It has long been argued that Neanderthals lacked the full vocal range of anatomically modern humans (Gamble 2003, 170-174), so Auel endows her Neanderthals with quite an intimate form of communication. One of the first things she must learn is how to communicate and this is something that Auel has obviously given a lot of thought to.

With the help of Iza and Creb, the crippled shaman, Ayla begins to integrate herself into clan life. The wound is to have implications that are far reaching for both the clan and Ayla. The clan's medicine woman, Iza, feels compassion for the feverish girl who is so close to death after being wounded by a cave lion, and nurses her back to health. There are hints of the difficulties Ayla may face when she is described as 'of the Others' and so should be left for dead. The two have been brought together by an earthquake that destroyed both Ayla's family and the clan's cave. The book explores the relationship between Ayla, a five-year-old Cro Magnon orphan, and the Clan of the Cave Bear, a band of homeless Neanderthals. Now that I have finished, I don't quite know where to begin. I must admit it was with a certain amount of trepidation that I cracked open the pages of a borrowed copy and settled down to enter the world of the Earth's Children series. I would have read it sooner had the fervour surrounding it not reminded me of their failed attempts to get me into the 'Twilight' series.

My friends - most of them females - insisted I should read it, that it was a beautiful story and that I didn't know what I was missing. Auel, is one of those books that I have heard a lot about, but never had the inclination to sit down and read. The Clan of the Cave Bear - Book ReviewĬlan of the Cave Bear, by Jean M. But how many of us have actually read it, or been tempted to watch its lesser-known film adaptation? This article will review both the book and the film and perhaps refresh the memory of old faithful readers and viewers alike and rescue all those interested, but perhaps wary, parties from the throws of indecision. Auel seems to have become something of an archaeological institution. Despite being a work of fiction, the novel of the Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M.

Auel clan of the cave bear