This review is based upon an advance copy I received from Amazon Vine. There is always the hope that an editor will be allowed free rein and the final edition may vary from the copy I read.
Nah…
The first part of this book picks up the story of Ayla and Jondalar left off in the last book, The Shelters of Stone. Still living with Jondalar’s family, Ayla is training as an acolyte to the First Among Those Who Serve and hopes to receive a calling to become a Zelandoni (a wise woman/healer of sorts). Ayla and Jondalar join the rest of the members of the Ninth Cave for the Summer Meeting, and spend lots and lots of time visiting with new and old friends. Each time Ayla is introduced to someone new we get to hear the looooooooooooong list of her proper titles all over again. We also get plenty of back history on returning characters, both major and minor ones, as well as lengthy refreshers on Ayla and Jondalar’s adventures from the previous five books. The Summer Meeting ends and the members of the Ninth Cave return home.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Part II begins several years later as Ayla, Jondalar and The One Who Serves First (the leader of the Zelandoni and Ayla’s mentor) prepare for a long journey so that Ayla can see the painted caves. Many many pages are spent telling the reader about the minute details of preparing for a journey. The reader is also treated to a prehistoric version of Map Questing the proposed trail – over hill and dale, north along this river, cross here and south along the other one. The great journey begins and our merry band travels from one cave to the next, with lots of introductions and more rounds of hearing everyone’s proper titles. Our band must also stop to hunt between cave visits, so we get to hear about how to hunt, throw spears, nap flint and other cool stuff. They make visits to the various painted caves and the reader gets very thorough descriptions of said caves. Just in case you skimmed missed it the first time, Ayla makes a second trip to one of the caves so you can hear about it all over again. You will be glad to know that Wolf relieved himself of solid waste in one of the painted caves. Why we needed to know that I’m not sure, but rest assured he did :).
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Nodding off yet? I sure was…
***Begin Spoilers***
Part III takes place in the next year as Ayla is finishing up her training as an acolyte and hopes to receive her calling to be a Zelandoni. Her training is very time-consuming, leading to some *marital* tensions and a Big Misunderstanding (you can figure out where this goes lickety split). Ayla drinks some special tea, has some big LSD kind of trip that ends with a huge revelation from The Earth Mother about The Gift of the Knowledge of Life. Ayla then joins the rest of her family for another Summer Meeting, culminating in a festival to honor the Earth Mother wherein Ayla’s big gift is shared with the rest of the people, leading to big long discussions about the implications of said discovery. Pages and pages of looooong discussions. There are also a couple of baddies who conspire here and there to keep our lovers apart.
*End Spoilers*
Sooooo, just what can you expect to find in this book? Let me detail it for you in case you are still interested,
- Lots of back-history and exposition so don’t bother rereading the first five books, it’s all taken care of for you in this one. Over and over and over again.
- The descriptions of the day-to-day details are very long-winded and repeated often. I really didn’t need to learn about what went into Ayla’s latest batch of tea on every other page.
- You will learn about the paintings in the caves, although to be honest I found reading from Wik and the official sites much more interesting.
- Their daughter Jonayla is as perfect as her parents, and even as an infant was smart enough to hold her water until she was out of her carrying blanket. You will be informed of this at least three times in the Part I, just to make sure you don’t forget it. I never did learn how #2 was handled 😉
- As for the perfection that is Ayla and Jondalar? Barbie and Ken.
All kidding aside, this is not a terrible novel, it is merely suffering from the lack of an editor with a big red pencil. The repetition is so over done to the point I felt I was being clubbed over the head – I am smart enough to figure it out the first time. On top of that, Auel slipped in too many *modern* words that really pulled me out of the story. Now I know it isn’t possible to recreate an ancient language that would be readable to us mere mortals, but at the same time I didn’t need Ayla using words like earthquake, soporific and epicanthic fold either. Wait, this is an advance copy so perhaps the red pencil guy will fix these…
Nah. If you enjoyed the slow pace of Shelters of Stone and want an entire rehash of that all over again, I guess you’ll love this, but if you’re looking for something with a bit more action you will not find it here. Will you find the resolution to A&J’s story that you were hoping for? You know I can’t tell you that, but I for one was sorely disappointed.
