Finally, I dared to embark on this series, and it was not an easy acquaintance. The writing style is truly extremely unique, but it very well emphasizes the atmosphere, for we travel 30,000 years into the past here. However, one must not only get used to the somewhat cumbersome language of the author but also to the leisurely pace in which the lifestyle and the setting of that time are described, as well as to the complete lack of language among the Neanderthals.
They could probably form sounds but mainly communicated with gestures, which was not easy for the 5-year-old Ayla, who comes from the clans of the "others", to understand.

Certainly, this was vividly executed, and the表达方式 was mainly reproduced in the thoughts of the individuals. One gets used to it, as well as to the slow rhythm of the narration - although I initially had some doubts whether the story could grip me. But then came the moment when it captivated me.
I am not knowledgeable enough to know how authentic the whole thing is portrayed, but I am of the opinion that although one "knows" a lot through the discoveries of the researchers, the interpretation of it can be very individual. What the author describes wonderfully here is the nature with all its animals and plants at that time and how the people knew how to survive with it. What variety of food and remedies was available, how the skillful use of simple tools had already created many household items for life, and how much they had created their own mystique with their nature-related belief.

It was as if they were a part of all life on earth; and the respect that grew out of it, even for the animals that they killed and from which they nourished themselves, laid the foundation for the spiritual unity with their signs.
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I was a bit bothered by the patriarchal lifestyle that she has based on the Neanderthals, as I myself am of the opinion that women had a higher position at that time, but in the course of the story, one learns why she has constructed it like this, and it also makes a sensible way.

Ayla, at any rate, after the death of her tribe, encounters a clan of Neanderthals and owes it only to the medicine woman Iza that she is taken in there. One learns still very little about the type of Ayla's tribe, only that it is different. Blonde-haired, tall, and capable of speech, in contrast to the clan that takes her in and in which the oppression of women poses some challenges for the young girl.
For she is a free spirit, and it costs her a great deal of experience and perseverance to adapt. The rules are very strict, and their disregard would mean banishment and thus death.

Particularly exciting is her "opponent" Broud. The son of the clan leader, who sees a competitor in Ayla from the beginning. He is very in need of recognition, and the special interest in this different kind of woman always annoys him. What conflicts develop from this I found particularly interesting, as well as how the clan as a whole changes through the arrival of Ayla.
Overall, the thought patterns and how it was (perhaps) felt at that time and how consequences and a change of thinking came about I found extremely exciting.
Especially how much time one took to first think about problems, to inquire, to weigh all the possibilities, and thus also to come to new decisions and a change of thinking.

Overall, a really extraordinary book about a time about which we know almost nothing really, and the author has managed to create a vivid picture.
However, it was a bit too detailed for me in places, and the many repetitions of some thoughts and circumstances were not necessary.

World Wanderer

Ayla was just 5 years old when a tragic cave-in, caused by an earthquake, took away her entire family and everyone she had ever known. Completely alone and lacking the essential survival skills, she wandered aimlessly. Then, she was injured by a cave lion and was on the verge of death when the members of the Clan of the Cave Bear discovered her. Iza, a medicine woman, couldn't turn away from a child in pain, even though Ayla was one of the "Others" (a Cro-Magnon human) and very different from the Clan (who were Neanderthals). With the permission of the Clan leader Brun, she took the young child and helped heal her wounds. Now, Ayla finds herself living among a people who are drastically different from those she was born into. First, she must learn to communicate, but the hardest part is adopting their traditions and behaving in the expected manner. She grows to love those who care for her, but she makes an enemy of Broud, the future leader of the Clan, which is bound to cause problems for her in the future.

I have been a huge fan of this series for approximately 10 years. Despite having read all the books at least 5 times, I still love The Clan of the Cave Bear as much as I did the very first time. Set around 35,000 years ago during the last Ice Age, this is the first book in an epic series that follows Ayla's journey from childhood to adulthood. This series is like taking a step back in time, and it feels as if you have experienced everything Ayla goes through right beside her.

Ayla is undoubtedly one of my favorite fictional characters. She endures so much hardship but never gives in and always fights to survive. Her life with the Clan isn't easy. Their traditions are vastly different from those she was raised with, and she struggles to understand why she isn't allowed to do the things she desires. She is adopted by Iza, an incredibly skilled medicine woman, and Creb, the Clan's Mog-Ur (spiritual leader). Iza and Creb are both fantastic characters. They have taken in a young child despite her differences and do their best to love her and keep her safe. I can assure you that you'll never view Neanderthals in the same way after getting to know the members of the Clan. Each of them is so realistic that it feels like you have actually met them.

Jean M. Auel's descriptions of the Clan's way of life and the land in which they live are fascinating and demonstrate the extensive research that went into creating the series. She manages to convey an incredible amount of information, yet it is presented in such a way that I never felt bored while reading. In fact, I loved learning about the medicinal uses of plants, the tools they used, and how they were made. Although this series is marketed as young adult, I would recommend it for older teens and adults. The Clan of the Cave Bear does contain a rape scene that some may find difficult to read, but this isn't included for dramatic effect. It fits well within the story and I believe was necessary. This series shows all aspects of life, both good and bad, which is one of the things that makes it so interesting to read. I have no doubt that after reading this story, you will be just as hooked as I am, and I'm sure you'll end up devouring the rest of the series!

