Rating: 
Summary: The Unpardonable Sin
Review: I have read all the novels in this series and though I thought the previous one was tedious, it was still acceptable. I must part company with this one, though. It commits the unpardonable sin for literature: It bores. Despite several provocative sub-plots and themes (racial prejudice, child-bearing questions, gender equality, religion) not one is developed fully. The book seems written in starts and fits; a promising idea is introduced and expounded, when suddenly we leave the narrative for yet another walk through the countryside with animals or observers as Ayla imparts her womanly wisdom of the ages.The meandering New Age chanting is repetitive at best and infuriating at worst. Considering what we now know about the development of religious ceremony (including chorus)in ancient Greece, it is highly improbable that this level of thought (which sounds suspiciously modern) was reached. For one thing, abstraction in language is a rather recent development. Although primitive man invoked ceremony when burying the dead, it is doubtful that a deep level of theological sophistication was reached. The relationship between the two main characters does not grow nor really change. He is still in awe of Ayla and her powers and she is still panting for his manly, uh, accessories. Mom, dad and all the relatives added little to the story. In fact, the half-breeds, which held the most promise, simply faded away. I suppose the chief complaint is that I was expecting something bold or new or different on the order of Clan of the Cave Bears. Despite intense research and quirky, original ideas on how primitive folks lived, the story reminds me of that saying: Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Rating: 
Summary: Should be called The Descriptions of Stones
Review: This MIGHT have been an OK book if it had been half the length! Way way way too many descriptions of the rivers, the shores, the stones, the caves etc etc etc. It reads like a **very boring** geological textbook half the time! Hardly what you would call page-turning fiction! We all know that Ms. Auel has done extensive research for these novels, but I really don't want to be reminded of that on every page. Fiction is about plot, character development; not tedious drivel describing the physical landscape.
Also, the book is very badly edited. There are so many repetitious parts--how many times does Joharran have to ask Jondalar if he'll teach them how to use and make the spear-throwers!??! Come on!
Once again, an author got lazy and is riding on the coattails of her previous success. I won't bother reading any more of Jean Auel.
Rating:
Summary: Ayla, the World's First Feminist
Review: First, I've read all the books in the series and enjoyed them. Okay "Plains of Passage" was a boring read but not too bad. In "The Shelters of Stone" Jean Auel makes Ayla out to be some kind of super-woman, who invented open heart surgery to figuring out "where babies come from."
The promblem? It's gone too far. I think the long wait between books as made me lose interest. Either that or Ms. Auel can't write Ayla anymore. She lost her momentum. At the beginning it was fun to see Ayla invent all this stuff, but the fun is gone. I suppose this can happen with a series or a series of books with one character in the center. (I just hope Patricia Cornwell can keep Kay Scarpetta fresh for a long time yet.)
What I will say in Auel's favor, her research is amazing. The lady does her homework and it shows.
For newcomers to the series, start with "Clan of the Cave Bear," and follow in order, quickly. That way you'll enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't wait for this book!
Review: I couldn't wait for Jean Auel's fifth book in the series and pre-ordered it. I have to admit, her fifth book in the series isn't as strong as the other four, but my interest in Ayla's and Jondalar's welfare never wanes! I cried when they are suffering. I feel joy at their triumphs. They are old friends at this point and I want to see them make it--as a couple and as leaders in their community. I only hope my success is a fraction of hers (Jean's) in the years to come as my first book, "Forever Retro Blues" has only come out this year. I hope Jean doesn't make us wait as long for the next adventure as she did promise this would be a six book series.
Rating: 
Summary: Shelter's of Stone
Review: another wonderful book in the Earth's Children series....a must for the collector of this brillant author's work....I did wish it had been in paperback though....
Rating: 
Summary: Certainly the best book since the Valley of the Horses
Review: So maybe some of the other reviews would have been a bit less scathing if we'd all learn to read a little faster. And I, too, am not much of a fan of repetitive poetry, BUT this is still the best of the series since the Valley of the Horses, which may never be equaled. Also, faulting Ms. Auel for refreshing the memories of her readers after 10 years between books is just a bit cruel, especially to those older readers (myself) who desperately need memory refreshing. This book had all the magic and wonder of the previous books. The setting was well documented and beautifully drawn. The main characters were interesting and the addition of new protagonists has me waiting for the next installment. Give this book a chance. Read it in pieces as I did, don't make it a marathon.
