started out listening to the audio version, capably performed by Sandra Burr. The unique voice she gave Ayla truly differentiated her from other characters. However, I was growing bored with the writing and so I started reading, because I could finish must faster, skimming or skipping the long introductions for example, or the second (or third) recitations of the Mother’s Song.
NOTE – if you have NOT read at least the first three books in the Earth’s Children series, this review might be considered a spoiler.
Book number five in the Earth’s Children series continues the adventures of Ayla and Jondalar. They have finally arrived back at Jondalar’s home, the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii. The people of the Ninth Cave readily welcome Jondalar back from his five-year journey, and they even welcome his foreign companion. Ayla controls animals (two horses and a wolf), was raised by “flatheads,” and is a healer. She has also invented a new, faster way to start a fire, and pioneered the use of a thread puller (needle), including using it to stitch serious wounds together. All these elements were explained in detail in previous books.
Not much really happens in this novel. Ayla gets to know Jondalar’s family and the others in the Ninth Cave. A few people are suspicious and angry about her meteoric rise to a prominent position in the group. And while she makes a few enemies, there aren’t any obvious repercussions. By the end of the novel, when she has to make a serious decision about her future within the Ninth Cave, I was just eager for something to finally happen. But I guess I’d have to read the sixth book to find out.
The novel is incredibly repetitious. From the long, detailed introductions (which are repeated numerous times throughout the novel), to the multiple references to how she trained the horses, found the firestones, was raised by the Clan, gained her knowledge of healing herbs, etc the book is just a long litany of what has occurred in the previous books. Additionally, Auel doesn’t trust her readers to figure out the undercurrents of emotion from context. After showing us a confrontation between Ayla and a member of the Ninth cave, she proceeds to tell us that Ayla has made an enemy. Duh. The author does this repeatedly, telling us that a character is conflicted, disturbed, angry, loving, gentle, etc. She should trust her readers to be at least half as smart at Ayla.
The novel is mostly padding, however there is some interesting information about the painted caves in this region of current-day France and about basic survival tools that these ancient humans used. Auel has clearly done a lot of research in writing the series and I appreciate that. Those sections where she is describing the landscape or the process for tanning hides, or the many uses of various parts of an animal were vivid and interesting to me. I just wish there was more plot and substance to this book.
I started out listening to the audio version, capably performed by Sandra Burr. The unique voice she gave Ayla truly differentiated her from other characters. However, I was growing bored with the writing and so I started reading, because I could finish must faster, skimming or skipping the long introductions for example, or the second (or third) recitations of the Mother’s Song.
souljaleonn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.75
herphoenixloves's review against another edition
5.0
This book is part of such an educational and entertaining part of the Clan of the Cave Bear series.
hunter_23's review against another edition
3.0
First two or three books in this series were great, things got a little slow by the fifth.
flagstaff's review against another edition
5.0
This was the first book of the Earth Children series that I read. Then watched the movie of the first book and read the whole series, Then waited 7 years to read the final book. That was disappointing! This is the book the series should have ended on. The meat of the story is in books 1,2, and 5 These hold up.
emmabjones's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I love this series so much. Auel is a pro at characters and setting building. This book is a great addition to an already awesome story.
hmgelo02's review against another edition
5.0
This is the fifth - and the last published - novel by [a:Jean M Auel|861|Jean M. Auel|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1206470150p2/861.jpg] in her Earth's Children series. I had waited about ten years between having finished the 4th book in the series, [b:The Plains of Passage|74389|The Plains of Passage|Jean M. Auel|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170852386s/74389.jpg|1377315] and when this novel was published to read what I'd hoped would be the next exciting chapter in the life of Ayla, the series' heroine.
What I got, however, was a book that seemed like more of a repetition of her previous four books than something that was entirely new. It is repetitive at times, enough that even on my first reading I found myself skimming through to scenes that held my interest more. However, as repetitive as this book was, I liked it far better than the one immediately preceding it. I wish that Auel had chosen to devote equal amounts of time to the timeline, which spanned about a year; rather, she chose to spend the first several hundred pages on the first 48 hours, and the next hundred on the first month. The remainder of the year is given the remaining 200 pages; it's not even, and had I not been so very curious as to how Auel would end this novel, I may not have plowed through so enthusiastically.
I've been trying to find out when her next installation will be published; if history tells us anything, it will be several more years before I'm able to find out what happens next in Ayla's life. I read rumors that what she had originally planned to be a six-book series may end up being a seven-book series. I can only hope that her next two novels finish the series on as high a note as she began it.
Note: although I began reading this series at what now seems to be a very young age, this book, as well as those that came before it, contains very graphic details of sexual acts. I would recommend this to any adult who wants to learn more about the emerging world of humans in the ice age, and who wants to read a really well-written story.
A further note: although each of these novels can be read on their own, the experience is far greater when reading them sequentially. Each novel builds upon the details on its predecessors; in this case, the sum is far greater than its parts.
What I got, however, was a book that seemed like more of a repetition of her previous four books than something that was entirely new. It is repetitive at times, enough that even on my first reading I found myself skimming through to scenes that held my interest more. However, as repetitive as this book was, I liked it far better than the one immediately preceding it. I wish that Auel had chosen to devote equal amounts of time to the timeline, which spanned about a year; rather, she chose to spend the first several hundred pages on the first 48 hours, and the next hundred on the first month. The remainder of the year is given the remaining 200 pages; it's not even, and had I not been so very curious as to how Auel would end this novel, I may not have plowed through so enthusiastically.
I've been trying to find out when her next installation will be published; if history tells us anything, it will be several more years before I'm able to find out what happens next in Ayla's life. I read rumors that what she had originally planned to be a six-book series may end up being a seven-book series. I can only hope that her next two novels finish the series on as high a note as she began it.
Note: although I began reading this series at what now seems to be a very young age, this book, as well as those that came before it, contains very graphic details of sexual acts. I would recommend this to any adult who wants to learn more about the emerging world of humans in the ice age, and who wants to read a really well-written story.
A further note: although each of these novels can be read on their own, the experience is far greater when reading them sequentially. Each novel builds upon the details on its predecessors; in this case, the sum is far greater than its parts.