An orphaned Cro-Magnon child was adopted by a clan of Neanderthals. This story is well researched and extremely descriptive, painting a vivid picture of what life might have been like 35,000 years ago. I'm not certain that I would have been able to survive for long in such circumstances!

I first read this when I was 13, which was over 30 years ago. At that time, there were only 3 books in the series. Anyone who read them back then will surely remember the incredibly long wait between each subsequent book. Decades have passed, and yet it remains a favorite of mine.

The details in the story are fascinating. We get a glimpse into the daily lives, the challenges, and the interactions of these early human species. The author's research is evident, making the narrative both educational and engaging. It's amazing to think about how different life was back then and how this fictional account can give us some insights into that distant past.

Despite the long wait between books, the anticipation was always worth it. Each new installment added more depth and complexity to the story, keeping me hooked from beginning to end. Even after all these years, I still find myself drawn to this series, eager to revisit the world of the Cro-Magnon child and the Neanderthal clan.

I'll never forget the first time I read this book. It was in the 5th grade.

My mom is an English teacher, so our house was always filled with plenty of books in various stages of reading completion.

The synopsis on the back cover of this particular book caught my attention.

As my teacher Mr. Konezney mentioned to my mother when he saw me reading this book in school, the themes were quite advanced for a 5th grader.

However, it was my very first emotional connection to fictional characters.

I remember Ayla, Creb, and Brun vividly.

At the end of the book, I sobbed not only because it was emotional but also because I knew I would never again be able to read it with new eyes.

I read it several times afterwards, but I haven't picked it up in years.

I wonder if it would still have the same impact on me now, but I almost want to leave it as I remember it just in case.

The other books in the series are okay, but in my opinion, they are not nearly as strong.

I've heard the movie is terrible, and really, what would you expect from a movie starring Darryl Hannah?

I checked out this audiobook as I was aware it was a bestseller several decades ago. I assumed that since it was a bestseller, it must be of high quality. Oh, how wrong I could be at times.

I despise slamming books as I know authors invest a great deal of effort into them, but I have to do so this time. This book was bad for numerous reasons. Firstly, there was an excessive amount of repetition and needless detail. A couple of hundred pages could have been removed from the manuscript without altering the story in the slightest. How many times did we need to hear about why Broud loathed Ayla? Or that people feared Creb? And for those who didn't communicate verbally, the author surely provided us with a lot of redundant chatter.

If these had been the only flaws of the book, I might have been able to forgive them. But here's the thing, the author created this atrocious, abusive, and downright evil society and then expected us to like and care about the characters.

Here's a brief summary of the clan's life: They horribly mistreat women. Women have no rights, can only speak to a man if he permits it, and can be beaten or killed for any minor offense, such as not getting pregnant, causing a man to lose face, disobeying a man, being insolent to a man, resisting rape, or not killing her baby when the leader orders her to.

Clan life also involves cannibalism (but they do it with the utmost respect - the author tells us), abortion, infanticide, rape, incest, dancing that borders on the erotic (the author tells us twice in case we forgot the first time), and drug use. A woman is obligated to have sex with any man who desires it, and free love is practiced. They regard sex as a natural activity, the author informed 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 discovered her when she was five and on the verge of death. Iza, the medicine woman, takes her in and makes Ayla her daughter.

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

I continued reading/listening because I thought the story would be about Ayla escaping from the clan and their abusive ways. I believed she would go and find her own people.

In Ayla's tenth year, Broud brutally rapes Ayla every day. Her clan mother and father are aware of this - everyone knows because it occurs in public. And no one does anything to assist her. They don't consider it wrong - because women have no rights.

Okay, at that point in the book, nothing could redeem these people, and I only persisted in listening because I was hoping that a comet would strike them all, wipe them out, and Ayla would be able to move on. But no, it just kept getting worse. She becomes pregnant, has a baby that resembles her (not of the clan), and so she flees so she won't have to kill it.

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

Really? Come on.

And the author keeps putting us in the mindset of Ayla's mother and father and the clan leader - telling us that they're truly 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 one can always draw conclusions about an author from their books, but this one made me wonder if the author had endured an abusive background and was attempting to work through - and justify - the abuse. I've heard more than one victim defending their abusers. They struggle to understand that their abusers are bad people and that they themselves shouldn't have to endure the abuse.