This is an absolutely amazing story and series. At first, I really didn't think the topic would hold much interest for me. However, I'm extremely thankful that I was proven wrong.

Jean Auel is truly masterful in her remarkable ability to craft a story that has the power to transport you back in time. It allows you to live vicariously in Ayla's world, experiencing every moment as if it were your own. I vividly remember finding myself tightly gripping the steering wheel in my car as I listened intently to her desperate struggle for survival.

You can rest assured that you will not be disappointed. This is truly a 5-star rated experience that will leave you captivated from start to finish. It's a journey that you won't want to miss.

This is one of those stories that is extensive in terms of the number of characters, spaces, and time.

The level of detail it reaches makes it a slow-paced and very engaging book. It gives us a quite developed and justified, albeit fictional, look at what the life of our earliest and most direct ancestors might have been like, always through a familiar and close perspective.

Ayla, the protagonist, offers us a great vision of the limitations of the Neanderthal brain compared to her own, more advanced one. This perspective provides us with curious scenes like the one where the shaman of the tribe explains the concept of number - one, two, and more than two - and she immediately understands that he is talking about a continuous series that extends much further and with which simple operations can be done. These reflections, pronounced so quickly, leave the old man completely confused and even fearful.

Full review and cover design at http://sidumbledorefueralibrero.com/2...

I recently had the opportunity to reread this remarkable book, and I was so impressed that I decided to upgrade it to a full 5 stars.

The level of research that went into this work is truly phenomenal. The author has delved deep into the world of cavemen and their ways, presenting a wealth of fascinating details that bring this ancient era to life.

Not only did I (re)learn a great deal about cavemen and their unique "cave ways," but I also rediscovered the main character, Ayla. I found myself really liking her and caring for her as I followed her journey through the story.

Overall, this reread was a great experience. It reminded me of why I loved this book in the first place and introduced me to new aspects that I had previously overlooked. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well-written, engaging story with a touch of historical authenticity.

OLIVIER DELAYE

Author of the SEBASTEN OF ATLANTIS series

This is yet another book that has been gathering dust on my shelf for a considerable number of years.

I am truly glad that I have finally decided to pick it up and give it a read.

The question of whether it is historically accurate or not seems almost secondary to me.

After all, at its core, it is a story, and what a great one it is!

I found myself thoroughly enjoying the reading experience.

The plot was engaging, the characters were well-developed, and the writing style was captivating.

It made me wonder why I had waited so long to read this gem.

I truly wish that I had discovered it years ago and been able to enjoy it earlier.

Nevertheless, better late than never, and I look forward to sharing this wonderful book with others.

TRUE STORY:

Reading Clan of the Cave Bear to enhance one's comprehension of the Upper Paleolithic era is rather similar to reading Playboy mainly for the articles.

On the surface, it might seem an odd comparison. However, just as some people claim to pick up Playboy with the intention of delving into the written pieces, when one reads Clan of the Cave Bear, they may think they are getting an in-depth look at the Upper Paleolithic era.

But in reality, both scenarios often involve a bit of a guise. The allure of the more sensational or visually appealing aspects in both cases can sometimes overshadow the true educational or informational value that one might initially seek.

Nonetheless, it's an interesting observation that highlights the complex relationship between our expectations and the actual experience when engaging with certain types of media or literature.

Frankly, Auel earns points simply for taking on this period. I haven't come across any other books set during this era. Besides a basic overview, very little is known about human culture in this period, let alone Neanderthal culture. In particular, aspirations, values, and spiritual belief systems are the most difficult to infer from the material archaeological record.

Auel sidesteps the issue of delving into the complex details of culture by making the novel more about character relationships than an exotic cultural setting. It's also evident that Auel isn't a writer of thrilling action sequences, and the book could have benefited from some to break up the intense relationship dramas. Still, perhaps if writing action isn't her strength, Auel's decision to avoid it might have been a shrewd one.

The character dramas are executed extremely well, and the absence of action does afford more time to appreciate the magnificent natural environment in which Ayla moves. Although I still believe that the best novels contain a bit of everything. In any case, the hunter-gatherer environment was richly crafted, and I adored the descriptions, especially Ayla's secret clearing.