At Home With A Good Book and the Cat 
🙂 Great review. I strongly suspect I’m going to reach the same conclusions when I finally get my hands on it. I’m so disappointed… as I said on GoodReads, I genuinely enjoyed the first book in the series and historical fictional set in the Stone Age is so hard to find, I’ve got to say I so wanted this series to turn out differently, I definitely imagined it turning out completely differently when I’d just finished the first book… Thanks for providing the links to the real deal, btw. I’m trying to brush up on my Stone Age knowledge so I have been currently researching it here and there, and these sites will be great to go and read.
Those sites are awesome. I’d love to see them myself.
I’m currently reading the middle books in the series and noticing many of the same problems you describe – the over explanation of previous books and repetition of events is annoying me. I loved book 1 and enjoyed book 2, but I’m not sure I’ll make it as far as book 6 😦
Don’t. Bother. Life is too short 🙂
Jackie, I hear you. Read all 6, #6 is not worth your time or money. Not what you’re hoping for AT ALL! Don’t bother. Karen
Sweet suffering s***. You should hear when real-life anthropologists and archaelogists get started on these novels — you could fuel NYC on all the rage that they raise. And this sounds like such a wretched novel, glad I stopped after the second one. Thank you for taking one for the team.
Hehe, I hadn’t heard about that end of the debate. Sounds like the medieval historians when they get fired up about Weir 🙂
*bigger groan* And DEFINITELY don’t let me get started on Alison Weir! It’s midnight here and I need my sleep – 😦 been going to bed way too late the past week and guess what? I’ve had woodpeckers since last August and nothing works in scaring them away, so every morning at 8am sharp my eyes snap open and I sit bolt upright in bed to the sound of *scrabble scrabble… taptaptaptaptaptaptaptap… taptaptaptaptaptap!” Actually it’s pretty scary because I’m not 100% sure it’s woodpeckers (I’ve never actually caught them doing it) so I wake up all scared that some huge bug or something is trying to burst its way into my bedroom through the vents. 😦 I’m so stressed out and miserable by this, I figured if I’m going to be woken up in terror every morning I’d better at least sleep for a good 8 hours and NOT go to sleep at 2am like I have been recently.
*grin* You mean, a real life qualified archaeologist like me? Yep, that’s right. I also took a course in anthropology too. *groan* Don’t get me started now on the Earth’s Children series or I’ll be here till morning.
Beth: I have a very dear friend of mine who is a Anthro/Archeo professor at UNM, who will gleefully rip into Auel’s book at the drop of a pin. I studied the subject for some years in my own college days, and got to learn first hand what it was like to knap flint and the rest — very interesting stuff indeed! And many many hours crouched over some dig site or with the shaker boxes. I learnt right quick that field archaelogy wasn’t for me…
LOL! I LOVE your review. And I thank you for saving me valuable reading time.
a Vine buddy
*waves*
Hope you didn’t pick this one from the Vine list. You’ll be sorry…
What a review! 🙂 LOVED it!LOVED it!!I think this review not only read better than the book, but entertained me better as well!..thanks for saving me some “book-bucks” for something better 🙂
Seeing as I don’t do well with any kind of prehistoric anything, this entire series sounds like sheer torture to me. I have a copy laying around of the first book, but haven’t touched it. Funny thing is that one day the husband-unit (who doesn’t read all that much, more of a watch baseball kind of guy) was looking for a book, saw that first Auel book on the shelf and nonchalantly says, “Oh, I’ve read that one, it was pretty good.”
Huh? (Hu?)
Turns out when when was working the crab boats up in Alaska one summer, that was the only book on board the boat. Just goes to show, you never know.
😛
*snort*
Well at least it was that one and not books #2 and #3. Lots of squicky sex in those two IIRC.
Huh.
I read the first one and thought about picking this one up. I was pretty sure that it would catch me up on all that I missed, but this sounds like way too much repetition for me. If I didn’t know what had happened to these people all these years, I guess should be fine to continue in ignorance.
