kimberly_b's review against another edition
2.0
I really expected to like this book, especially after hearing such glowing recommendation from several people who I typically share similar opinions with on books. But, I just couldn't connect with the characters. I found the long passages Auel included describing the flora, fauna, clan customs, etc. long-winded and excessive. Such verbose descriptions made me feel as though I was reading a history or anthropology textbook rather than a novel. There would be maybe a page or two of conversation and then several pages of repetition and description. I'm not sure what other editions are like, but mine had a short list of the main characters in the very beginning with corresponding descriptions that gave away the entire plot! I wonder what intelligent person decided that was a grand idea. Overall, I found Clan of the Cave Bear incredibly over-rated. If it wasn't for the glowing recommends, I would have abandoned it after the first 100 pages. Being the book buying addict that I am, I already own the other four books and now I'll be getting rid of them. It rarely happens that I get an entire series without reading at least the first book, but I thought this series was a sure bet. Boy was I wrong. I hate to do it, but I'm rating it 2 stars--it was "ok".
riseclare's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book, did not like the rest of the series.
henry_wallison's review against another edition
5.0
This book was phenomenal; it was honestly addictive. It's been a minute since I've been so deeply enthralled in a book that I neglected sleep, but this book effortlessly brought me to that point. Auel has successfully created a character whose triumphs I am so deeply and personally invested in. Each character's personality feels very well defined and consistent. When first reading, I was bothered by some of the factual inaccuracies surrounding neanderthals (which, while never explicitly stated, seems to clearly be the species the Clan is based on), but I quickly realized that many of these discrepancies made the narrative more interesting (such as ), and I quickly grew to ignore them. A lot of the botany of the book seems well researched, and I think these details enriched the world of the story quite well. In total, this book was a really fun read, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a really easy story to get into.
Spoiler
memory accumulationjroubucks's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic!!! I agree with the San Francisco Chronicle it’s a small miracle. Couldn’t have been more absorbed. And a ‘genre’(?) almost never attempted/broached.
buffyb's review against another edition
5.0
This is probably one of my favourite series. I haven't read all of the books in the series yet and I've decided that that's what I'm going to do this year. I wanted to do it properly though, and restart from the beginning.
I first read this book last year or the year before (I don't remember) and was blown away by it. I remember seeing it around the house as I was growing up, but was never curious enough to read it. I'm glad that I finally got around to it.
If you haven't read it, I highly recommend that you give it a try.
I first read this book last year or the year before (I don't remember) and was blown away by it. I remember seeing it around the house as I was growing up, but was never curious enough to read it. I'm glad that I finally got around to it.
If you haven't read it, I highly recommend that you give it a try.
reader3000's review against another edition
3.5
3.5/5 ⭐
1/5 🌶️
**Tropes**
-Women who has been through many many hardships yet come out stronger
-Outsider
-Prehistoric
📖 **My Thoughts**
This was a reread from my childhood and I think I'm rating it higher as a result. Ayla was a homeless orphan after an Earthquake and taken in my Neanderthals. The story put a lot of time into creating a culture and backdrop. Some parts of the story have definitely not aged well at all but this is 40 years old. I don't think many parts are historically accurate especially now but I do think there was a lot of research which the story was based upon. I liked the spiritual aspects and how these linked to daily life
⚠️ **Triggers**
Rape
Misogyny
Bullying
Racism/discrimination
Birth
Death of parents and parent like figures
Banishment/loneliness
🌶️ **Spice**
No spice, just rape/assault
**Link to Book**
https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/ffa1f43e-6958-463f-9645-aae42727d3f6
1/5 🌶️
**Tropes**
-Women who has been through many many hardships yet come out stronger
-Outsider
-Prehistoric
📖 **My Thoughts**
This was a reread from my childhood and I think I'm rating it higher as a result. Ayla was a homeless orphan after an Earthquake and taken in my Neanderthals. The story put a lot of time into creating a culture and backdrop. Some parts of the story have definitely not aged well at all but this is 40 years old. I don't think many parts are historically accurate especially now but I do think there was a lot of research which the story was based upon. I liked the spiritual aspects and how these linked to daily life
⚠️ **Triggers**
Rape
Misogyny
Bullying
Racism/discrimination
Birth
Death of parents and parent like figures
Banishment/loneliness
🌶️ **Spice**
No spice, just rape/assault
**Link to Book**
https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/ffa1f43e-6958-463f-9645-aae42727d3f6
einstein7931's review against another edition
Author breaks the immersion of the story too much so it feels clunky.
