Rating: 
Summary: Hated It!
Review: I've read all of Ms. Auel's novels, and have loved every one...until now. I kept waiting for this to get better, and I kept paging through, and it never got better. The story was boring, and insulting in it's simplicity (I felt as if I was reading an archeological textbook for 4th graders), there was no excitement as was the case in other books, and the ending was ridiculous. I actually paged through past the last paragraph, thinking that I was missing part of the book. Talk about dropping off in the middle of nowhere. The only saving grace about the ending was just that - it was the ending! DON'T BUY THIS BOOK. It's a waste of [money].
Rating: 
Summary: Long wait... Too long
Review: I waited, like everyone else, for the next installment in this series and didn't hold off until a sale or for a discount.I should have. Either Ms. Auel fired her editor or, like too many of her experts, he died during her extended hiatus. How many times must we be told about Ayla using the night-basket because she had to urinate more often due to her pregnancy? How many times did we need reminded that Ayla was frightened to become a Zeladoni? Other examples of this repetitive writing are numerous. The book could have been cut by 15% and not suffered - probably improved. I hope the sixth book is better edited and Ms. Auel tightens her craft. Yes, I will buy the next one and hope for the best.
Rating: 
Summary: Shelters of Stone
Review: Book is well written and kept my interest, but there was too much condensed into one book. There where areas that I wish she had written more on and other areas less. I liked books 1-4 better then this one.
Rating:
Summary: I waited 12 years for THIS!?
Review: I really enjoyed the first 4 books, especially The Clan of The Cave Bear, and The Mammoth Hunters. The interpersonal relationships set in the backdrop of primordal Europe has been the backbone of the series. I grew weary of the landscape descriptions, of every river and creek and inlet having to be named and explaining why they were named that. There was so little of the people of the Ninth Cave, I expected to be let into their hearths to see their impression of Ayla and her animals, new inovations, etc. Instead the only thing we find out is that every man is envious of Jondalar and every woman is envious of Ayla. (BIG SURPRISE) The most enjoyable part is finding out that there was Trailer Trash long before there were trailers. Wait for the paperback on this one.
Rating:
Summary: ...pass the prehistoric hootch, please!
Review: Dreary book that advances the story very little. The settlement Ayla ends up in reminds me very much of some sort of prehistoric country club where mate-swapping looms on the horizon and everybody drinks alcoholic barma during dawn-of-man cocktail hour. The story of the taming of Wolf and Whinney is told repeatedly and the recitation of the "Mothers Song" seems to appear every few pages and makes one yearn for a male deity to show up. Save your money and get it from the library.
Rating:
Summary: Read only if you have read the others.
Review: I have waited, along with many people, for Jean Auels' book for over a decade. Was it worth waiting for ?
YES... Only if you have read the others. NO... If you are going to read as a one off. The story is very slow, very repetitive, it promises a lot and delivers very little. You spend most of the book awaiting the "Summer Meeting" where Ayla and Jondalar are to be mated. This in itself is a let down. More should have been made of the tension Ayla causes between herself and the likes of Brukenval and Marona. There were far too may repetitions throughout this mammoth book. Do we really need to have eveyone's extended name virtually each time they are introduced. After a few times, we know who "The First" is so Zolena would have been sufficient. The book would have been at least 100 pages shorter without all the repetitions.
I only hope that when the final book comes out that we have more that keeps our interest, more of the conflict between the Clan and the Others.
Buy if you are a fan, avoid if you are not. Sorry Jean, but PLEASE don't make us wait another 12 years for the next book, or if you do, make it better than this.
Rating:
Summary: Like the BNL song, "It's all been done...before"
Review: I am thankful for a novel which can both educate and entertain.
At first I figured the novel's constant repetition was merely to introduce the new reader to the background material. But enough is enough. True fans do not need an extensive recap of the first four novels. Reviewers commented that the birth of Jonayla was glossed over.
But many births are just that--uneventful. The second birth
wasn't as physically or emotionally traumatic as when Ayla
brought Durc into the world, and almost died from it--at age 11. On a positive note, the introduction of Zolena (Zelandoni) was
enjoyable. The idea of an obese woman who is portrayed as
powerful (like Roseanne or early Oprah) rather than pathetic,
is refreshing. The plot moves along unevenly. In many places it moves at a
snail's pace, making it very tedious. Then it would skim over
other sections, making it hard to follow. Hopefully the final novel will recapture the excitement of the
first four books and not be as disappointing as Shelters of Stone.
Rating: 
Summary: No better way to spend your time than reading this book!
Review: Though each book in the Earth's Children series is special in its own way, this one is my favorite. Ayla has finally made it to her fiance's homeland and the resulting inter-personal intricacies are enthralling. From start-to-finish, Auel keeps readers on a spectacular journey. Her plot twists are not merely for momentary enjoyment; they are necessary for the continuous development of the characters and their relationships. Amidst this interplay, Auel intertwines rich period detail; it does seem, however, that, starting with Valley of the Horses, she acquired a tendency to let her plot get embedded in an overwhelming amount of technical information and, worse, pages and pages of tiresome sex scenes (how many times do we have to read about Ayla and Jondalar's "Pleasures"?!). But with a story this unique, imaginative and compelling, I'll take whatever I can.
Rating:
Summary: Shelters of Stone
Review: After waiting 11 years I was really disappointed. It seemed that everytime someone new was introduced, it took three paragraphs to tell who they were. Maybe Jean Auel will have another book out in about 20 years and by then I won't be around to read it. A very drawn out tale, not what I had expected.
Rating:
Summary: Timing
Review: After reading the previous novels many times over and now still trying to get through Shelters, I beleive there is a huge difference in Jean Auel's mental effort and her desire to share herself with her readers. In Valley of Horses, the character development was undeniable. Auel created a character that was just learning what it meant to be an adult and live on her own, shunned by those who she thought would always be there for her and chose to survive when it would have been easier to give up.
What seems so stunningly different about Shelters is Auel has lost the desire to communicate human suffering and triumph which is what books 1-3 were mostly about and, I'm guessing, somewhat of what her own life must have been like. Only someone who has been through it could describe the emotions given to Ayla.
Has Jean advanced in years to the point where it's not as interesting to shape a character and their emotional growth as life progresses?
Jean, your earlier books were written with an understanding of the depth of human suffering that many people will never know and only those who've been through it can identify with. Where did that person go that wrote those earlier books?
Ayla and Jondalar were both thrilling characters and very interesting to get to know. In Shelters, however, their relationship stalls as does all character development. Additionally, the story so far shows no signs of coming together. I got so desperate for a story that I read the end of the book to see if anything interesting was going to happen to make getting through the rest of it worthwhile.
Jean, for the sixth and final book, please find the effort to write an amazing tale that leaves all of us wanting more...as all good books do.
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