Product Description

The first novel in Jean M. Auel's magnificent bestselling epic of life 35,000 years ago. Meticulously researched and fascinating she gives us sound evidence for what Neanderthalers ate, how they cooked, how they hunted and made clothes and medicine, how they communicated, what they thought, how they might have believed. It is a wonderful story and a fantastic feat of the imagination.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #496258 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09
• Format: Large Print
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 800 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Clan of the Cave Bear is the start of Jean M Auel's epic Earth's Children series. When her parents are killed by an earthquake, five-year-old Ayla wanders through the forest completely alone. Cold, hungry, and badly injured by a cave lion, the little girl is as good as gone until she is discovered by a group who call themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear. This clan, left homeless by the same disaster, has little interest in the helpless girl who comes from the tribe they refer to as the "Others". Only their medicine woman sees in Ayla a fellow human, worthy of care. She painstakingly nurses her back to health--a decision that will forever alter the physical and emotional structure of the clan. Although this story takes place roughly 35,000 years ago, its cast of characters could easily slide into any modern tale. The members of the Neanderthal clan, ruled by traditions and taboos, find themselves challenged by this outsider, who represents the physically modern Cro-Magnons. And as Ayla begins to grow and mature, her natural tendencies emerge, putting her in the middle of a brutal and dangerous power struggle.

Although Jean Auel obviously takes certain liberties with the actions and motivations of all our ancestors, her extensive research into the Ice Age does shine through--especially in the detailed knowledge of plants and natural remedies used by the medicine woman and passed down to Ayla. Mostly, though, this first in the series of four is a wonderful story of survival. Ayla's personal evolution is a compelling and relevant tale. --Sara Nickerson, Amazon.com--This text refers to the hardcover edition.

New York Times
'Beautiful, exciting, imaginative'

Daily Express
'A major bestseller . . . a remarkable work of imagination'

Customer Reviews

Breathtaking prehistoric saga
As my review of The Fiery Cross proved, I traditionally enjoy nothing better than lambasting a badly-written book and mercilessly exposing its shortcomings like some kind of masochistic PE teacher. But in this case, I'm rather stumped. I really can't think of much in the way of scathing criticism for The Clan of the Cave Bear, and that leaves me feeling angry and scared.

Well, a change of underwear later and it's on with the review. For the uninitiated, The Clan of the Cave Bear is the first in the long-running Earth's Children series by Jean M Auel. If I was to sum up this series by drawing a parallel with something else, I'd have to compare it to the Rocky franchise. Yes, later instalments have become progressively more silly, irrelevant and often embarassing, but the title that kicked the whole thing off is pure gold.

Rocky... sorry, Clan of the Cave Bear tells the story of Ayla, a young Cro-Magnon girl living about ten thousand years ago during the last ice age. All is well with her life until an earthquake kills her family and leaves her stranded alone in the middle of a harsh unforgiving wilderness (a little cliched I know, but as a plot device to kick things off I'm prepared to swallow it). However, it's not long before she's taken in by a new tribe calling themselves the Clan, who decide to raise her as one of their own. The thing is, they're Neanderthals, and their culture is vastly different from the one she grew up in. The book charts Ayla's journey from childhood to maturity, her long quest to find acceptance within the Clan, and her efforts to overcome those intent on destroying her.

Considering the subject matter, it would be very easy for a book like this to stray from Compelling Dramatic Narrative Street and take a walk down Ridiculous Avenue, but somehow it never does. The Neanderthals in this story are not brutish simpletons grunting and banging rocks together - they are articulate and intelligent beings in their own right, with their own hopes and fears. And yet, the alien nature of their society is never far from the surface - they're like us, and yet not quite. To her credit, Auel has done a thorough job of creating a rich and believable culture for her characters to exist in.

This is a well written, wonderfully paced book that features engaging characters, a poignant storyline and a genuinely sympathetic and compelling protagonist (a rare thing these days). This makes it even harder to accept when bad things start happening to her. And believe me, they do - this is an unflinching portrayal of life in a harsh environment, and an even harsher culture. And that's part of the core question that the book poses; which is more dangerous - the wild untamed world or the jealousy and hatred of others? More importantly, you never get the feeling that any scene or conversation is not significant in some way, and the book almost never drags - take note, Diana Gabaldon.

Now, all this wonderful gushing on my part might give the impression that Clan of the Cave Bear is a sublime story with less imperfections than the monolith from 2001. And although it certainly ticks most of the boxes, it does fall down in a few areas.

For a start, Broud, the antagonist of the story is about as believable as a Scooby Doo villain, and exists purely to be a complete bastard at every opportunity. Second, the descriptions of the landscapes, animal behaviour and hunting techniques tend to drag things down and interfere with the narrative flow. Yes, you've researched the Ice Age, Jean Auel - we know. We don't need to be bombarded with information about it every few pages. Lastly, there are a few none-too-subtle digs at the nature of patriarchal culture and the oppression of women. This is a theme that runs through most of Auel's later work work, and while I can't exactly blame the author for having an axe to grind, it's a bit disconcerting to be constantly beaten over the head by it like an unruly anti-war protestor.

Still, overall these are minor gripes - a bit like criticising the Great Pyramid for looking a bit rough these days. On that subject though, The Clan of the Cave Bear has weathered the ravages of time rather better than its geometric counterpart. It was written nearly 30 years ago, yet it feels as fresh and interesting today as it was back then.

Heartily recommended.

One of my favourite ever books
I love this series of books! The story is completely involving, and you really care for the characters. I love all the all the descriptive detail of the prehistoric people's way of life. I never would have thought that long passages about collecting medicinal plants, and preparing food, or making tools would be so interesting!

Because the main character is a young girl, who grows up through the series, I imagine girls and women might possibly be more instantly involved in the story. But particularly in later books, the story centres around male characters aswell, and 'caveman stuff', so I'd recommend these books to men too. Plus there's a surprising amount of explicit sex.

Really enjoyable escapist reading, for curious people.

Entertaining yet strangely educational
I watched the film before reading the book - the film piqued my interest and I was pleasantly suprised by how well researched this novel is.
Jean Auel's characterisation of Ayla and her neanderthal counterparts pale in comparison to the rich descriptive and accurate portrayal of life and the physical world. Everytime I read the book I'm amazed by the research she puts into it - perhaps this is why we wait approx 6 years between each novel!!
Accuracy aside, the storyline is entertaining and quite happily, not too predictable. Ayla is a little too perfect, a little too naive, but the book is such a good read you get over it quite quickly.