Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed Fan
Review: This is the book to read when you need to fall asleep. The excruciating detail will wear any reader down. I loved the series but felt the characters in this book had no personality. Ayla has become such a goody-goody with none of her previous fiery personality and Jondalar has none of the character he had in the previous books. The new characters introduced in the book are sadly lacking in development. Rather than buy Shelters of Stone, read Clan of the Cave Bear.
Rating: 
Summary: After years of anticipation, a major letdown
Review: Sorry to say, there's not much of a story here. The whole book feels like a set-up for the next, last book. Everything came too easily for our heroes & there was just no real DRAMA to be found. Ayla is easily accepted by Jondalar's people, they get mated, Ayla & Whinney have their babies and Ayla decides to train for Zelandoni. The whole summer 'meeting', rife with potential for juicy plot developments, is rushed through with little incident. Other, minor characters that were introduced play no real part in THIS book. Ms. Auel does her usual careful research, of course, but falls flat on plot this time and I just can't help but feel like she didn't really CARE about this book. I have a strong suspicion that the final book will really pack a wallop and the drudgery of 'Shelters' will prove to be key in the development, but, honestly, I feel as though I've been fleeced! Please, Jean, hurry up with the last one, ok? We waited too long for this particular letdown. You owe us one.
Rating: 
Summary: Waited forever for this book...and not much happened.
Review: I've only got a precious 60 more pages or so to go to finish this book...but I must admit...I'm rather disappointed. Most of Ms. Auel's books span the course of several years...and much happens to the characters. I looked forward to this book for about a dozen years...and it only spans the course of about a year... For a lengthy book...it doesn't cover much ground in the lives of Ayla and Jondalar. And she hasn't invented one solitary thing throughout the whole book! Not at all like her! I sure hope the next book is waiting in the wings. I'm still a big fan and all...I just expected to get more caught up with my all-time favorite characters after all this time waiting. A lot of the book was just a recapitulation of the previous books...Ayla's unusual background...and the things she and Jondalar learned on their journey... I just expected a lot more. The book is very detailed and well written as always...but not much happens... And I feel that Ms. Auel missed the opportunity to utilize the character of Marona effectively... Maybe something will happen in the next 60 pages to change my mind. I'm really glad to have the book...and nothing would keep me from reading it...but I've been re-reading all the other Earth Series books for years and years and years and years...so I did not need the recapitulation.... I'm "up" with the storyline!
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: The best of the series yet! Cannot understand all the people carping about it: hey! Get a life! This isn't supposed t be War and Peace or the Great American Novel...it is just a GOOD story! if you want SERIOUS FICTION and stories about DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES and the like, read something else. I loved it; although I do agree tgat the repition of titlee dot a bit overdone. I can hardly wait for the last book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: All that research and no substance!
Review: I have been one of Ms. Auel's addicted readers throughout her entire series. I fought my way through The Shelters of Stone for the first 275 pages and finally tossed it aside. Replay, Replay, Replay. I enjoyed the five page spread on the caves in France in one of the 2001 editions of National Geographic significantly more. 13 million copies printed of The shelters of Stone! My copy got trashed. A great disappointment to this previous fan.
Rating:
Summary: only average!
Review: After enthusiastically starting this long-awaited sequel to the original 4 books, I have to confess I was pretty bored by about chapter 4. Like other reviewers here, I eventually started skimming the long descriptive passages and repetitive introductions. In fairness, I did enjoy the parts where there was some action(!) and was actually sorry when the book finally ended, as it is obviously set up for a sequel, in order to resolve many unfinished issues.
This book is definitely only for the fans.
Rating:
Summary: 11 year wait for this?
Review: I waited faithfully for 11 years for the next book from Ms. Auel. I have to say I am a bit disappointed. You can eliminate at least 300 pages of the the 700+ page book and not miss anything. Ms. Auel should have had more faith in her readers that they didn't need to be reminded frequently of things that happened in the previous books. There are times when it feels as if she is just adding stuff in the fill the pages. Like I said I would have been missing 300 pages of back ground fill in and other repetative narratives. Ok how many times did we need to be told that the Zelandoni "The First" was overweight and needed a big stool to sit? How many times did I need to hear how Ayla liked to wash in the cold stream like she was taught by Iza after pleasures and even though Jondalar didn't really enjoy this custom as long as she did he could try to like it? It is things like this repeated endlessly through this book that makes it slow moving. I skipped through quite a few of the long passages simply because they were already told a chapter or two ago. The greeting process was another thing that we had to wade through. Also how many times did we have to listen (read) to the First sing the Earth Mothers Song? I hope that Ms. Auel gives her readers more credit in her next book. We are fans we know the story we don't need to read and reread it again.
Rating:
Summary: I've been had!!!
Review: I am only half way through, and probably will not finish!!This is a big disapointment. Ms Auel seems to tout the French aspect of this book by the wine, the cusine, the erotic sex and the advanced vocabulary!!The ploy of waiting so long to publish this book has made her a LOT of money. Personally I would like a refund!!
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I have been an avid reader of Jean Auel's Earth Children Series for some time. I anxiously purchased this book as soon as it came out - ...this book does not live up to the first four of the series. It is so different that I have even told people that half the time it reads as if someone else wrote it. Whereas the other four books are full adventure, interesting plots, and passion, this book has none of any of those things. I thought even the story was lacking in this book: predictable, dull, and flat. If it was my first introduction to the series, I wouldn't have read half the book. Most of the book painfully reviews past events, and repeats the same things several times. Save your money - don't buy this book. You will do better to stop after Plains of Passage - you will be happier with series then.
Rating:
Summary: Down hill slide
Review: The Clan of the Cave Bear was a remarkable beginning to Auel's series. The Valley of Horses continued with Ayla's struggle to survive, ending with finally meeting one of the Others. The Mammoth Hunters starts turning into prehistoric soap opera, introducing another man to compete for Ayla's affection, while Jondular mopes around. The slide started there. The Plains of Passage was nothing more than traveling and sex scenes. Now we have the Shelters of Stone. I guess I thought that after the Plains, Auel took 12 years to bring back some drama and plot, and improve the series. Turns out she must have had writer's block, and the publisher obviously forced her to get something, anything, worked into a manuscript. The editor did a terrible job. This book should have been 400 pages instead of 750. I had anticipated this book, but now I think it's only worth reading out of curiosity and as a bridge to the next and final story, which I will probably be too old and decrepit to read.
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