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hmgelo02's review against another edition
5.0
This book is the second in [a:Jean M Auel|861|Jean M. Auel|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1206470150p2/861.jpg]'s Earth Children series. This is, perhaps, my favorite of all her novels. I've read this book as many times as the first ([b:Clan of the Cave Bear|1295|The Clan of the Cave Bear|Jean M. Auel|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1158008569s/1295.jpg|1584694]), at least once a year since I was 12.
This is the continued story of Ayla, a young woman who grew up within a Neanderthal community, but who leaves her family in order to find people of her own. Much of this novel takes place with Ayla learning to live on her own in the great, wide world. Throughout the course of its pages, she learns not only to survive, but to thrive. She makes startling discoveries, and begins to carve out a life of her own. She sets the example of a young woman who needs no one else to get by, whose strength and tenacity are enough to support not only herself, but others as well. It is the story of strength, courage, and great love.
Note: although I began reading [b:The Valley of Horses|40493|The Valley of Horses|Jean M. Auel|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169436628s/40493.jpg|630903] at what now seems to be a very young age, this book, as well as its sequels, 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; it's long, but it's worth it.
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.
This is the continued story of Ayla, a young woman who grew up within a Neanderthal community, but who leaves her family in order to find people of her own. Much of this novel takes place with Ayla learning to live on her own in the great, wide world. Throughout the course of its pages, she learns not only to survive, but to thrive. She makes startling discoveries, and begins to carve out a life of her own. She sets the example of a young woman who needs no one else to get by, whose strength and tenacity are enough to support not only herself, but others as well. It is the story of strength, courage, and great love.
Note: although I began reading [b:The Valley of Horses|40493|The Valley of Horses|Jean M. Auel|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169436628s/40493.jpg|630903] at what now seems to be a very young age, this book, as well as its sequels, 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; it's long, but it's worth it.
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.
jillyrabb101's review against another edition
3.0
I adore historical fiction. At times, Auel can get too monotonous in describing the landscape.
ramossnr's review against another edition
3.0
In the second book of the Earth's Children series, we follow two narratives: Ayla, our protagonist from [b:The Clan of Cave Bear|40611463|The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth's Children #1)|Jean M. Auel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529681430l/40611463._SY75_.jpg|1584694] sets out on her own after being banished from the only home she knows, and Jondalar, a man on a grand journey with his brother. Surprise, surprise, their narratives intersect about half way through the novel.
As some very humorous reviews describe, Ayla reflects on how babies are born a lot. She also becomes aroused by two horses mating. It's weird. But there's also lots of good!
We learn more about how Cro-Magnon people live through Jondalar's journey. There are certainly some creepy parts: Jondalar spends a lot of time ruminating on how some men are tempted by girls who haven't had their first periods and how he enjoys First Rites, a coming of age experience where a girl has sex for the first time. That's balanced with more deep descriptions of survival and plant lore I love. We also get to see how religion and customs vary across different peoples.
We get to see Ayla learn to survive on her own, and the trend of "Ayla created all that is good" begins here. I started keeping a list of things Ayla discovers - for [b:The Valley of the Horses|74341|The Clan of the Cave Bear, the Valley of Horses, the Mammoth Hunters, the Plains of Passage (Earth's Children, #1-4)|Jean M. Auel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1235059058l/74341._SY75_.jpg|1686047] Ayla discovers (in no particular order and a non-exhaustive list): how to start fire with iron pyrite and flint, hair braiding, whistling, horse domestication, horseback riding, panniers, and stitches. Don't worry, she discovers more stuff in subsequent books.
There is a fair amount of repetition and clunky writing, which is why I gave it three stars, but I continue to find the content entrancing, even after multiple readings (I must be up to four or five reads).
As some very humorous reviews describe, Ayla reflects on how babies are born a lot. She also becomes aroused by two horses mating. It's weird. But there's also lots of good!
We learn more about how Cro-Magnon people live through Jondalar's journey. There are certainly some creepy parts: Jondalar spends a lot of time ruminating on how some men are tempted by girls who haven't had their first periods and how he enjoys First Rites, a coming of age experience where a girl has sex for the first time. That's balanced with more deep descriptions of survival and plant lore I love. We also get to see how religion and customs vary across different peoples.
