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Summary: Ayla's Epic Journey
Review: Never before do I remember reading a book that has so moved me as did Jean M. Auel's CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR. I had always seen it, heard of it, but somehow never got around to actually sitting down and reading its pages. The decision to read CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR was one that I could never regret. While reading it I cheered silently for Ayla, cried visibly for her, and was angry when injustices fell on her. Reading this novel was like visiting another world, allowing me to escape everyday life to live in the past. I was terribly sad when I had finished the last page, but look forward to continuing the series.
In the beginning I was skeptic about the quality, but as I continued reading I found that the quality was the highest of any book I have ever read. The details were so descriptive that I could see the cave, the landscape, the people... so much that they became real to me. This novel is not only a great piece of fiction but a world all in its own. I could actually relate to the characters in the book, namely Ayla. I felt her will and determination, and most of all her willingness to sacrfice herself for anything that was important to her. Well done, Ms. Auel, you have created a superb piece of literature.
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Summary: If you haven't read it yet, don't wait another minute!
Review: Perhaps one of the best "easy reads" of all time. This story is unusual and unexpected, but unforgettable. Think about it...there's a reason this book is still being raved about!
Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: This is an amazing book. My name on Amazon isn't just because I'm a crazed fan of the series, it's because my mother named me after the herion of this book. I think it's amazing how Ayla overcame the hardships in her life and learned to used her healing and keep her calm over Broud. She's an amazing role model to look up to, for me, and for anyone who reads this. I highly recomend this. If you won't listen to the older readers, listen to me. I'm thirteen years old, and this is one of the best books I've ever read.
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Summary: A Fantastic Read
Review: I love to read, and I especially love to see a movie for the first time and find out that it was inspired by a novel. The Clan of the Cave Bear movie was good, but the book is amazing. Jean M. Auel tells an engaging story. Ayla's life from the loss of her parents, to being found by the Clan at age 5, to dealing with their differences is all very well told. I love the fact that she becomes what most women in the tribe would not even consider becomming. I read this very huge book in 2 days, I don't even remember if I stopped to eat or sleep. I try to reread it at least once a year. If you like books that grab your attention and then refuse to let go-This is the book for you.
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Summary: A fascinating tale
Review: This book is an excellent choice if you want three things: a great heroine (in the form of Ayla), an epic adventure (this is the beginning of a long series), and lots of fascinating insight into the ways of prehistoric man and the Neanderthals. I had never read a book based in prehistory and I was pleasantly surprised. The author's careful description of the tribe's skills held my attention, and I truly enjoyed watching the human girl, Ayla, become a woman among a Neanderthal tribe. I recommend this to high school students and older.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but not great literature
Review: This has definitely become a cult classic. I really liked the book the first time around, and it is a compelling story, but it definitely has some flaws. One of the biggest is Auel's writing. Her story ideas are good, but the execution is not great. Oh, let's face it, she writes like a tenth grader. An imaginative tenth grader, to be sure, but a tenth grader just the same. With that in mind, the best audience for this book is the high school crowd. Ayla has that whole teen rebellion thing going. As I've gotten older, she keeps getting less sympathetic. Seriously, it almost seems like she goes out of her way to get into trouble, and that whole "she was different, she couldn't help it" line just sounds like an excuse for her lack of self-control. Just because one has the ability to break every rule of their society, doesn't mean one should, but she's smart,blonde and pretty, so we'll build a series around her.
<sigh>
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Summary: Absolutely the Best in the Series
Review: First read this years ago and have reread it time after time. It is a fascinating story, always engrossing! One of those that will stay with you forever - in a good way. None of the sequels have been nearly as good as this first book - but you still read them, hoping. I picked this book up near the register at the supermarket while waiting in line and was hooked after the first page. Hopefully sooner rather than later, Auel will get the main character (Ayla) back to the Clan for the resolution of this series. Whether she does or not, this book stands on its own. Read and enjoy!
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Summary: Prehistory - Schmistory
Review: Intellectually and artistically roughly on a par with the Flintstones. Despite the numerous five star reviews it has received here this risible prehistoric bonkbuster is utter dross, a hopelessly 'eighties modernist' take on the past diplaying minimal knowledge of human nature and the way new ideas and societies really evolve. Of course good fairy tales can be entertaining for children and adults alike and are an esential part of our cultural heritage. Not this one though
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Summary: Great Book - Read it in 3 days
Review: This is one of the best books for a summer day - but it was so good I read it in three days - no small feat.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: It's been quite awhile since I read this book and the others in the Cave Bear series. This book was definitely the best of the bunch. I have not read the latest one yet, but intend to in the near future. This is the story that lays the plot for all the books in the series, and it is a stunner. It is so real that it's like Ms. Auel is writing of someone we know. We all feel that we are friends of Ayla by the time we get into the story. I found that Ms. Auel whetted my appetite for other prehistoric novelists, and that turned me to Kathleen and Michael Gear, who I also recommend.
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