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jdglasgow 's review for:
The Mammoth Hunters
by Jean M. Auel
I’ve rated all three of the books I’ve read so far in the Earth’s Children series four stars, though that’s not to say they’re equally good; or actually, maybe they are but they each have their own particular strengths. Even so, I’d still say that THE MAMMOTH HUNTERS is probably my favorite so far. It’s not perfect by any means—Auel’s tendency of repeating the same information ad nauseum is on display to an extreme degree here, and Jondalar (who was already the weakest part of the previous book) is turned into a petulant sad sack—but the story is consistently engaging nonetheless and the overall tenor of the book is one of *hope*.
As I am writing this review, one of the most popular television shows of the moment is ‘Ted Lasso’, and the reason it connects with people is the fundamental *goodness* at its heart. Every character, even those who seem to be villainous at first, is revealed to be or is able to become decent, loving, kind. I get the same sense from THE MAMMOTH HUNTERS. Although Ayla was accepted by Creb and Iza in CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR, there was always a tension about how she differed from the Clan and whether each new difference would be the breaking point in her relationship with them. This book is almost the opposite: over and over again the Mamutoi as a whole show her how welcome and wanted she is. It’s incredibly sweet.
Though this book didn’t bring me to tears exactly, it certainly brought me right to the edge on multiple occasions. One of the most shocking causes of those near-tears, and this is getting into SPOILER territory here, was Frebec. He’s introduced as a Broud-like holdout who despises Ayla on principle because of her past with the “flatheads”, but by the end he’s one of the first to come to her defense. It’s so lovely. And where the previous book introduced Whinney and Baby, this time we’ve got Racer and Wolf - both of whom are adorable additions to Ayla’s family. Aside from the dumb drama with Jondalar and Ranec (truly the Edward and Jacob of the series), the book is just instance after instance of Ayla wowing the Mamutoi or being wowed by them.
A couple of other things I want to say: throughout the series, my wife and I have commented on how similar it is to the OUTLANDER series which we read last year and earlier this year. I mentioned it again when Mamut reveals he knows Creb—that “small world” vibe where everyone is connected somehow shows up a lot in OUTLANDER. Then, just a few pages later, Ayla found a frickin’ DRAGONFLY IN AMBER. Okay, so it was only identified as a “winged insect”, but come on. We know what it was. The second thing I want to say is that when Ayla was transporting meat on her travois near the end of the book I was shocked that she has not yet invented the wheel. I assume that’s coming, though, right?
But yes. You know, I recently read THE GOLD BUG VARIATIONS by Richard Powers, which like this book is +600 pages. When I read Powers’ book, I was anxious to complete it and bothered by how long it was taking. This book also took longer than I had anticipated, in part because I am back at work after having previously been off on FMLA paternity leave. But unlike when I read Powers’ book, I never felt annoyed by how long it was taking. I enjoyed reading it; I enjoyed spending time in this world with these characters. I don’t know that I want to jump right into the next one, but maybe sooner than later. I’m excited to continue journeying with them.
As I am writing this review, one of the most popular television shows of the moment is ‘Ted Lasso’, and the reason it connects with people is the fundamental *goodness* at its heart. Every character, even those who seem to be villainous at first, is revealed to be or is able to become decent, loving, kind. I get the same sense from THE MAMMOTH HUNTERS. Although Ayla was accepted by Creb and Iza in CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR, there was always a tension about how she differed from the Clan and whether each new difference would be the breaking point in her relationship with them. This book is almost the opposite: over and over again the Mamutoi as a whole show her how welcome and wanted she is. It’s incredibly sweet.
Though this book didn’t bring me to tears exactly, it certainly brought me right to the edge on multiple occasions. One of the most shocking causes of those near-tears, and this is getting into SPOILER territory here, was Frebec. He’s introduced as a Broud-like holdout who despises Ayla on principle because of her past with the “flatheads”, but by the end he’s one of the first to come to her defense. It’s so lovely. And where the previous book introduced Whinney and Baby, this time we’ve got Racer and Wolf - both of whom are adorable additions to Ayla’s family. Aside from the dumb drama with Jondalar and Ranec (truly the Edward and Jacob of the series), the book is just instance after instance of Ayla wowing the Mamutoi or being wowed by them.
A couple of other things I want to say: throughout the series, my wife and I have commented on how similar it is to the OUTLANDER series which we read last year and earlier this year. I mentioned it again when Mamut reveals he knows Creb—that “small world” vibe where everyone is connected somehow shows up a lot in OUTLANDER. Then, just a few pages later, Ayla found a frickin’ DRAGONFLY IN AMBER. Okay, so it was only identified as a “winged insect”, but come on. We know what it was. The second thing I want to say is that when Ayla was transporting meat on her travois near the end of the book I was shocked that she has not yet invented the wheel. I assume that’s coming, though, right?
But yes. You know, I recently read THE GOLD BUG VARIATIONS by Richard Powers, which like this book is +600 pages. When I read Powers’ book, I was anxious to complete it and bothered by how long it was taking. This book also took longer than I had anticipated, in part because I am back at work after having previously been off on FMLA paternity leave. But unlike when I read Powers’ book, I never felt annoyed by how long it was taking. I enjoyed reading it; I enjoyed spending time in this world with these characters. I don’t know that I want to jump right into the next one, but maybe sooner than later. I’m excited to continue journeying with them.