Rating: 
Summary: The Vally of Horses
Review: I didn't know that this book was a part of a series until I was over half way through it when I was informed that I should read "The Clan of the Cave Bear" book first(you can see my thoughts on that book to). So I read the series as second, first, third, fourth. And this one is my favorite. I loved the way Ayla over came her misery of really wanting to die and instead broke many clan rules and taboos so she could live and prove to herself that she may be dead to the clan but that she is not really dead. I also liked how Jondalar and Thonolan meet new people and learn new customs and different ways of doing things. Also Jondalar's slow changing of thinking about flatheads(Neanderthals). And Thonolan's real and believeable love then his heartbreak when she dies, making him want to die also. The way Ayla keeps telling new excuses to herself about why she can't leave the valley. And the way she overcomes her lonlynes by adopting and caring for the animals she raises. Then the ways she makes life easier for herself by using the animals to hunt and transport goods.
Then when Jondalar comes and she learns that she isn't big and ugly and that they Broud treated her is not they way it always is. And Jondalar learns that he can fall in love and that he can't live without Ayla.
One thing that I didn't like(and this refers to all the books) is the way the setting is described, it's like you're reading a textbook on all the different kinds of prehistoric plants and animals. Though I do like haveing the descriptions I think it should have been described as one of the characters saw it not how scientist's today see it. Though of all the Earth's Children books out so far this has been my favorite.
Rating:
Summary: A GREAT GREAT BOOK
Review: This book, the first of a series is like a "Lord of the Rings" of the beginning of human mankind. Fortunately, you won't have to wait years for the sequels since the author, Jean Auel, is about to come out with the 5th book after many years. Those of us who read this book when it was first published were tortured with the many years wait for the next sequel, but were not disappointed when the next one finally came out. It's a unique book that you will love!
Rating: 
Summary: This is not Clan of the Cave Bear caliber.
Review: After thoroughly enjoying the first book in Jean Auel's Earth's Children series, The Clan of the Cave Bear, I was really excited to get my hands on the second book, The Valley of Horses. This book is quite different from the first one, as Ayla is alone and we are introduced to the ways of the "Others" (the Cro-Magnons) through the experiences of traveling brothers Thonalan and Jondalar.
I did not enjoy The Valley of Horses as much as The Clan of the Cave Bear. In fact, it took me over a month to read it as opposed to the three days that it took to read the first book, because parts of Valley were plodding and didn't hold my interest. Even Ayla's survival as a loner, her hunting innovations, and her acquisition of an animal "family" grew tiresome after a while. I missed reading about her interaction with the Clan, namely Creb, Iza, and Uba. Also, Thonalan and Jondalar's journey to the end of the Great Mother River seemed to drag on, even with its inherent dangers and acceptance into the Sharamudoi clan. The story picks up when Ayla finds Jondalar and amazes him with her beauty and many skills, and the ultimate point of The Valley of Horses is the love ignited by their chance meeting. Jondalar becomes Ayla's companion, which holds promise for the next books in the series, BUT Auel writes about their lovemaking in a very flowery and contrived manner--I could hardly read it without violently rolling my eyes. Overall, I only finished The Valley of the Horses because I want to continue the series, especially to learn about Ayla's interaction with larger groups of Others and their possibly volatile reaction to her past with the Clan (who are called "flatheads" and regarded as filthy animals by the Others). Hopefully The Mammoth Hunters, the third in the series, will be more interesting to me. The Valley of Horses actually receives 2 3/4 stars from me; I am rounding up to 3.
Rating: 
Summary: Cave man meets harlequin novel
Review: While I couldn't put Clan of the Cave Bear down, I could not finish this clumsy sequel's attempt to match the the heroine with the over-sexed cave man. The first book (Cave Bear) works, in part, because there is no verbal language. The language in Horses is absurd and maybe I should have tried to read more than 100 pages but I think I know where this is going - and I don't need to be convinced Ayla, the first modern woman, needs a man to complete her mastery of nature. Let me guess. The romantic coupling this builds to leads to the birth of blond, blue-eyed people that will be the model for strong, self-sufficient Clan of Aryan world... Sad that this supermarket love story is called the Earth Children Series.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a wonderful book to read again and again!
Review: The main character of each of her books, Ayla, is a woman whose charm, persona, and diversity leads her on many journeys. Having traced Ayla's life-line from the first sequel. I was excited when her life included love. After seeing her struggle with such prejudice, hatred, and ignorance at the hands of some of the characters in the first novel. I was overjoyed when Jondalar appeared in this sequel. I love this book and consider it very informative and incredibly sensual. The very elements of basic human needs are addressed in this story. To see in this novel that love is naturally fought for, and at the same time feared; allows the reader a to experience a sense of reality in which both characters have to explore the past of the other. Such discovery allows each character to appreciate the gifts and talents of the other and to celebrate the differences. Auel highlights and draws the reader not only into the thoughts of a man, but the thoughts of a woman as well. Even though this book has many historic twists. I found it to be a book in which I could read again and again . . . And still find something sweet and new.
Rating:
Summary: It was a good story
Review: I read this book, because I wanted to find out what happened to the character from "The Clan of the Cave Bear" It was a pretty good story, and the details were amazing, but it was no where near as good as the first book in series. If you are planning to read the whole series, you need to read "Valley of Horses" it moves the story forward, and the next 2 books make numerous references to "the valley" It is a little slow in places, but once you get in to it, it becomes more interesting.
Rating:
Summary: classic book
Review: gripping and I have read it many times. Can't wait for book 5
Rating:
Summary: one of my favorites
Review: I loved this book. I like the problems that Ayla has to face. It was a little confusing at first with the storys of Jondalar and Ayla switching back and forth, but i caught on. This whole series is my all time fav, and I am very much anticapating the fifth book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Stone age soap opera
Review: I had heard a lot about this series over many years and looked forward to reading it but had not got around to it. I finally read The Valley of Horses (I have not read The Clan of the Cave Bear, and now I never will) and could not believe how bad it is. I don't recall ever coming across a less convincing attempt to recreate the language, relationships and culture of another time. It is as if the author took a script for a 1980s soap opera, changed a few words and offered it as a rather poor parody of a stone age story - except that it is not intended to be a parody. I am sorry I wasted my time reading this (...) when there are so many great books I could be reading.
Rating:
Summary: A must-read!
Review: I have to admit that I started off this book with less conviction than the first one. I'd read the various reviews on it, and I knew it wouldn't be as captivating as Clan of the Cave Bear had been. However, as soon as I began, I was surprised to find myself drawn into the story.
This book starts where Clan of the Cave Bear leaves off, with Ayla cursed with death and wandering through the plains hoping to find the Others and ultimately, a mate. We also meet Jondalar and Thonolan, two brothers of the Others who are setting off on a journey. The first twenty chapters of the book are spent telling the separate stories of Ayla's survival all alone in the Valley of Horses and Jondalar and Thonolan's journey through the various villages.
While it did tend to be rather long, Ayla's determination and animal companions are charming and the various adventures and romantic escapades Jondalar experiences on his journey do add to the story. Of course, the highlight of this entire book was when Ayla and Jondalar are brought together. I found this part the most intriguing and I stayed up until dawn just reading it.Though not as unique as Clan of the Cave Bear, it is altogether a must read. I can't wait to read the third book!
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