Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by lizhasasthma
The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel
2.0
I'm having a hard time saying anything but "oof" after that ending.
Anyone who's read any of the Earth's Children books is probably aware that none of the other books really measure up to the first, and this one is no exception, but the way it ended really killed it for me. Auel already had established a pattern of not tying up plot threads and letting them become holes, but there's a LOT left unanswered at the end. It really reads like there's supposed to be another book, though there's not much hope of that considering it's been 10 years since this one was published.
My other big beef with this book is that we get a beat for beat repeat of Ayla and Jondalar's relationship problems from The Mammoth Hunters, which is even more frustrating to read a second time, though it's a fairly small part of the book.
I will say that I had fun reading this book, mostly because Ayla can be fun to read about (probably unintentionally, her exploits can come off as a little ridiculous, but I love to see a girlboss winning). Despite that, the whole thing ends up being a disappointment with such a lackluster ending and lots of repetition.
Anyone who's read any of the Earth's Children books is probably aware that none of the other books really measure up to the first, and this one is no exception, but the way it ended really killed it for me. Auel already had established a pattern of not tying up plot threads and letting them become holes, but there's a LOT left unanswered at the end. It really reads like there's supposed to be another book, though there's not much hope of that considering it's been 10 years since this one was published.
My other big beef with this book is that we get a beat for beat repeat of Ayla and Jondalar's relationship problems from The Mammoth Hunters, which is even more frustrating to read a second time, though it's a fairly small part of the book.
I will say that I had fun reading this book, mostly because Ayla can be fun to read about (probably unintentionally, her exploits can come off as a little ridiculous, but I love to see a girlboss winning). Despite that, the whole thing ends up being a disappointment with such a lackluster ending and lots of repetition.