This is a great novel; it’s a real masterpiece. I love the whole series but I think this is by far the best book in it, and it stands on its own although I became completely hooked and I’ve eagerly awaited every new book in the series, and I really hope Auel finishes this series! I really admire these epic books. I appreciate stories that are historical fiction or fantasy where a complex society and intricate details about the lives of the inhabitants are described. I feel that I learned so much about the evolution of and differences between Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon people, and could discern homo-sapien’s traits and personalities in both groups which made it a fun as well as emotionally involving read. I loved everything about Ayla and much about her new tribe as well. Loved learning about how herbs and foods and medicines were used and prepared, and was surprised and excited by the expertise shown. Know the “facts” here involve some conjecture, but Auel has done more than adequate research, in my opinion.

A quick note- I call this a "historical fiction" since it is set in Prehistoric Europe during the Ice Age (the Pleistocene Epoch lasted from 35,000-25,000 BCE with a period of interstadial, a warming period during which the events of the book take place). Thus much of the story is backed up by a great deal of research. So why this note? I wish to issue a cautionary note to her description of "shared memory" (which is still very misunderstood outside certain animals) and her calling it "telepathy". I understand where she is going with that logic, but she treads perilously close to fantasy IMHO. But ignoring that tidbit the rest of the story is quite plausible and the herbs/foods/utensils are quite accurate to the time.

The Clan of the Cave Bear are Neanderthals. As they are migrating to look for a new cave, they come across a little girl named Ayla. Ayla is one of the Others (Cro-Magnon). The rest of the story is how Ayla integrates into the Clan. Through the characters, Jean Auel is able to transport the reader into the practices and the daily life of this Clan. Their foods, rituals, traditions are all here and plausibly explained. I really enjoyed and was impressed with the author's depth of research for many of the things that she mentions- from medicinal herbs, foodstuffs, the creation and use of utensils.

The story is also fun and exciting. Ayla's attempts to integrate into the Clan serve to illustrate the differences between the two types of humans. One can read between the lines and see the inevitable end of the Clan, in terms of biological advancement, throughout the story as they seem unable to truly adapt to radically new environments. However, these are not savages banging on rocks. There is drama, politics, honor and spiritual rituals all well explained throughout the story. If you are interested in what life was like during this time, then Ayla's adventures with the Clan will be your gateway into this world.

Well written, easy to read and doing a great job of explaining daily life without being pedantic-this was a really fun read. I look forward to finding the rest of this series and finishing it. I would highly recommend this to any fan of historical fiction set in Prehistoric times.

It's been about a decade since I read this story and re-reading it was even better.

Alla fine della lettura di questo romanzo il maggior rammarico è stato pensare che l'ho incredibilmente lasciato nella mia libreria per 23 anni dall'acquisto senza mai decidermi a leggerlo! In compenso la consapevolezza di essere in possesso del successivo volume mi rallegra enormemente perché mi permette da subito di continuare la lettura di questa meravigliosa saga! Infatti questo primo romanzo della serie ambientata circa 30.000 anni fa, verso la fine dell'ultima glaciazione mi ha letteralmente avvinto alle sue pagine permettendomi di apprendere sia pur in forma romanzata com'era organizzata e come si svolgeva la vita quotidiana di un clan di umani nella preistoria nell'arco delle stagioni e di conoscere i tanti aspetti che regolavano la vita dei nostri antenati in assenza della tecnologia moderna. Ma anche l'intreccio della trama del romanzo si è dimostrata vincente grazie all'abilità della scrittrice che ha saputo raccontare nel microcosmo di una piccola comunità il concatenarsi dei sentimenti positivi e negativi propri dei singoli e dell'insieme di un enclave soprattutto grazie all'idea originalissima di inserire un personaggio di rottura, la giovanissima Ayla, nel contesto apparentemente "tranquillo" del clan regolato da rigide leggi tramandate oralmente. E sarà Ayla con la sua "novità", con la sua struttura mentale aperta e proiettata al futuro a scombussolare il clan e cercare di migliorarlo. La trama non mostra mai cedimenti nonostante il volumetto sfiori le 500 pagine, e scorre via piacevolissima per una lettura senza intoppi. Impossibile non dare il massimo delle stellette!

I checked out this audiobook because I knew it was a bestseller a few decades ago, and I figured that since it was a bestseller, it must be good. Oh, how wrong we can be at times.

