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Loading... The Valley of Horses (1982)by Jean M. Auel
Decent story set during the stone age. the first 2/3rds of the book were alternating chapters between ayla (main character in the clan of the cave bear) and a new major character, jondalar. i found all the chapters that focused on jondalar to be more or less extraneous (even though he was obviously a new major focus of the series) and didn't enjoy them. also they seemed less realistic (as if i know anything about this time period) both in terms of the language, banter, relationships between people, and even the advancements these people had over the people ayla was raised with. the ayla chapters were, to me, like the clan of the cave bear and i couldn't get enough. like before, the writing leans more toward poor than great, ayla is ridiculously perfect, the addition of sex that the publishers required is annoying, the dialogue is cheesy, and for some reason it's impossible to put down. strong female character, the origin story of all of us, and something so incredibly compelling. she manages to weave this fabulous story in spite of all the drawbacks. also a great lesson about racism, which i love. i'm still so excited about this series. I enjoyed the first is this series. Got half way through this oe and gave up on this one. Boring and to much detail for me. I did not like the two story lines. :( Although I grew out of this type of book years ago, I remember enjoying it and the first book also. It was interesting to imagine the lives of cave people. no reviews | add a review Is contained inThe Clan of the Cave Bear, The Valley of the Horses - two novels in one volume by Jean M. Auel Earth's Children 1-3 (The Clan of the Cave Bear; The valley of horses; The mammoth hunters) by Jean M. Auel Jean M. Auel's the Earth's Children: The Clan of the Cave Bear, the Valley of Horses, the Mammoth Hunters, the Plains of Passage Earth's Children #1-4 by Jean M. Auel Earth's Children 1-5 (The Clan of the Cave Bear; The valley of horses; The mammoth hunters; The plains of passage; The shelters of stone) by Jean M. Auel
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0553381660, Paperback)This unforgettable odyssey into the distant past carries us back to the awesome mysteries of the exotic, primeval world of The Clan of the Cave Bear, and to Ayla, now grown into a beautiful and courageous young woman.Cruelly cast out by the new leader of the ancient Clan that adopted her as a child, Ayla leaves those she loves behind and travels alone through a stark, open land filled with dangerous animals but few people, searching for the Others, tall and fair like herself. The short summer gives her little time to look, and when she finds a sheltered valley with a herd of hardy steppe horses, she decides to stay and prepare for the long glacial winter ahead. Living with the Clan has taught Ayla many skills but not real hunting. She finally knows she can survive when she traps a horse, which gives her meat and a warm pelt for the winter, but fate has bestowed a greater gift, an orphaned foal with whom she develops a unique kinship. One winter extends to more; she discovers a way to make fire more quickly and a wounded cave lion cub joins her unusual family, but her beloved animals don’t fulfill her restless need for human companionship. Then she hears the sound of a man screaming in pain. She saves tall, handsome Jondalar, who brings her a language to speak and an awakening of love and desire, but Ayla is torn between her fear of leaving her valley and her hope of living with her own kind. (retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:56:35 -0500) Second in the acclaimed Earth's Children series. Ayla leaves those she loves behind and travels alone through a stark open land filled with dangerous animals but few people, searching for the Others, tall and fair like herself. |
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Sounds a bit hokey, does it not?
Add a tamed cave lion and horse as plucky sidekicks, endless overly-detailed descriptions of various tribal customs, and a bunch of Stone Age conjugation (if you know what I mean, wink wink) and it becomes a 544 pg. coagulation of "Meh" moments.
I first read it at age 10, so I was fairly forgiving of its many flaws at the time. I'm not nearly so forgiving after a recent re-read, but I think I'll let it squeak by with two and a half stars just for old time's sake. (