Rating:
Summary: I agree with the real critiques
Review: Like you who have read both the book and the "professional" critiques, I felt guilty for disliking this latest in the sequel with such intensity. But then I relaxed when I read the reviews of the average fan of Auel's - I'm normal after all. This book was so dissappointing. I found myself reading each new page just hoping that she would return to the fresh and origianl style of historical fiction that I had grown to long for. But the book never delivered. I'm waiting for her next book. Even the greatest of athletes strike out once in a while and I'm certain that her next work will be a home run. If you've never read the first four books don't bother. Read this one and you'll know everything you needed to know about the first four. Then read the first four and realize how great the series really is. For those of us who have loved the first four - we became tired of all the italicized repaeats.
Rating:
Summary: In the name of Doni, the Great Earth Mother, this book's bad
Review: Probably the worst book (romance novel) I've ever read. I waited 753 pages for a story to develop but never found one. Ms. Auel wrote that Ayla married Jondolar and met his family. Ayla has "mountainous breasts" and Jondalor has an "over-sized member" (Aul's words) but they "fit together well". Having written that, Ms. Auel tries to re-write these words in as many ways as she can to fill space. Every other page is filled with the same litany of Ayla's many titles as she meets, or re-meets, each character in the book. I never again want to hear about the daughter of the mammoth hearth, chosen by the spirit of the cave lion, protected by the spirit of the cave bear, formerly of the Mamutoi, accepted by the Zelondonii, etc. etc. ad nauseum. Her editors obviously didn't bother to do their jobs or we wouldn't have to hear the physical attributes of every character in the book repeated as though they hadn't been described in detail two chapters earlier. This could have been a decent read like the prior books in the series if the filler was cut down by 90% and if it had led into an actual story of the Clan meeting up with the Zelondonii or any of the other subplots that show potential but are never developed. In the name of Mut, Great Mother of All, also known as Doni, the Great Earth Mother, I suggest you read something else.
Rating:
Summary: Shelters of Stone
Review: After reading and being totally captivated by the first 4 of the series, I waited impatiently for book #5. I am very disappointed in the book, but will continue to have high hopes for the conclusion of the series.
My harshest criticism is of the sentence structure throughout the book. The writer did a poor job of portraying "cave-man style" conversation or speaking. Two sentences run together, separated by a comma do not depict primitive language or thought, and I do not remember seeing this in Ms. Auel's other books.
Also, I resent stumbling over explicit sex in a book which I have chosen for reasons other than hot sex or romance. If you must, one explicit scene would be quite enough, and any other occasion to include romance or intimacy could be handled differently.
I could not recommend this book to anyone, but strongly encourage everyone to read The Clan of the Cave Bear, Passage of the Plains, Valley of the Horses, and Mammoth Hunter. They were 100% superb!
Rating:
Summary: I Think a good reentry into the world of Ayla and Jondalar
Review: I have a tendency to agree with the editorial comments about this book rather than the readers' comments. I didn't think that this was a bad book at all. On the contrary, I think it was a good reintroduction to this world of Ms. Auel's. The only negative comment that I have is that there was a lot of repetition about previous books in the series, but I think that can be attributed to the fact that it's been twelve years since the Plains of Passage was published. Ms. Auel, I'm sure, felt that she had to bring everyone up to date since it had been so long. I found the book a wonderful representation of what life would have been like for these people in a normal year(without wars, trials and tribulations). Plus we got a real good picture of the way things were made and just what these people had to do to survive in what could be considered a cruel and hostile environment. I also found that at the end of the book, there is a lot of ground work laid for what is supposed to be the last book in the series. Now Ayla and Jondalar are mated, they have a new daughter and Whinney has a new foal. Bring on the rest of the saga. Thanks Ms. Auel for wonderful escapism.
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