I hate to slam books because I know authors put a lot of work into them, but I have to do it this time. This book was bad for so many reasons. First, there was a lot of repetition and needless detail. A couple hundred pages could have been cut from the manuscript without changing the story at all. How many times did we need to hear why Broud hated Ayla? Or that people feared Creb? And for people who didn’t speak with their mouths, the author certainly gave us a lot of redundant chitchat.

If these had been the books only sins, I could have forgiven them. But here’s the thing, the author created this horrible, abusive, downright evil society and then wanted us to like and care about the characters.
Here’s the life of the clan in a nutshell: They horribly abuse women. Women have no rights, can only speak to a man if he allows it, can be beaten or killed for any small offence, (Such as not getting pregnant, making a man lose face, disobeying a man, being insolent to a man, resisting rape, or not killing her baby when the leader tells her to.)

Clan life also includes cannibalism (but they do it with the utmost reverence—the author tells us), abortion, infanticide, rape, incest, dancing that verges on erotic (the author tells us twice in case we forgot it the first time) and drug use. A woman is required to have sex with any man who wants it, and free love is practiced. They view sex as a natural practice, the author told us more than once, and no one in the clan thought anything of children having sex. Hello--creepy.
Ayla is an outsider, whose parents were killed in an earthquake. The clan found her when she was five and near death. Iza, the medicine woman takes her in and makes Ayla her daughter.

So the story is about Ayla learning clan ways and getting beaten regularly (and at one point nearly to death) by Broud, the clan chief’s son.

I kept reading/listening because I figured the story was going to be about Ayla escaping from the clan and their abusive ways. I thought she would go find her only people.

In Ayla’s tenth year, Broud rapes Ayla brutally and every day. Her clan mother and father know this—everyone knows it because it happens out in public. And no one does anything to help her. They don’t think it’s wrong—because women have no rights.

Okay, at that point in the book, nothing could redeem these people, and I only kept listening because I was hoping that a comet would strike them all, wipe them out, and Ayla would get to move on. But nom it just kept getting worse. She gets pregnant, has a baby that looks like her (not of the clan) and so she runs away so she won’t have to kill it.

At last, I thought, Ayla has seen this society as evil and will escape from them. No again. She goes back, repentant and ready to die for her disobedience.

Really? Come on.

And the author keeps putting us in the mind of the Ayla’s mother and father and the clan leader—telling us that they’re really good people.
No, no they aren’t. They’re horrible. It made me cringe that Ayla felt so bad about doing things that disappointed them. Like, Oh, I was so wrong to disappoint you with some minor offense, and now you feel badly about having to curse me.

I don’t think you can always draw conclusions about an author from their books, but this one made me wonder if the author suffered an abusive background and was trying to work out—and justify—the abuse. I’ve heard more than one victim defending their abusers. They have a hard time understanding that their abusers are bad people and they themselves shouldn’t have to live with the abuse.

Luckily the audiobook was easy to skip through, so I didn’t have to listen through every minute of the book to find out what happened. I wanted to know if Ayla ever came t her senses and got away from these people.

Spoiler Alert: Broud becomes chief, takes her child away from her and demotes her father. When she complains/begs him not to do this he has the clan magician put a death curse on her.

I should take a moment to explain the death curse. Even though the clan has been around for 100,000 years, they aren’t all that bright. For example, they have never figured out that sex causes babies or that a baby inherits characteristics from his mother and father. You would have thought someone during all of those centuries would have noticed this basic part of life, but apparently not.

They do, however, think that if the magician curses you, you are instantly dead. The person they still see standing in front of them is an evil spirit who is there only to lure them into the spirit world. They won’t talk to, acknowledge, or touch the evil spirit.

So in the last scene when Ayla is cursed, she knows she has to go find somewhere else to live. At this point, I would have been happy had she taken out her sling and used it on Broud. That would have been a satisfying ending. After all, she’s good with the sling and she’s already dead, so what can the clan do to her? They think she’s a spirit so they’re afraid to touch her. Perfect revenge.

In fact, she should have killed Broud, and then taken her baby before leaving.

The author, unfortunately, overlooked this overdue but nonetheless satisfying ending in favor of more victimhood. Ayla challenges Broud to hit her. (That will make up for, um, nothing.) She tells him he can take everything away from her including her baby, but he can’t make her die.

Well, I guess that showed him. He totally got his comeuppance. The End.
I really have no idea why this book was so popular.

