Reviews

The Shelters of Stone by Jean M. Auel

cpriley401's review

adventurous informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

lcoverosey's review against another edition

2.0

I agree with another reviewer,,, very repetitive from previous books in series.

athene_sionnach's review against another edition

3.0

3.5

afarre01's review against another edition

4.0

Good book - a lot like the others. This series is very repetitive, but I like all the characters.

twstdtink's review against another edition

3.0

I want to hack this book to pieces with a red pen. The meat of this story would have filled a book less than half the size. Why do you repeat the same thing over and over again, Auel? Is it because it takes you 10 years to write each book and you forget what you said? Yes, Ayla talks funny. Her animals are incredible. She believes babies are born because of pleasure. Move on! I loved the parts about the summer meeting and Ayla's pregnancy. The new characters were interesting. The story is a far cry from what it started out as though.

jennilynft's review against another edition

3.0

As is the same for the last 2 books, I love the story but have the narration... Needlessly repetitive and drawn out.

bmg20's review

3.0

Ayla and Jondalar have finally made it back to his homeland in order to settle down and start their lives together. Ayla is pregnant and worried about whether she will be accepted by his people. Ayla shocks and amazes Jondalar's people/family with her talents as a healer, animal tamer, and her ability to create fire and she is accepted almost immediately.

As with all Jean M. Auel books, 'The Shelters of Stone' is heavy on the detail and history of the land and people inhabiting it. The story doesn't build up to much in the end and I was a bit disappointed, especially since the ending was a tad expected. I waited almost a decade to read this because the size definitely frightened me and unfortunately her books can be a bit boring at times. I will probably be waiting at least another decade before deciding to delve into the last and final chapter in the Earth's Children series.

elena_gilbert's review against another edition

1.0

Drivel. Reads like a hastily filled in outline, thrown together during National Novel Writing Month, complete with shameless word padding. It's as if a completely different author took over.

kibbles_n_bitch's review against another edition

2.0

This is the Mother Song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends...

dozylocal's review against another edition

3.0

I'd rate this 3.5 stars. I still think her first two books were the best of the series. This one woud, however, be quite easy for someone who hasn't read the other four to pick up and still enjoy. I still enjoy her writing style and the historic descriptions of tools and cultures remains fascinating. However, there is a lot of repitition. She seems to have copied and pasted large parts of her other books and/or paraphrased. This is OK for a newcomer to the Ayla story. She also has a lot repetition in the book itself. One example is a lengthy poem called "The Mother's Song" (which I think she actually first introduced in an earlier book anyway) which is repeated in full and in parts a number of times for no real apparent reason. I enjoyed reading the book. I think it was longer than it needed to be. I would like to read the next one.