chirson's review against another edition
3.0
Objectively, this is probably a terrible novel. It's terrible in some ways, without a doubt. It is overlong and oddly paced. It is repetitive. Its omniscient narration justifies and excuses a lot about behaviour with biological, reductionist evo-psych mumbo-jumbo. It is, if not explicitly racist, then at least enamoured of whiteness: its racially-ambiguous Neanderthals function as a darker, "primitive," maladapted backdrop against which the whiter-than-white, blue-eyed, blonde-haired, highly intelligent heroine can stand out all the starker. And the less said about its representation of rape, the better - it is very much an old-fashioned and offensive plot device here, serving to show who the villain and who the saintly martyred heroine is.
At the same time, even now, reading it as an adult with much more advanced critical skills, I cannot help being engrossed in the story. It is an old narrative structure of heaping misfortunes upon the heroine to turn her into a diamond of womanhood, and I see all that's wrong with it, and yet it's just so, so compelling to read. In addition, Ayla, for all her obvious narrative not-like-other-girlness (which, granted, is a story fact - not many homo sapiens girls get raised by Neanderthals!), is relatively complex and granted a lot of agency. She discovers paternity and sexual basis of reproduction! She modifies hunting techniques! She designs a bra! (Yes, she is a beautiful, slim, tall, large-bosomed blonde doctor, a character with superpowers beyond what she could feasibly have. My teen self forgives her for being too perfect, and my 30+ year old self does, too.)
The story has some really silly or annoying tendencies, but it also features some truly interesting plot twists or narrative climaxes. I found the last hundred or so pages quite tough to read (what with protagonist's depression and sadness of the story) but the conclusion is rendered quite well. The conflict is resolved in a way that is both seemingly inevitable and satisfying. I particularly liked that Oga and other secondary characters (like Brun and Creb) got to experience some narrative growth by the end.
If I had specific shelves for this, I'd rank this "so bad it's good". Sort of. If you close one eye.
And now I'm off to read my favourite volume. The one with all the domestication of animals and solitary living. YES.
At the same time, even now, reading it as an adult with much more advanced critical skills, I cannot help being engrossed in the story. It is an old narrative structure of heaping misfortunes upon the heroine to turn her into a diamond of womanhood, and I see all that's wrong with it, and yet it's just so, so compelling to read. In addition, Ayla, for all her obvious narrative not-like-other-girlness (which, granted, is a story fact - not many homo sapiens girls get raised by Neanderthals!), is relatively complex and granted a lot of agency. She discovers paternity and sexual basis of reproduction! She modifies hunting techniques! She designs a bra! (Yes, she is a beautiful, slim, tall, large-bosomed blonde doctor, a character with superpowers beyond what she could feasibly have. My teen self forgives her for being too perfect, and my 30+ year old self does, too.)
The story has some really silly or annoying tendencies, but it also features some truly interesting plot twists or narrative climaxes. I found the last hundred or so pages quite tough to read (what with protagonist's depression and sadness of the story) but the conclusion is rendered quite well. The conflict is resolved in a way that is both seemingly inevitable and satisfying. I particularly liked that Oga and other secondary characters (like Brun and Creb) got to experience some narrative growth by the end.
If I had specific shelves for this, I'd rank this "so bad it's good". Sort of. If you close one eye.
And now I'm off to read my favourite volume. The one with all the domestication of animals and solitary living. YES.
eb2701's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0