AUTHOR: Jean M. Auel
STARTED: December 22, 2012
FINISHED: January 6, 2013
PAGES: 529
GENRE: Fiction
FIRST SENTENCE: The naked child ran out of the hide-covered lean-to toward the rocky beach at the bend of the small river.
SUMMARY: [From Barnes and Noble] This novel of awesome beauty and power is a moving saga about people,
relationships, and the boundaries of love. Through Jean M. Auel’s
magnificent storytelling we are taken back to the dawn of modern humans,
and with a girl named Ayla we are swept up in the harsh and beautiful
Ice Age world they shared with the ones who called themselves The Clan of the Cave Bear. A natural disaster leaves the
young girl wandering alone in an unfamiliar and dangerous land until she
is found by a woman of the Clan, people very different from her own
kind. To them, blond, blue-eyed Ayla looks peculiar and ugly--she is one
of the Others, those who have moved into their ancient homeland; but
Iza cannot leave the girl to die and takes her with them. Iza and Creb,
the old Mog-ur, grow to love her, and as Ayla learns the ways of the
Clan and Iza’s way of healing, most come to accept her. But the brutal
and proud youth who is destined to become their next leader sees her
differences as a threat to his authority. He develops a deep and abiding
hatred for the strange girl of the Others who lives in their midst, and
is determined to get his revenge.
THOUGHTS: When I picked up this book, it was because I needed a big honking novel that would keep me entertained for the whole of our Christmas trip to Nashville. This novel had been taking up space in my collection for years. Now, after reading it, I don't know why I waited to long to get around to it. This was not the best story I've read, not by a long shot - but it did hit the spot.
I love books that make me want to read them. This story did that. When I had stuff going on during the day, I was bummed that I couldn't just curl up and read. At night, when my eyes started to droop, I always pushed through the sleepiness because I wanted to read "just one more page." Auel's story, setting, and characters are compelling figures. The whole book is just interesting. There is enough drama and emotion going on in the book that you feel the need to keep reading.
Was the writing spectacular? No, it was middling. Where the characters perfectly developed? Not at all; in fact some, particular the secondary characters, felt like charactertures. But the plot and setting were so different that I loved reading this book. It was the perfect book for my mood; big, door-stopper books that keep me interested are always a winner with me.
My main critique of this book is that it needed a better editor. The page count is long, and I bet you at least 50 pages could have been chopped without the story being negatively impacted. Auel repeats herself. A lot. I think she does so because certain things are mentioned 100 pages apart, but I think most readers would not have been lost if these repetitions had been axed. In fact, the emotional impact of the plot might have been more powerful if you didn't have to read through the extra explanatory material. It didn't add anything to the novel that was not already there.
If it means anything, I've already requested (and received) that second book in the series. I have a feeling I'll get around to it sooner rather than later.
RATING: 8/10 [Terrific]
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