Better left in ignorance, trust me 🙂
I am sorry to read that it is a repeater. I had real hope for this. I scanned many parts of #4 and #5. I mean do I really need to know all that about plants and animals, since it was done in great detail in #2 and #3. I want to know what happened to Durc and some of the other people, not what plants Ayla puts in her teas or meds. Or what the forest looks like. I was very disappointed in #5. Would have thought there were have been more thought put into the names of the caves. I mean Cave 1-23, please how mundane. I really loved these books and wanted more charcter devoplement, not a travel log of the stone age.
Ack, I won’t spoil but I’m afraid you won’t be terribly happy either. What a waste of it all.
yep, you have nailed it on the head. I deliberately avoided any mention of the book except for the publication date so i could read it and make up my own mind. Unfortunately there was no editor with a BIG red pencil, i wish there had been, the book would have been at least half the size yes but would have been a joy to read.
It really is an unfortunate way to end this series, isn’t it?
Thanks for the not-so-really-surprising review. I had decided I best re-read the series in preparation for Land/Caves, read 1, mostly read 2, skimmed the next couple and then read the first and last chapter of the last. Laid them down and thought “oh yeah…that’s why they’re on the top shelf rather than at eye-level where I look for re-reads” They were so boring I’d rather have been folding napkins. Library for sure, just because I feel I oughta.
You can safely skim a lot and get it over with rather quickly 😉
Auel blew it! Very disappointing! She really let her readers down with this one. Ayla, this woman of many talents, able to read body language of strangers and expressions of animals painted on cave walls, yet can’t figure out her own mate and misreads him repeatedly! No ending to anything-just more of the same-leaving readers hanging off a cliff! Sad, she could have done so much with this last book. I,for one, am done. Will NEVER read another of her books.
Reading the critical reviews on Amazon are way more entertaining than the book. What a waste of trees. The editors should be shot.
I am only 13 years old and even though I might not have a much respected view of this book I certainly loved it and all the rest! Because yes the detail might be excruciating to read, I think that Jean just wants to really put in where Ayla and Jondalar are. My language arts teacher always says, DETAILS, DETAILS, AND DETAILS. And if all you people want to criticize this book go ahead but these books have changed my life and I hate to see people criticize it. I bet none of you people could do better at describing all of this..
Shayna,
I’m so glad to hear that there are actual books (as opposed to movies or video games) that have changed your life – that’s wonderfully mature for being thirteen! 🙂 And I hope books continue to play a large role in your life throughout the years….there’s nothing better than a good book.
But a book lover soon learns that not everyone loves the same books we do. I’ve got a list here of at least a dozen books that I absolutely loved, loved, loved and yet most people I meet (in real life and here online) hated the same book, LOL. But that’s okay. Everyone is entitled to love or hate or even be indifferent about a book….that’s the cool part about reading.
I think it’s fabulous that you loved this book and told us why (and your language arts teacher is right about those details!). But it’s okay to let other people criticize it. And I don’t think anyone here on this forum is an author, nor do they want to be. They’re readers, just like you. 🙂
Diversity is a great thing!
Shayna, exactly what Michele said. You have your opinion of the book and I have mine – and that’s OK. I’ve been watching the Amazon reviews and so many of the more positive reviewers have been getting hit with critical comments and that I don’t like to see. Even with friends who have similar reading tastes there are going to be times when I’ll react completely opposite someone else. I love Gabaldon’s Outlander books, but I know it’s got it’s flaws and I do enjoy reading the well written, thought out critical reviews. We are all readers here and just love to agree to disagree 🙂
Thank you both, I think Im a little too passionate about these books. I have read The Plains of Passage and all the others about 20 times each. And yes other people do have different opinions that is right, but I am the person that will stand in front of this series with spear-holder if I have to
Good for you. I read these as an adult and while I enjoyed them I didn’t have the stronger emotional connection that you and many others do. In some ways that was good, as I wasn’t so disappointed as many of Auel’s fans seem to be with this one. Jerelyn is right though, it will be fun for you to read these years later when you’re as old as we are (very old ;)) and see if you still have the same passion for them.
Sometime during the night I passed 1,000 comments on this blog and if I’m counting back correctly it’s you Shayna.
