Rating: 
Summary: A "must" in your bookshelf!
Review: I had no idea, when someone lent me this book, of what I was getting myself into. You see, when
you read the first line, it completely draws you
in, and there's no escape after that: you must
read it all, AND buy the next three. (The worst
part is that you must join us faithful readers in
waiting for number five!)
This is the story of Ayla, who is destined to
change the world as the Clan knows it. They
don't want those changes, but can't help it -
the sweet child will win all over, except for one - who will teach her about the hardships of life.
It is a most descriptive book, that really brings
you to that time and totally convices you that
those people not only existed, but left their
own story for the author to find. Well, who says
they didn't?
Rating:
Summary: Incredible read!
Review: This book came out in paperback when I was in 8th grade. The teachers tried to push it on us but at the time I was not ready to read this book. I'm extremely glad that I didn't pick it up. I would have not appreciated the incredible detail provided or ease of writing that Ms. Auel possesses. I have read all the books over and over and I am anxiously awaiting the fifth. I know I will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Classic view of an ancient extinct culture
Review: Clan of the Cave Bear gives an insight into an extinct race which evolved in a different direction than what we know of today as the human race, yet it is one that has basically the same beginnings as ours. People of the Clan, as they call themselves, refer to what we know of as the human race as the "Others", a newer, younger breed that had adapted better to the changing world around them in Ice Age Europe to replace this breed of clan people. Ayla, a girl born to the Others, is adopted by clan people when orphaned in an earthquake. Auel twists a tale of intriguing suspense and a sense of adventure and excitement as she takes us along Ayla's journey into a culture born with memories of how to behave, what is expected of them, and what life was like years before. They cannot accept change, and Ayla struggles to change her natural way of being to fit into the culture of the clan, even without these memories. But the Clan makes it difficult, thinking her blue eyes, blond hair and straight limbs are ugly, thinking her crying eyes are injured, her quickness to learn evil and odd, and her ability to speak strange. Read The Clan of the Cave Bear and experience the dawn of the life of man as we know him today from an interesting and remarkable point of view presented by Jean M. Auel
Rating:
Summary: I loved it.
Review: I loved this book. The picture Jean Auel paints is of an ancient world in a time of change. She makes the characters real, you can sense and identify with their emotions. Hurry with that next book
Rating:
Summary: This book should be required reading in history classes!!!!
Review: An engrossing fictional story based on mankind's earliest years. The heroine, Ayla, has been separated from her family by a massive earthquake. Though she is only a small child, she embarks upon a journey that will have repercussions down through the ages. After wandering for days in an unfriendly environment, she is found, nearly dead, by a band of Neanderthals who are engaged in their own quest for a new home. Though they are suspicious of the "Others", she is taken into the clan and cared for by the medicine woman, Iza. She wins the heart and loyalty of the most respected and revered member of the clan, Creb the Mog-ur (holy man). Through him and his sister, Iza, she learns the ways of the clan with difficulty and, at times, resentment. Because she is so "ugly", Iza teaches her the art of being a medicine woman so that she will have some usefulness to the clan. Iza fears that she will never mate or have children because of this "deformity". She teaches herself to hunt with a sling, although it is strictly forbidden for the women of the clan to hunt or even touch weapons. She soon becomes the most skilled hunter in the clan much to the chagrin of the clan leader's son, Broud. He is determined to put her in her place and he discovers the perfect revenge, brutal and malicious rape. Soon after, at the tender age of eleven years, Ayla gives birth to her son, Durc, who is destined to be the clan's link to the future. Broud is enraged that the infant, whom the clan deems to be deformed also, is accepted and named into the clan. Immediately upon being named as the new leader of the clan, he curses her with "death". The clan can no longer "see" her and those that loved her mourn her "death". She becomes a "spirit" whom the clan fears will take them with her if they "see" her. Suddenly, at the ripe old age of thirteen years, Ayla is once again alone and on her own. She is forced to leave her son and the clan behind her to begin a new life. This life is chronicled by the succeeding books in this enthralling series. I have read all the books Ms. Auel has written in this saga at least twice. I am anxiously awaiting the next book to be released so that I can continue to participate in Ayla's amazing story. Please hurry Ms. Auel, five years is a long time to wait for the next book in the series and I desperately need an Ayla "fix"
Rating:
Summary: Makes us revisit the earth' structure that was.
Review: The saga of Ayla is beautiful to follow. A riveting book that makes us look forward to the other series. It is full of heart and compassion
Rating:
Summary: A moving beginning to a marvelous trilogy.
