Rating: 
Summary: A big let-down after all this time.
Review: I've been a huge fan of the Earth's Children series ever since it first came out. I can't remember when I've been so excited as when I heard book 5 was finally here! I bought the first copy I could get and read like crazy, just like I did with the other books.Sadly, this book came as quite a disappointment. As others have mentioned, there is so little that is new, and scenes we had hoped for never happened (or were over so fast you wondered if these were the same people that have been talked about all along). Over and over again we get the same stuff that's been in previous books, and a buildup to moments that never happen (I expect they will come in Book 6). If you have been a fan of the series, certainly you still have to get this book and read it. I wouldn't have cared what anyone said, I would still buy it and read it, just as I will when the next Harry Potter book comes out. But if you are new to the series, don't start here. And if you have read previous books and weren't all that thrilled with them, this is definitely one to skip.
Rating: 
Summary: Just plain awful.........
Review: I am determined to get through this dragged out, repetitious disappointing book, no matter what! I've read all Jean's other Children of the Earth Series and will not read any further ones.
I think Jean forgets this is supposed to be set in the days of the CAVEMEN. Having a "quiet cup of tea" and figuring out not only does a woman's menses come when the moon is the same each month but also that the "dominent female in a household usually sets the time for all females in that group to get their period also is quite advanced for that time! Seems it wasn't too long algo that modern folks figured that out. Almost every page gives me reason to say, "Oh Good Grief....!" I'm still waiting for Ayla to come out with a stone version of the modern computer. It seems that Jean takes our modern world and changes a few, minute things, and thinks it makes a plausible leap. NOT !!
I am taking FOREVER to finish this book, but I'm determined to see if there are ANY redeeming pages in it. It is no longer a story of an ancient people. With all the experts she supposedly consulted and visited with, you'd think there might be a bit more authenticity put forth in the book. Very disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: Book=Disappointing, Dust Cover=Betrayed for Money?
Review: First of all, with 275 Reviews I don't think anybody will see this. However, I must submit my '1st' Book Review after buying this one.
Am I the only one who feels, 'sold out' on this Dust Cover. I have only First Edition/First Printings in my Library. The first four books had, 'Great Covers'. Now along comes a, "Re-release" cover that sticks out like a dull orange in a basket of shiny apples. Was this betrayal of loyal followers for Money, to enable more sales of the Re-releases??? I hope not.
As for the Book content, I re-read 3/4 of Plains of the Passage, in anticipation of continuing the adventure through the fifth book. Well, in the fifth I got to meat the family, go on a couple of hunts and go to a wedding, but not much more. After all of the adventure of the previous book, I expected at least the first preliminary encounters with the Clan and a hinting of future excitment/mystery with her Son (Durc). Without this, I can foresee the sixth book having a lot crammed into it, leaving the readers feeling short changed on the Action of the story line.
However, it wasn't a total loss for I did get to spend a little more time with the characters that we have related to over the past four, 'great' books.
Rating:
Summary: Reading this book is a LONG Journey...
Review: I picked up this book to find out what happened to Ayla of the Mamutoi...and it was a long, slogging Journey to do so! Many passages in the book are repetitive and long (like giving everyone's full cave name every time, and that ENDLESS Earth Mother hymn, as well as the scenes where Ayla grooms the horses, greets Wolf, Wolf greets her--all the same, repeated ad infinitum). Readers are not stupid and would have gotten the point with one or two mentions of these things...instead, the reading level of the book is at about the 5th or 6th grade, and one feels slow and dumb reading things over and over. The sex scenes are gratuitous and excessive, lowering this book to the level of a Harlequin romance, instead of the "educated fiction" Auel intends. The ending is abrupt and somewhat unprofessional, and leaves the reader feeling as if a door has been slammed in one's face. This book could have used extensive and judicious editing, and Auel could have used all the left over pages to finish the story of Ayla so we don't have to wait for (or buy) another book. I don't know that I will. My recommendation: go to the library, borrow the book, and read the last couple of chapters only. That should give you enough idea of what's going on to decide if you want to wait for the next book.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down...