Fortunately, the audiobook was easy to skip through, so I didn't have to listen to every minute of the book to find out what happened. I wanted to know if Ayla ever came to 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 place a death curse on her.

I should take a moment to explain the death curse. Even though the clan has been in existence for 100,000 years, they aren't all that intelligent. 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 those centuries would have noticed this fundamental aspect of life, but apparently not.

They do, however, believe 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 final scene when Ayla is cursed, she knows she has to go and find somewhere else to live. At this point, I would have been delighted if she had taken out her sling and used it on Broud. That would have been a satisfying ending. After all, she's proficient 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 long overdue but nevertheless 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 just deserts. The End.

I really have no clue why this book was so popular.

What an epic read!

The setting of this book is truly unique. It transports the reader to a world that is both fascinating and unfamiliar.

I can't believe how this book managed to escape my notice for such a long time.

It's as if it was hidden away, waiting for the perfect moment to be discovered.

Now that I've finally found it, I'm completely hooked.

The story unfolds in a way that keeps me on the edge of my seat, eager to turn the next page.

The characters are well-developed and their actions and decisions drive the plot forward.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good adventure or a unique reading experience.

Don't let it pass you by like it did me for so long.

Pick it up and get ready to be swept away.

**The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth's Children #1), Jean M. Auel**

The Clan of the Cave Bear is an epic prehistoric fiction by Jean M. Auel. It takes place in prehistoric times. A five-year-old Cro-Magnon girl, Ayla, is left orphaned and homeless by an earthquake that destroys her family's camp. She wanders naked and unable to feed herself for days. Attacked by a cave lion, she suffers from starvation, exhaustion, and infected wounds. On the verge of death, she collapses.

The story then switches to a group of Neanderthals called "The Clan." Their cave was also destroyed in the earthquake, and they are searching for a new home. The medicine woman, Iza, discovers Ayla and asks Brun, the head of the Clan, for permission to help the ailing child, even though she is clearly one of "the Others," the Clan's distrusted antagonists. Iza and her brother Creb adopt the child. Creb, despite being deformed from a difficult birth and later losing an arm and eye in a cave bear attack, is the Clan's "Mog-ur" or shaman.
The Clan worships spiritual representations of earthly animals called "totems," believing they can influence their lives with good or bad luck, and Mog-ur acts as an intermediary. Brun agrees to let Iza treat and adopt Ayla only if Creb can discover her personal totem spirit. This story is set at the end of the Neanderthal era and the beginning of the era of thinking humans. It has a captivating plot and follows the experiences of Ayla as she is cared for by the Neanderthals.

People will tell you untruths about this book. They may not even be aware that they are lying, yet they are.

I mentioned that I was reading this as part of my nearly completed attempt to read the BBC Big Read list. And everyone I encountered said, "Wow, is there ever a lot of sex in that book!"

It's quite astonishing how such a misperception can spread. Perhaps it's due to rumors or misunderstandings.

Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.

In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook.

It's a pity that the full review can't be presented here, but at least you know where to find it. Maybe when you read the book yourself, you'll discover that the truth is quite different from what others have told you.

EL MEJOR DE LA SAGA. I experienced great consternation when I learned that it wasn't really true. It was one of my first readings, several years ago, and at that time they said that the Cro-Magnons and the Neanderthals had not mixed, although with great excitement some time ago the scientific magazines said that they had.

Anyway, it is a BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, ABSOLUTELY HEARTBREAKING AND AT THE SAME TIME HOPEFUL book. I still remember it as if it were yesterday. Especially, Iza, the woman who takes her in... I remember her name to this day and I cry.

This book is SO GOOD that then I read ALL THE OTHER ONES although they were getting progressively worse. I even read the ones that came out years later. I always missed Iza and even Thonolan (book 2) (I also remember his name, haha). The same Ayla never liked me as much later as in this first installment.

I didn't have high expectations for this book. However, I was left with a desire to continue the saga.

At first, I thought it might be just an ordinary story. But as I delved into the pages, I found myself gradually drawn in.

The characters were well-developed, and their relationships added depth to the plot. The author's writing style was engaging, making it easy for me to lose track of time while reading.