Review: I found The Clan of the Cave Bear to be a wonderfully written book. It is my personal favorite. The story is about a young girl whose is left alone, by none of her own doing, and must fend for herself. The author writes the book in an extremely moving and realistic way. Although the clan that finds the young girl is one of very few words, Auel portrays their emotions as if they were speaking right into you're own heart. The beginning is not at all slow or hard to get into. Instead, it starts out beautifully, by introducing the main character in a bubbling flow of descriptive words. You will not be able to put the book down once you start reading it, so I'd recommend grabbing a rather large box of tissues before you begin. The book may be a bit too challenging for somewhat younger readers, and has some sections that they probably ought not be reading. I really recommend this book, I loved it and I'm sure you will too
Rating:
Summary: You will FALL IN LOVE with Auel's Ayla!!
Review: You must read this book! I highly, highly recommend it, along with the rest of the Earth Children's Series. You will love these books! Ayla is the strongest, most beautiful, lovable character I have ever confronted in literature. If I could meet any fictional character - it would without a doubt be Ayla. :-) The books are written beautifully as well. Auel does a fabulous job bringing the ice-age to life through breathtaking images and memorable characters. My ONLY complaint in this series is that the sex scenes are ridiculously "too perfect" - Augh. They could definitely be shorter, and there could be fewer of them. (You will not encounter these though, until the later books in the series, if you decide to read on.) I am a little hesitant for the final (6th) book to come out though... the 5th one ended on such a high note, I'm afraid to read on. Eeep.
Rating:
Summary: I'm absurdley attracted to novel series....
Review: This book is the first in a series to capture my imagination. To me, a novel that holds my interest must hold *some* realistic bearing of truth. At the same time however it MUST have a severe overlay of fiction. Believable, but definitely fiction. That's what I love about books. And this series is beyond fact, but it inspires my creative senses and imagination.
Gotta love a book like this. I began reading this series YEARS ago..when I was in middle school. I read the first two, and havne't had funds/memory to pick up the rest.
Wow. I definitely recommend this series.
Rating:
Summary: This Book Rocks!!!
Review: No, really. This book falls under the category of being too well-researched. It reads like an odd combination of margin-scrawled Mary Sue and a Geology textbook. Right in the middle of potentially deep plot twists we are assaulted with a treatise on plants (some of which are not native to Europe, though for all her research the author hasn't got that figured out yet) minerals (pyrite ahoy!) and all sorts of boring details that could have easily been transformed into the main character's observations of her world in a much more subtle and readable way. As they are, it's merely distracting, and pulls attention away from character believability.
I can see why this book is so popular, and why the series simply will not die. However, it seems that all the issues that happen in the book (A struggle for a woman who wants to achieve social equality, birth/death/euthanasia of deformed children, the concept of insecure men trying to justify their manhood by raping women, being rejected as an outsider from society, etc) are, to be fair, issues that do, in some ways, transcend all times and places. However, Auel seems to be trying to make a comment on our own society through this struggle in her books by making the Neanderthal men the scapegoats for everything that is wrong in the world.
On top of all that, her main character, Ayla, is purposefully set apart to completely walk on water. She sings (wow!) cries (egads!) discovers reproduction, weaves baskets, makes knives, hunts, gathers, invents gloves, wrangles wild wildebeests with her BARE HANDS, memorizes herbs, cooks, hunts, is given equality with the men for a short time, learns everything super fast... oh yes did I mention she hunts? And she doesn't ever, ever have any sort of opposition besides the uninspiring force of society against her, which doesn't work at all for a struggle because she's not from their society in the first place. There is no sense of bringing the people who raised her with her progression either, because the whole society is written to be so stupid and only serve the purpose of making her look better.
And while we're on the subject of looking better, can we please, please, for once in the history of published Mary-Sues *not* have a character who is tall, athletic, blue-eyed and with "Wavy, thick blonde hair?" I don't care how perfect you are, you can't keep long hair (which of course Auel describes as "fine" earlier on in the book... go figure) free of tangles and healthy and shiney when you're more worried about hunting (oh yes did I mention she can hunt?) and providing for your family.
Except they're not her family, and even though we keep getting told that there are others like Ayla, we never see it, and Auel makes many frustrating presumptions upon an ancient society that it is not her place to make. Yes, you can research axes and spears and whatever still remains, but you have no right to assume that these people were really that dumb, especially when the only reason that they are dumb is to, what else, make your own character look that much smarter.
Bottom line: This book is written by a well-meaning, somewhat well-researched woman who either has issues with her own gender and status in society, thinks men are all stupid brutes, really really wants to be blonde and pretty and talented... Or all of the above. And when that is easy to see, the rest of the plot, however interesting, just falls flat.
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