Review: ...mostly because I kept telling myself, "I know there's a plot here somewhere. If I keep looking, I'll run into it any minute." Alas, I was mistaken. Honestly, folks, this book's entire storyline can be summed up in a couple of sentences, and not very interesting ones at that. If Reader's Digest is still doing condensed versions of books, they might be able to make a readable copy of SoS, but, I, for one, have no intention of wading through this mess again. I really enjoyed the first four novels, and my copies of those are in pretty shabby condition from rereading, but this one's going to stay pristine. If you're looking for rich characterization and a top-notch story, try Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series - at least he releases a new one every couple of years.
Rating:
Summary: Ambivalence, or "Teetering on the Verge of Prehistory"
Review: Having been an obsessed fan since I was 12 years old, when I first read Clan, the anticipation of Auel's fifth book has occupied my thoughts for more than ten years, and mine was the first name on the waiting list at our library for more than a year. I expected The Shelters to be bursting with the same life, challenges, innovations, and relationships as the other four; needless to say, those are not present to the degree I imagined. First, a nitpick: Auel's forward, in which she acknowledges support from many, many different sources, contains no statement thanking "Gentle Reader." The reason this is upsetting? There are ten of them - ten long years between #4 and #5: ten long years of Ayla, pregnant and poised to meet the in-laws; of re-reading and then re-reading again and at the end of Plains, waking abruptly from the dream to...nothing; ten long years in which Auel's fans sat a vigil, waiting for our "fix." To not recognize that one's readers are paramount, in fact are the lifeblood of your work, can be considered a serious lack of judgement. If this was an oversight, so be it - but the recognition was necessary, and missed. End of nit. Now - forward, ever onward. My ambivalence is an issue of loyalty vs. the need for a good read: I am almost ashamed that I am dissatisfied. The research is well-grounded and descriptive, but not present is the expansive attitude and attention to minor detail employed so effectively in the previous titles in the series. The culture, customs, products, and activities remain largely unexplored and in fact appear as mini-essays with no clear beginning, no clear end, and no tie-in to the passages in which they are included. Interaction is relatively bland. I was not nearly as fully drawn into this book, emotionally and intellectually, as I was with the others. I find the repetition of the Mother's Song highly irritating, very close to offensive and insulting, and am not ashamed to say that I skipped it after the second recitation. In addition, the constant rehashing of prior events (which was never present in such abundance in the first four) is quite distracting, and seems to me like a gimmick to fill space, as are the continual, nearly word-for-word, demonstrations of spear-thrower and firestones, and the paragraphs devoted, over and over, to the naming of ties. Worst of all? No thrills! Where is the highly-foreshadowed conflict between Ayla's Clan upbringing and mixed-spirits son and Jondalar's closed-minded people? Where is contact with the Clan itself? Where is the wildness? Where is the 'newness?' Where are the GUTS? There ARE echoes of greatness, very faint, but present nonetheless. They're just crowded, slightly faded, and overlaid with curiously flat detail. Development of the storyline never quite seems to ring with Auel's past definitive harmony; relationships between characters fail to deepen and become quite as vital, or as vibrant. I love the ongoing story, but I'm unsatisfied with the execution. I'll stick with the series because I'm hooked and because the story in essence is delightful and sustaining, but when I re-read in sequence, instead of the feeling of slipping back into Ayla's bountiful world, with its breathing people, living landscapes, and accompanying whole-body being-thereness, Shelters of Stone will be something I have to get through to get to the final book - which I dearly hope regains the charm, charisma, and adventure of the others. Summing up: character development and relationship exploration - almost nil. I didn't bond with anyone. Plot - bearable but plodding, inconsistent incohesive, no twists, buried under a jumble of names and places. Style and tone - a shadow of what went before, undeserving of Auel's talent, lacking in verve and nerve. All in all, entertaining but a disappointment, worth reading simply because it fulfills the obligation of "what happens next."
