A review by leeroyuk
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
2.0
Great on authenticity, poor on storytelling
A fiction writer should show rather than tell. Dialogue, events and actions should be the main conduits through which the fictional world is conveyed - if this world is to seem real.
Admittedly, this can be difficult where the protaganists are so different to ourselves but that is the challenge of the speculative fiction writer. Unfortunately, Jean Auel does not meet this challenge very well. Instead of using creative literary devices to retain realism, Auel takes the easy option of technically describing, for example, the brains, customs and language of the clan.
The result is that this novel very often reads like an anthropological essay. This might make it historically accurate, but makes it difficult to suspend ones disbelief and to observe the events as a story rather than as a documentary.
A fiction writer should show rather than tell. Dialogue, events and actions should be the main conduits through which the fictional world is conveyed - if this world is to seem real.
Admittedly, this can be difficult where the protaganists are so different to ourselves but that is the challenge of the speculative fiction writer. Unfortunately, Jean Auel does not meet this challenge very well. Instead of using creative literary devices to retain realism, Auel takes the easy option of technically describing, for example, the brains, customs and language of the clan.
The result is that this novel very often reads like an anthropological essay. This might make it historically accurate, but makes it difficult to suspend ones disbelief and to observe the events as a story rather than as a documentary.