Although there were some parts that could have been improved, overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It had enough twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat.

Now, I'm eagerly looking forward to the next installment in the saga. I want to know what will happen to the characters and how their stories will unfold.

I would definitely recommend this book to others who enjoy a good adventure or mystery.

I first read this book many years ago.

It was simply because it was in the small collection of books my father left behind when my parents split. Another girl I knew also read them, and between us, we managed to track down the whole collection. Was this appropriate reading for a 12-year-old? Probably not.

However, it fostered an interest in history that endured through my teens. And I surely learned a lot from the next few books about romance - coughcough-.

At that time, it was probably among my favorite books, and I have to say that the fondness has stayed with me. It's only been slightly tarnished by how much I HATED the final book. But enough time has passed since that horrible experience that I can now read this without remembering.

I am going to read at least the first four books in the next few weeks, as I can't wait to read the parts with Baby and Jondalar again. It was a stand-out book then, and it still is. Others have touched on this series with a similar setting or historical nod, but nothing beats this one.

A great book and part of a great series. Always five stars! PS. I have left my original review on this as well, so the next part is that review.

I can't believe I haven't read this book in over six years, because it is one of my absolute favorites, and I'm kind of disappointed in myself. :( This series, with the exception of the last book, still remains on my absolute favorites list. Even if not all of the information and history is correct, I always felt like I learned so much from this book, and it hit me in the imagination like very few others. Hoping I can read it again soon!

Wow! That was an amazing adventure of a read!

I truly adored and relished every single aspect of this book. It was entirely different from anything I had ever perused before. I was utterly captivated by the story right from the very outset until the final three, heartrending words that conclude the book.

I was extremely fond of the main character, Ayla. She is one of the bravest female characters I have ever encountered in a story. There is no typical love interest or love triangle that usually accompanies every story where the main character is female.

This story is about a woman who is striving to survive and doesn't allow anyone or anything to hinder her path in learning about the world around her, in loving and caring for those she loves, and in having the courage to be as brave and strong as any man.

This is a book that I wholeheartedly recommend!

Muy entretenido. Me sirvió para entender mucho más la vida de los humanos en la prehistoria que todas las clases de historia en el colegio. Había leído este libro hace ya muchos años. Aunque me gustó, no seguí con la serie porque me dio pereza por su larga extensión. Pero justo ahora, recibí sin esperarlo todos los libros de regalo. Y decidí volverlo a leer para refrescar la memoria antes de leer el resto. Y me sigue pareciendo una gran forma de entender cómo vivían nuestros antecesores en el planeta de una forma muy amena. Le subo la nota a 4.

This book is really interesting. It helped me understand the life of prehistoric humans much better than all the history classes in school. I read this book many years ago. Although I liked it, I didn't continue with the series because I was too lazy due to its long length. But just now, I unexpectedly received all the books as gifts. And I decided to read it again to refresh my memory before reading the rest. And it still seems to me a great way to understand how our ancestors lived on the planet in a very enjoyable way. I'm raising the score to 4.

Human evolution has always been a subject of great fascination for me. This is precisely why a book that offers an in-depth look into the lives of the first people and the Neanderthals holds such appeal. In recent years, significant discoveries in this field have only heightened my interest.

However, I had an objection to this particular book. It is quite old, having been written during a time when scientific perceptions about this issue were different. As expected, upon reading, I found that it depicted scientific theories that are now considered outdated. Surprisingly, though, there were also elements that contradicted what scientists then regarded as facts but have since been proven beyond doubt.

The author tells the story of Ayla, a young girl who loses her mother and, after wandering, ends up with a group of Neanderthals who reluctantly adopt her. The differences in her species, both in appearance and intelligence, become increasingly evident, making her acceptance a very difficult task. Therefore, she makes every effort to adapt to their society, learning the complex rules of conduct established thousands of years ago.

This is a very interesting story that transports us to a distant past and reveals much about things that still concern us today, such as the need for acceptance and the fear of change among many people. What made the strongest impression on me in this book and made me appreciate it is the fact that the author, by taking elements from many different real cultures and adding many of her own, creates an extremely complex culture for the Neanderthals, including their habits, customs, religious beliefs, and, in general, the way they perceived the world through their less complex minds.