Product Description

Forced to leave the Clan and her young son, Ayla sets out alone to travel the frigid steppes until she finds the valley of horses. Unable to find people like herself, the Cro-Magnons, she settles there and seeks friendship elsewhere. First she adopts a young filly, then a wounded lion cub.

But far to the west, two young Cro-Magnon brothers have begun a journey. One of them is Jondalar, whose destiny is bound inextricably with Ayla's.

Jean Auel's imaginative reconstruction of pre-historic life, rich in detail of language, culture, myth and ritual, has become a set text in schools and colleges around the world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13910 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 592 pages

Daily Telegraph
'It has magic'

Review
'It has magic' (Daily Telegraph )

'A panorama of human culture in its infancy . . . THE VALLEY OF HORSES is great fun.' (New York Times Book Review )

'Holds the reader in a powerful spell.' (Publishers Weekly )

New York Times Book Review
'A panorama of human culture in its infancy . . . THE VALLEY OF HORSES is great fun.'

Customer Reviews

The best in the series
The Valley of Horses is the second book in Jean M Auel's magnificent Earth's Children series. Having been exiled from the clan of neanderthal's that had raised her, Ayla now has to journey alone and find ' the others', cro-magnons like her.
This is an epic and moving story of a young girl's struggle to survive and adapt to the fear of being totally alone in a strange and hostile environment.
Whilst travelling, Ayla discovers a valley that becomes her haven and her home and here she finds longed for companionship with a horse she raises from a foal.
Parallel to the story of Ayla is the tale of cro-magnon brothers who are 'journeying' in search of adventure. Ms Auel manages to handle these two seperate story strands with ease and switching between them never 'jars'. eventually the stories intertwine and become one as Ayla finally comes face to face with one of her own kind.
As rich in detail as the first book in the series this book is an absorbing read and one that is difficult to put down. Highly recommended.

A story of survival and determination
The heroine of The Clan of the Cave Bear, Ayla, sets out alone and discovers a lush valley surrounded by bleak steppes. Feeling the loneliness of her situation, she adopts an orphaned foal and rescues an injured lion cub from a certain death. While she lives in the valley for three years without human contact, a young man, Jondalar, sets out with his restless younger brother who is eager to see the world.

When the two finally meet, it is the first time Ayla meets one of her own since losing her parents who she doesn't remember. At the same time Jondalar is drawn to this strange and beautiful woman who lacks social skills but has a talent for healing.

This second instalment should not only appeal to those who want to know what happens next to Ayla after she leaves the Clan but can also be enjoyed as a great read on its own. This book is well written and shows up the author's imaginative talent as well as her well-researched knowledge of wildlife and landscape of Ice Age Europe.

New characters, new settings and a new adventure
Ayla has been exiled from the Clan of Neanderthals that raised her since she was five years old. Iza and Creb have died and now that she is in exile Ayla has had to leave her son Durc behind with her sister Uba. Alone and with very little possessions for her survival Ayla travels across the country in search of "the others", Cro-Magnon people to whom she was born. However eager to find a home for the winter Ayla stays in a Valley in which she finds a foal which she raises and cares for to ease her loneliness. Aylas caring nature also causes her to adopt a lion cub, however the lion cub had a greater impact on her fate than even Ayla could image. At the same time as Ayla is finding her independence two Cro-Magnon brothers Jondalar and Thonolan are travelling across the continent from their home in Southern France in search of the end of the Great Mother River and adventure. Jean M Auel has surpassed herself this book is even greater than the one before. The circumstances which unite Ayla and Jondalar are well thought out and just like the Clan of the Cave Bear the world in which Ayla lives in is thoroughly researched and detailed. Jondalar and Thonolans adventure gives the reader knowledge of "the others" and the many different cultures present in this one race of people. Through this writing technique the reader is fully informed not only about the customs and culture of the Neanderthal people but the Cro-Magnon people aswell. Auel has provided this book with a great collection of new characters and settings to move the story along whet ever happens in future books this one is the best yet. I challenge anyone to read this book and criticise it!