Man labai didelį įspūdį padarė kiek autorė įdėjo pastangų ir laiko šiai knygų serijai parašyti. Įdomūs faktai, kaip žmonės gyveno, medžiojo, keliavo, vadovavo, kokių tradicijų ir tikėjimų laikėsi. Ši knyga - kaip istorijos vadovėlis romano forma. Vietomis sunkiai skaitėsi, bet kuo toliau tuo susidomėjimas vis augo. Pats siužetas įdomus, maža mergaitė, vienintelė išgyvenusi po žemės drebėjimo. Ją beklaidžiojančią randa kita gentis, mažiau išsivysčiusi. Ji priglaudžiama geros širdies gydytojos. Tik visi mato, mergaitė kitokia, vikresnė, sumanesnė, aukštesnė.. Jiems ji kelia pasibjaurėjimą ir baimę. Su ja elgiamasi ypač griežtai, kai kurie jos nekenčia visa širdimi, bet ji sugeba prisitaikyti ir netgi pelno pagarbą.

Knygoje galbūt ne tiek daug veiksmo, kiek skrupulingo gamtos ir genties gyvenimo sąlygų aprašymo. Mamutų gyvavimo laikai. Tikrai patiks ne kiekvienam, bet perskaityti manau verta, bent jau tą pirmąją dalį :)

I circled around this series for a long time, unable to decide if it was something I was interested in or not. However it's been recommended to me many times, so I began to pick up the book second hand over a few years - - as ever, it was the first books that I took a while to find.

It was an unexpectedly brilliant read. I thought I would enjoy it, I didn't go in with the idea that it would be dull or a waste of time, but I hadn't counted on the intensity of it. It's got a soap opera feel to it in some ways maybe, but it's done in an epic, rather believable (for this reader at least) way. Of course everything is dramatic, and like many books the heroine experiences a dizzyingly vast array of disasters and misfortunes. It's not really a spoiler to say that she loses her entire family, and all her people, right at the beginning. And then wanders lost and starving. And then is attacked by a cave lion - and at this point the book is just getting started. But I bought into it all, and was riveted.

This was a very creative book, filling in history that in many ways is unknowable with ideas that make sense. Ayla's life with the Neanderthal Clan who find her is endlessly fascinating, and I especially loved anything featuring Creb, my favourite character.

There are harrowing details aplenty, violence of all kinds, including sexual, lots of hunting (which I had expected) and an environment that is harsh but also beautiful. I noticed some readers don't love the information heavy aspects of the novel, but for me these were a highlight. I realise these books are fiction, so I'm not claiming this series will make me any kind of expert, but the author has clearly done her research and her passion for the knowledge she has accumulated and woven into her story shows. I spent a lot of time Googling various things she mentioned, and that in itself added to my level of involvement in the world she was building

I also didn't expect the hunting scenes to be so interesting. Although I have no desire to follow suit, it was incredible to read about the hunts, and even learning something about ancient weapons. It's not all killing, there is much focus on gathering as well, and herbal medicine, which was interesting and was another topic I was looking up online as I read.

The initially small ways in which Ayla began to grow into herself, and push back against the Clan was inspiring. When she began hunting in secret, practicing with her slingshot until she was better than the men, I cheered her on, while feeling a great deal of worry for her. I also had sympathy for the clan. As time goes on the differences between Ayla and her adopted family become more stark. Yet neither are truly at fault - they are simply different.

Well, I say neither are truly at fault, but in reality, Broud cannot be excused by mere difference. He is a bully - and I could use many other, stronger words to describe him. I'll stick with bastard. I realise most stories have a villain. Jean M. Auel really delivered with this one. Some people might find the repeated rape difficult to read (I did and I am not overly sensitive [I don't think] about these things, especially historical fiction) but I also think realistically this would have been a weapon used. It still is a weapon used. However, if this a topic you struggle with, I would skip this book.

When Ayla eventually has her son, I knew, as I'm sure most readers did too, especially when it becomes clear what a good mother she is and how devoted she is, that she was likely to be separated from this child somehow. I was anticipating this, and it was still an emotional blow when it finally happened.
In some ways having the echo of the opening of the novel was a little on the nose, yet I also thought it worked. And this time, though alone again, Ayla is not a little girl, she is skilled, capable, and has been told to search for her own people. There is a kind of hope in that ending - and I was glad I had a copy of the second book to resume the story!