Good for you, Shayna! Never hesitate to passionately love a book and tell everyone why. And for what it’s worth, I’m very envious of you, LOL….what I wouldn’t give to be thirteen again and have a lifetime of books in front of me. 🙂
For Shayna, I admire your passion for these books. I hope you will continue to be passionate about reading. I recently went back and read the books that I loved as a teen. Some where as good as I recalled, others not so much. Just the fact that you where brave enough to stand up and be heard is impressive! Good for you! I hope that when your old like me you go back a read this book again, and see if it holds up for you.
I’m allowing myself to quoting my own blog….saves repeating myself…
Generally i feel as tho this book was a rushed project. It has untill now felt as though i’ve been reading a second or third draft of a novel in the process of being edited and although i’m not for a second going to say that it’s a horrid book i will say that it’s a piece of unfinished craftmanship i’ve been reading.
I LOVE caves. I loved the descriptions of the caves but it did get a bit much and a lot was repeated.
If she had followed the “plains” recipe and embellished the events along the way making the caves into an in-between i think i would have liked the tour better…
But it is an important part of the series mythology and the caves had to be there…
The mothers song was also a bit repetative.
during her calling i was expecting her (hoping rather…) that she would take a spirit-journey and see her son or a solution to the issues between Clan and the others, but instead she saw what every other animal on the planet knows insstinctively.
I agree with you… It’s below Ayla’s dignity and i hope Auel writes a final installment to finish this beloved saga.
The series is kinda my “guilty pleasure”. a lot of my friends see it as an embellished Harlequinn series and it’s been described as “housewife-porn” by more than one of my friends but i can’t help being addicted… it’s been my “drug” from a very early age!!!
But i still LOVE the book for it’s connection to a fictional universe i’ve often daydreamed i could be a part of. I’ve spent weeks in the forests trying to build myself a cave-man-life (to no avail as people would come with rations and flashligths and other modern equipment, plus the fact i couldn’t make flint tools and had to use a modern knife…and matches… But hey… i tried…)
Whenever my life has been tough, i have returned to Ayla. not necessarily reading the books again but imagining how she would deal with the situation.
I could not have made it thru my teens in one piece without Auel’s fiction. I would not have thought of loosing my virgintiy as first rites and therefore feeling sooo special the next day if i hadn’t read those books. I’m pretty much the only one of my friends who had a peaceful and serene “first rites” as a result of thinking of it in terms of a ritual, not a random act of sex… I liked the idea of making it a ceremonial thing…
sorry… totally off topic…LOL
But i will not, despite it’s repetative nature, give up on this novel.
I still LOVE the series and i probably always will. What I’m missing and thought this book was lacking was closure.
There is a lack of ending and a lack of resolving.
I miss finding a solution to where she came from and what her original name was. I miss finding a solution to the Clan/others conflicts and i miss her knowing what happened to her son.
as i say… it resembles a second draft gone straight to press…
I think I could have tolerated a lot more (hell, it was easy to skim), if it weren’t for that silly go nowhere ending that didn’t wrap anything up. Grrrr.
I havent been on here in a while..wow but really..I have read this book 3 times since then and I have still loved it. Maybe it is because my mind is different in view with adults..I havent seen and gone through all those thing adults have. But yes I do think now that Mrs.Auel could have ended this book better, I love Ayla and Jondalar 😉 And she shouldnt ruin this great love story..My opinion keeps changing I know. But thank you Michele, Jerelyn (love your name) andmisfitandmom. I know that someday I will probably look back on this ‘chat’ and smile. 🙂
Hi Shayna, thanks for checking back in with us and glad you did enjoy it. I dare ya to read it again when you’re say 40 or something 😉
PS, Misfit is the kitty cat and I am her mom. I go by Misfit on Amazon but it was already taken or not available at WordPress.
I definitely read it all my life, and check in 😀
♥
I have the CDs to play in the car on the way to work and back. I think there is 35 in all and I am at 7. Nealy fell asleep… I can’t stand anymore!
You made a valiant effort. We can’t ask for more 🙂
I read these books way back in college and really enjoyed them. I know that this is going to sound silly, but I had always held out hope that Ayla would be reunited with the son she had left behind. Sad to see that it never happened!