3 of 13

Write now Article Tools

Clan of the Cave Bear is the first book in the Earth's Children Series written by Jean M. Auel. The book is marketed as historical fiction and is based on the theory of evolution. In the story we start out on a journey with a small waif of a child who is left homeless by an earthquake. The girl is merely 5 years old. Her family's camp has disappeared and she is left to wander naked and alone. Soon the girl comes in contact with a cave lion that attacks her brutally. She suffers from her wounds, starvation, exhaustion and infection. Soon she lays down on the verge of death.

This is where we get introduced to a wandering clan. They too have lost their home in the earthquake. As they search for a new home the come upon the small waif of a child. This child they realize is much different than them. Her skin is whiter, her hair blonde and her eyes blue. They however have flat top heads where hers is rounded and darker hair and skin. The medicine woman of the clan named Iza takes pity on the young child and asks permission of the clan leader to keep the child.

After gaining permission Iza uses her herbs to make the little child come back to life. When she wakes from her deep slumber she is shocked at the appearance of her rescuers. The little girl is gifted with the name Ayla but is referred to much as one of the "others".

This book follows the clan of Neanderthal men and women with their other child who is Cro-Magnon. We follow Ayla as she struggles to be a part of the clan through racial diversity, hardships of communication and through evolution. She gets raped by one of the men of the clan and becomes pregnant. This leads to the mixing of Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon.

After reading Clan of the Cave bear you are left with a feeling of awe and respect. The times were hard and no one was ever lax. Each person had a duty to do whether it was hunting, feeding children, making weapons or spiritual remedies for the medicine woman. We are taken on an archeological journey through time and man. Jean M. Auel brings these characters to life with ease and grace. When we come to the conclusion of the novel we are eager to read the next in the series to find out what happens to Ayla's son, what happens to the clan, and if Ayla ever meets up with people that look like her.

Pick up this book today and enjoy a story that could have been your ancestors. Follow it up with the rest of the Earth's Children series. The titles are The Mammoth Hunters, The Plains of Passage and The Shelter of Stones by Jean M. Auel.

This book gets a 5 out of 5 stars for ease of reading, plot, writing quality and just being a great story! Read it today!

Learn more about this author, Linda St.Cyr.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Book reviews: Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel?
We want to hear your view. Write now!