We get to see Ayla learn to survive on her own, and the trend of "Ayla created all that is good" begins here. I started keeping a list of things Ayla discovers - for [b:The Valley of the Horses|74341|The Clan of the Cave Bear, the Valley of Horses, the Mammoth Hunters, the Plains of Passage (Earth's Children, #1-4)|Jean M. Auel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1235059058l/74341._SY75_.jpg|1686047] Ayla discovers (in no particular order and a non-exhaustive list): how to start fire with iron pyrite and flint, hair braiding, whistling, horse domestication, horseback riding, panniers, and stitches. Don't worry, she discovers more stuff in subsequent books.
There is a fair amount of repetition and clunky writing, which is why I gave it three stars, but I continue to find the content entrancing, even after multiple readings (I must be up to four or five reads).
janeyre9's review against another edition
5.0
I. Love. Ayla!!
Man, this book. I don't know if I ever truly understood atmosphere in literature before. Now, after this book and it's predecessor, The Clan of the Cave Bear, I finally know the meaning. You will feel everything these characters go through - their fears, lusts, grief, joys, anger, shame, love, frustration, etc. etc. etc. You'll live in the cave, hunt the animals, experience their pleasures, eat their food, and go on their journeys. This is a stellar second installment of this series that is unlike anything I have read or seen. Ayla continues to be my new favorite literary heroine. She is fascinating and bold and her story touches on a period that has so much ground to explore. I cannot believe I have gone so long not knowing Ayla and am anxious to continue rooting her on.
Man, this book. I don't know if I ever truly understood atmosphere in literature before. Now, after this book and it's predecessor, The Clan of the Cave Bear, I finally know the meaning. You will feel everything these characters go through - their fears, lusts, grief, joys, anger, shame, love, frustration, etc. etc. etc. You'll live in the cave, hunt the animals, experience their pleasures, eat their food, and go on their journeys. This is a stellar second installment of this series that is unlike anything I have read or seen. Ayla continues to be my new favorite literary heroine. She is fascinating and bold and her story touches on a period that has so much ground to explore. I cannot believe I have gone so long not knowing Ayla and am anxious to continue rooting her on.
rebcamuse's review against another edition
3.0
Spoilers only if you haven't read publisher summary/back of the book.
This honestly sits between two and four stars for me, and I had a similar ambivalence toward [b:The Clan of the Cave Bear|40611463|The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth's Children #1)|Jean M. Auel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529681430l/40611463._SY75_.jpg|1584694]. As with the first book, there are many, many, many passages that are chockfull of anthropological detail and that is either a blessing or a curse, depending on the reader's mindset. What is positive is that Ayla gets a lot more character definition here simply by spending a few years by herself--we learn of her survival and adaptation and in so doing, get to know here more as a character, rather than a symbol of human development. But there are places where it starts to feel like a field guide to surviving alone in a cave, and this can be tedious if making fire with flint and dehydrating meat aren't your favorite pastimes.
The first 300 pages (or so) feature two storylines, and if you read the back cover blurb, you know that they will at some point join each other. This expectation marred the book for me somewhat as 300 pages was too long to wait, but not long enough for me to care enough about the characters other than Ayla. This isn't necessarily a fault of the book, but I wish I hadn't read the blurb. What's more, when the two storylines do...merge....there is, well... A LOT of sex. All of a sudden Call of the Wild turns into a Harlequin Romance. Seemingly, when not hunting, copulation is the no. 1 choice of activity. I'm not bothered by the vivid descriptions as much as it becomes the substantial narrative of the book and distracts from the far more interesting struggle of Ayla's sense of cultural identity. This struggle, through conversation with Jondalar, was for me, the most interesting part of the book, and the commentary on racism and bigotry, although rather obvious, is important for our historical and present consciousness.
The book could be shorter to be sure...trying to maintain the narrative of a journey in one storyline, and a survival epic in another, is a challenge. There are multiple tribes of folks to keep track of, and Auel describes everything with assiduous detail. Just as you get hooked on the secondary storyline, however, she whisks you back to "meanwhile...back at the ranch..", ok....cave. If you really enjoyed Clan of the Cave Bear, this is a worthwhile sequel. Ultimately, however, it tries to be a lot of different things, and not always successfully. I'm intrigued enough to read [b:The Mammoth Hunters|49824|The Mammoth Hunters (Earth's Children #3)|Jean M. Auel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388257676l/49824._SY75_.jpg|927520] in the hope that it gets more into the anthropological differences and socialization aspects promised by the preview. But ultimately, not every book has to be a "saga" and I feel the self-conscious attempts by the author to be "epic" diminish a lot of what is valuable in these books.