There were many other things I loved - the relationship between Ayla and her adopted mother, Iza and the information Iza shares with Ayla about medicine and healing. I loved the landscapes, the family dynamics, the spiritual ceremonies, even if one did make me feel physically sick. Most of all I loved the totems, spirit animals and the signs. I am someone who is rather practical in may ways, but also drawn to things like signs, and Ayla's experience with the signs that guide her was oddly resonant (though I've never had to contend with a cave lion) as was the attitude she took to keep herself going during the gruelling challenges she faced. In a way I think the novel focuses on resilience, and perhaps learning some independence. But it's also set up so she will use that independence to find her people, so it's not this idea that you don't need anybody, but maybe that you shouldn't be entirely dependent on them. Or maybe I am over-thinking it!

Anyway, I loved this book. It's taken me months to review it (eleven months actually), so I've probably left out points I originally intended to make, but do remember a fair bit, especially that I read this at an ideal time, and it was clarifying and enlightening about things in my life that were utterly unrelated to the novel, yet were heavily influenced by it anyway. I am grateful to Jean M. Auel for that, and also for writing a hugely entertaining and interesting story.

The thing that strikes me most about her work is that every time there's a new discovery about how paleolithic people lived, it goes along with her stories. Things they said were silly back when she wrote it (Neanderthals with instruments, Neanderthals living with homo sapiens sapiens, and the like) keep proving true.

She presents interesting ideas of cognition, culture and how societies develop. The first two books are her best I think. The rest remain interesting if you can deal with the constant repetition, soft core porn and the fact that Ayla discovers everything but cold fusion.

Clan of the Cave Bear is an incredible, courageous story. The author spent a lot of time hanging out with some of the world's most noted paleontologists doing her research- and she knows her stuff!

I read this through one sitting, as I'd read it about three times before. I first picked it up back as a fourteen year old teenage girl that was very impressionable. This blew my mind then, but the more critical adult version of me found the rape of a child distasteful even if historically accurate, in that this is how things have been for a very long time. I enjoyed the reread but it definitely reads different when you're an adult.

My favorite thing was the writing and descriptive scene. Reading this is the same vein as reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, in that both authors have long, detailed scenes of packing and gathering supplies and I love scenes like those. These are both a survival stories also, of strong, passionate women determined to make it through no matter what. The writing can be a bit slow at times, but the story itself is good and the characters memorable.

4.5 ⭐ rounded up for fond childhood memories of reading a favorite new book and that feeling still lingers with the book even now.

TW for rape of a child and child pregnancy, abandonment issues.

Esta es una de esas historias amplias en cuanto a número de personajes, espacios y tiempo. El nivel de detalle que alcanza lo hace un libro pausado y muy envolvente. Nos regala una mirada, aunque ficticia, bastante desarrollada y justificada, de los que pudo ser la vida de nuestros primeros antepasados más directos, siempre a través de una perspectiva familiar y cercana.

Ayla, la protagonista, nos ofrece una visión genial de las limitaciones del cerebro de los Neandertales con respecto al suyo propio, más avanzado. Esta perspectiva nos brinda escenas curiosas como esa en que el mago de la tribu le explica el concepto de número -uno, dos y más de dos-, y ella inmediatamente entiende que está hablando de una serie continua que se prolonga mucho más allá y con la que se pueden hacer operaciones sencillas. Estas reflexiones, pronunciadas de manera tan ágil, dejan al anciano totalmente desconcertado e incluso temeroso.

Reseña completa y diseño de portada en http://sidumbledorefueralibrero.com/2...

What a great re-read. I definitely got A WHOLE LOT more out of this than I did when I was about 9 years old. I will be keeping my rating at a high 4!

The amount of research it must have taken to complete this book is impressive. Although at times long-winded, Auel's descriptions of the prehistoric setting really transports the reader right back into that time period. And what we don't know from history, she manages to expertly fill in the gaps with her imagination, creating a fascinating mythology and believable cast of characters.

The main character, Ayla, is incredibly resilient and interesting to follow. I cared deeply about what happened to her and was constantly enthralled to learn what her future would hold. I look forward to continuing on with the series and finally finishing what I started almost 20 years ago.

I reread this recently and decided to upgrade it to 5 stars. The amount of research in this book is phenomenal and the plot better than I remembered. Not only have I (re)learned loads of stuff about cavemen and "cave ways," I've also rediscovered Ayla, the main character, and found myself really liking her and caring for her. So yeah, great reread!

OLIVIER DELAYE
Author of the SEBASTEN OF ATLANTIS series
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