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cardiac_cat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.25
goblinbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
afarre01's review against another edition
3.0
Ok story and a fast read. I didn't like the romance focus and thought the first book was much better because it focuses more on prehistoric adventure. However, if you like animals you will like this book a lot.
mrcesq's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Clan of the Cave Bears was a challenging, informative book about primitive cultures , finding your and compassion. Valley of the Horses was about cultural understanding and the tendency to be afraid of “Others.” The steamy love story did have a tendency to get in the way but the reader gets sucked in to this and accidentally learns undergraduate level understanding of xenophobia and cultural relativism. Together- a must read. Even after having courses in anthropology and sociology, this book has does the best job to showcase how we “other” cultures and pass judgements before we understand even the simplest things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
lizella's review against another edition
4.0
The Valley of Horses follows Ayla’s journey after she is exiled from the Clan and must find those she was born to, the Others. While some of the passages were a bit repetitive, the story was just as compelling as the first in the series. Ayla’s life in the valley is full of discoveries and learning how to survive by herself and with her adopted “family.”
Auel’s descriptions of the flora and fauna and Ayla’s use of and understanding of them brings the valley to life. I also liked the intertwining Ayla’s story with that of Jondalar and his brother’s journey. It prepares the reader for what awaits Ayla when she does find the others and builds the anticipation for what is to come. I also enjoyed getting to know Jondalar before his meeting with Ayla. It allowed the full weight of meaning to be felt as their relationship unfolds.
Auel’s descriptions of the flora and fauna and Ayla’s use of and understanding of them brings the valley to life. I also liked the intertwining Ayla’s story with that of Jondalar and his brother’s journey. It prepares the reader for what awaits Ayla when she does find the others and builds the anticipation for what is to come. I also enjoyed getting to know Jondalar before his meeting with Ayla. It allowed the full weight of meaning to be felt as their relationship unfolds.
elle_lauren's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
twstdtink's review against another edition
5.0
This story takes such a twist from the original plot line. But, it's a worthy novel. I would have been perfectly happy if the story had ended here. Ayla will always have a special place in my heart. The only problem with this book, and Jean Auel in general, is that she bogs the story down with technical talk. Who needs 25 pages about flint napping? I understand you did A LOT of research for this book. But, you don't need to prove that to us.
mikaiten's review against another edition
5.0
Jean Auel once again manages to do an amazing job providing a rich historical overview of a time that we can only imagine. Ayla's journey moves much slower in this novel, but it still has enough happening in it to keep a reader interested.
booksaremyfavorite's review against another edition
1.0
Ehh. Couldn't go on. Made it maybe 100 pages into this monstrosity, which was 100 pages too far. It doesn't improve. Blerg.
chilexi's review against another edition
3.0
Parts of the book were really slow and did not move along as well as the first book. I liked the new characters introduced, and have some ambivalence to the random sex scenes scattered through the book.