Rating: 
Summary: A good story but very repetitive
Review: I have read all the books and was very much looking forward to this new one. It's a good read if you love descriptions of *everything* and I mean everything. It's great to see Ayla home with the man she loves and becoming part of his family/tribe but it's lacking something. The space that is used by the repetition of formal names and ideas gets really old after a while and I too found myself skipping over entire paragraphs. As a whole, the book is still a good read and I would recommend it to any Jean Auel/Ayla fan.
Rating:
Summary: Jean, what happened? A terrible disappointment...
Review: Like so many, I absolutely love these books. I've eagerly awaited this fifth installment for years. I was willing to wait, believing that it takes a long time to write books as sweeping in scope, yet packed with emotion and detail, as the Earth's Children books. Then, finally, there it was! Or was it? I found myself immediately concerned when the beginning was so stilted and dry. I tried to ignore it, though, because I so wanted the book to be awesome. But I kept turning pages, stunned, as event after event which should have been momentous was shrugged off and dismissed in a page or two. Did Ayla and Jondalar not go through hell throughout books two and three because Jondalar's people were not going to accept Ayla's Clan background and child without a bitter struggle? It felt like nobody even noticed! There was nothing but token struggle from people who already had axes to grind with Ayla and Jondalar for other reasons, who used it as a mere excuse. When our heroes were mated at last, in an anticlimactic ceremony that left me completely dry-eyed despite my best intentions to enjoy it no matter what, I stopped being shocked and became just plain angry. Ms. Auel, what happened? Given your past work, we know that you are capable of so much more than this. How is it possible that you have produced this dry, casual tossing away of a story line that has been building through four substantial books? I agree with all of the other reviewers. The book is terribly repetitive. I guess some things happen, but it FEELS like nothing happens. And the overall feeling I got was that you couldn't care less. I don't get it, and I feel very, very ripped off.
Rating:
Summary: The Saga Continues.....on and on
Review: When I read Plains of Passage I couldn't wait until the next installment of this intriguing series would be out. Almost 13 years later, I was excited when the announcement was made. At last, the adventures of Ayla and Jondalar would continue. Whinny, Racer and Wolf would be off with their human companions exploring and discovering yet more good "stuff". As I read through Shelters of Stone it became obvious to me that this book is much different than those that come before it. First the story stalls a bit because Jondalar and Ayla finally arrive home. There's no reason for them to camp out....experiencing tests and trials galore. They're home...safe among those that do love them and will love them. Second, a huge number of new characters had to be developmented...infact an intirely new civilization of separate caves had to be created.
To the casual reader I guess these changes do cause the story to bog down. But there is still enough here to justify reading the book. Watching the adoption of new technologies by this group of people is interesting in itself as is the idea of people keeping and working with animals. I thought the idea of the Zelandoni (the healers) holding the fire starting technology to themselves to inhance their prestige and power an amazingly human touch provided by Auel. Of course they couldn't and didn't but it makes them the type of humans we can identify with.
Auel develops new lore and traditions of the Zelandonii people from the very beginning of the first chapter. This is no easy task under any circumstances.
I believe that those that read this book will not regret it when they've finished. I also believe that time and reflection may make those that do not like this book presently change their opinions.
If you don't want to buy the book check it out from your public library...In either case you'll enjoy the read.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: Unfortunately I received this book for Mother's Day and feel obligated to read it from cover to cover. Under normal circumstances I'd chuck a book this boring into the can and pick up something more stimulating. I'm on page 310 (it's taken me 4 weeks to get this far) and wish I was on page 749 so I could put this thing on the shelf to gather dust. When my family asks if I'm enjoying my book I cross my fingers and repy, oh yes, thank you very much.
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