This honestly sits between two and four stars for me, and I had a similar ambivalence toward [b:The Clan of the Cave Bear|40611463|The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth's Children #1)|Jean M. Auel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529681430l/40611463._SY75_.jpg|1584694]. As with the first book, there are many, many, many passages that are chockfull of anthropological detail and that is either a blessing or a curse, depending on the reader's mindset. What is positive is that Ayla gets a lot more character definition here simply by spending a few years by herself--we learn of her survival and adaptation and in so doing, get to know here more as a character, rather than a symbol of human development. But there are places where it starts to feel like a field guide to surviving alone in a cave, and this can be tedious if making fire with flint and dehydrating meat aren't your favorite pastimes.
The first 300 pages (or so) feature two storylines, and if you read the back cover blurb, you know that they will at some point join each other. This expectation marred the book for me somewhat as 300 pages was too long to wait, but not long enough for me to care enough about the characters other than Ayla. This isn't necessarily a fault of the book, but I wish I hadn't read the blurb. What's more, when the two storylines do...merge....there is, well... A LOT of sex. All of a sudden Call of the Wild turns into a Harlequin Romance. Seemingly, when not hunting, copulation is the no. 1 choice of activity. I'm not bothered by the vivid descriptions as much as it becomes the substantial narrative of the book and distracts from the far more interesting struggle of Ayla's sense of cultural identity. This struggle, through conversation with Jondalar, was for me, the most interesting part of the book, and the commentary on racism and bigotry, although rather obvious, is important for our historical and present consciousness.
The book could be shorter to be sure...trying to maintain the narrative of a journey in one storyline, and a survival epic in another, is a challenge. There are multiple tribes of folks to keep track of, and Auel describes everything with assiduous detail. Just as you get hooked on the secondary storyline, however, she whisks you back to "meanwhile...back at the ranch..", ok....cave. If you really enjoyed Clan of the Cave Bear, this is a worthwhile sequel. Ultimately, however, it tries to be a lot of different things, and not always successfully. I'm intrigued enough to read [b:The Mammoth Hunters|49824|The Mammoth Hunters (Earth's Children #3)|Jean M. Auel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388257676l/49824._SY75_.jpg|927520] in the hope that it gets more into the anthropological differences and socialization aspects promised by the preview. But ultimately, not every book has to be a "saga" and I feel the self-conscious attempts by the author to be "epic" diminish a lot of what is valuable in these books.
cpriley401's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
kendraerin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
3.0
This book took a long time to finish. It's a good idea and not a bad execution, but as a reader, it can be difficult. Nearly every chapter for the first 2/3rds or more of the book switches POVs between Ayla and Jondalar. They don't cross paths, their actions don't affect each other, it's two completely different stories until they meet. Again, I don't hate the idea, I would just have preferred the book to spend less time switching back and forth by sticking longer with one POV before switching to the other (I would split it into four parts— Ayla's getting settled in the Valley, Jondalar's journey with Thonolan, a third where the POV switch does happen, and the fourth where Ayla and Jondalar fall in love and get to know each other).
Unsurprisingly, Auel continues to be very detailed, exact, and blunt with the environment and actions of the animals and characters. Her research was very thorough and as someone who has always been interested in anthropology (thanks to my mother, who recommended these books and studied anthropology in college), I love this!
It is very explicit and can become violent, though not as violent as the first book. I prefer to go into books blind, but I figured they would come up. If you have anything you're worried about or are trying to avoid, be aware of trigger warnings!
Unsurprisingly, Auel continues to be very detailed, exact, and blunt with the environment and actions of the animals and characters. Her research was very thorough and as someone who has always been interested in anthropology (thanks to my mother, who recommended these books and studied anthropology in college), I love this!
It is very explicit and can become violent, though not as violent as the first book. I prefer to go into books blind, but I figured they would come up. If you have anything you're worried about or are trying to avoid, be aware of trigger warnings!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Grief, Child death, Medical content, Death of parent, Sexual content, Death, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, and Animal death
andyreadsalot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25