However, Auel couldn't entirely avoid creating a culture. While she doesn't have to create a culture for the Cro-Magnons in this first book, she does loosely construct one for the Neanderthals. The method of communication through gestures seems a highly plausible assumption, and the lack of sophistication in the Clan's thought processes leads to a logical conclusion. But there is no evidence to support the idea that females held an inferior and strictly submissive position in the Neanderthal hierarchy, and it's a notion I would personally contest. As I find it easy to envision the robust, stocky Neanderthal women occupying strong and equal positions in their society. Nevertheless, if an author is going to venture into the realm of pure fiction, I do appreciate, as Auel has done, the creation of something for which there is no specific evidence against and may well have been an actual possibility, rather than authors deliberately and brutally distorting known facts. The concept of animal totems in clan belief was a very interesting and striking one, although it mainly serves as a plot device. Creb's rituals sometimes verge on the line of reality towards the fantastical, but Auel just manages to get away with it without introducing magic into the proceedings and thus transforming the novel from a historical-based fiction into a ludicrous fantasy.

Ayla is the Cro-Magnon girl through whose eyes we see most of the story. She stands in sharp contrast to all the Neanderthals around her. She is inventive, adaptable, and makes lightning-fast connections in her mind. She flouts the rules about female submission to try new things, a compulsion that never occurs to the Neanderthal women. However, she is not perfect, and in addition, she is so unjustly persecuted by Broud that she does earn your sympathy.

I wouldn't call "Clan of the Cave Bear" amazing writing, but it's quite decent and an enjoyable story filled with detailed, well-developed character relationships. It kept me turning the pages until the very end. By no means is the ending a happy one, but I would recommend this book.

I read this book through one sitting, as I had read it approximately three times before. I first picked it up when I was a fourteen-year-old teenage girl who was very impressionable. Back then, it truly blew my mind. However, as a more critical adult, I found the rape of a child to be distasteful, even if it was historically accurate, considering that such things have occurred for a very long time.

I still enjoyed the reread, but it definitely reads differently when you're an adult.

My favorite aspect was the writing and the descriptive scenes. Reading this book is in the same vein as reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander. Both authors have long, detailed scenes of packing and gathering supplies, and I absolutely love scenes like those. Additionally, both are survival stories of strong, passionate women who are 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 are memorable.

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

Trigger warning for the rape of a child, child pregnancy, and abandonment issues.

I simply couldn't hold back from jotting down my thoughts on paper once I completed the first book of the "Earth's Children" series. This series, masterfully written, meticulously researched, and vividly imagined by Jean Auel, is titled "The Clan of the Cave Bear". I recall mentioning earlier that when it comes to novels or movies, there's a particular style of storytelling that I hold dear.

No matter the genre, I have a penchant for stories that feature strong characters in the lead. This is perhaps the main reason why I remember their names rather than the titles of the books, movies, or shows. For instance, I'm a huge fan of Mulder, House, Holden, Langdon, Valter, Kirk, Kate, Piper, Cross, Kovacs, Maximus, Hal, Woody, Neo, Yoda, Doc Brown, and many more. If you were to ask me to list all the titles associated with these characters, I'd likely have to turn to Google to find out most of them. With the "Earth's Children" novels, I'm certain I've added one more name to that list.

The story is still fresh in my mind today. And I'm confident that if, in the (near) future, you ask me for a recommendation of the best and most iconic prehistoric adventures of ancient Neanderthal clans and their interactions with homo sapiens, I would most probably say to go and read about Ayla.

I must admit that I grew tired of all the repetitions and sex scenes, but it was still a worthwhile read. Or you could watch the 1986 movie starring Darryl Hannah, which is based on the first book only. Or wait for the probable upcoming FOX TV show, although it's currently uncertain whether it will come to fruition. Nevertheless, "Earth's Children" definitely merits being brought to the screen. It would have to be a high-budget project, filmed with extensive use of special effects similar to those in "Rise (Down) of the Planet of the Apes", and utilizing all scientific breakthroughs to accurately depict Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons.

Full review

This story follows Ayla, a Cro-Magnon girl who lived 35,000 years ago. At the tender age of 5, she loses her family in a devastating earthquake. On the verge of death, she is discovered by a clan of Neanderthals.

Ayla is distinct from the Clan in both her appearance and the way she thinks. However, in order to survive, she must strive to conform to their ways and customs. She embarks on a journey of learning about their way of life, their religion, and the manner in which they communicate.

Although many in the Clan are initially wary of her, most come to accept her as she seems to be a lucky omen.

But as she grows older and some of her differences become more pronounced, she finds it increasingly challenging to fit in.

This was a truly interesting exploration of the earth's history. Despite the fact that the writing style wasn't the most outstanding, it was still an entertaining story. In fact, I might even consider reading the 2nd book if I happen to come across it one day.

Who knew that the story of a Cro Magnon girl could be so fascinating?

She lived with her Neanderthal clan for a time, but then left.

This unique tale takes readers on a captivating journey back to Planet Earth 15,000 years ago.

To fully immerse yourself in this interesting world, be sure to read all six books.

Each book offers a detailed and engaging look at the lives, cultures, and experiences of the people during that era.

From their daily activities to their relationships and conflicts, you'll discover a wealth of information and be entertained along the way.

So don't miss out on this opportunity to explore the past and learn about a time that is both distant and yet strangely familiar.

Pick up these books today and let the adventure begin!