Nota de Pamen en 1ª pág.: Agosto 2005

I think I've read this one about six times between my 12th and my 18th birthday. This book (together with [a:Thea Beckman|491820|Thea Beckman|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1233870609p2/491820.jpg]'s [b:Kruistocht in Spijkerbroek|3114666|Kruistocht in spijkerbroek|Thea Beckman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1206654386s/3114666.jpg|959221]) fueled my love for history. ( )

While I enjoyed The Clan of the Cave Bear, I wish it weren't so obviously the first book in a series, as it ends abruptly (albeit exactly where it must) with the clear intention of continuing in additional novels which likely won't find their way onto my reading list. I admire Jean M. Auel's world-building and vision for her saga of the Clan and the Others, the competing species of prehistoric man struggling for survival on the Crimean Peninsula. Steeped in mythology and superstition, the Clan lack the cognitive power to comprehend the natural world. While they see sex as a natural part of life, they do not grasp its connection to reproduction. They are unable to count beyond three and cannot generalize (for example, they lack a word for tree, despite having words for elm and birch and other varieties found in their environment). Conversely, Others have the cognitive skills lacking in the Clan, which supplement their lesser physical strength.

The heroine of the novel, Ayla, is an Other cast into the world of the Clan at the age of five by an earthquake which wipes out her family and all the people she lives with. Ayla can be seen as a feminist archetype, caught between the patriarchal traditions of the Clan and her innate abilities and desires which drive her to participate in activities restricted to men. Ayla's struggle to suppress her superior skills in accordance with Clan traditions, and the Clan's inability to accept her as she is, continually threaten both her inclusion as part of the Clan and her survival.

The Clan of the Cave Bear is a conceptually interesting book. Occasionally, words spoken or thought by the primitive characters noticeably exceed their intellectual abilities, but the overall storytelling yields an entertaining—if incomplete—read. ( )

It was slow going at the beginning. So much so that I almost dnf'd it but I am so glad that I didn't. This is a really good book and I look forward to continuing the series in the future. ( )

(Review for vols. 1-4) The Earth's Children series is one of my all-time favourites, a long and fascinating tale about the early history of mankind, when the Early European Modern Humans (or Cro-Magnons) slowly replaced the Neandertals. Based on thorough historic research of the time, the author paints a vivid picture of Europe in the stone age and imagines a fascinating and realistic culture of the peoples of that time. She also shows an interesting view on language acquisition, information processing and technical innovations by following her protagonists along on their adventurous life. Some of the research the story is based upon has today been superseded by newer findings and research, but this doesn't take away the fascination and pleasure of this captivating tale. ( )