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2.92 AVERAGE
2.92 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Què dir d'aquest llibre?
La primera cova és interessant. La segona, també. A partir de la tercera llegia en diagonal. A partir de la vintena, em saltava alguna pàgina fins qua sortien de la cova...
No és que el llibre no m'hagi agradat. Està bé, m'ha interessat molt. Només que, un cop l'he acabat aquest matí, he pensat: El llibre té 800 pàgines. No se m'ha fet pesat (a banda de la repetició de coves i la repetició del cant a la mare). Però, si hagués d'explicar la història del llibre, la podria resumir en: es visiten moltes coves; tothom té enveja de l'Ayla, d'en Jondalar i de la Jonayla; es produeix un episodi de gelosia; l'Ayla es pren la ditxosa arrel i es reconcilien.
Les pàgines més interessants són les últimes 50 o 100.
Hagués preferit no tanta cova i que els visitants que apareixen al final expliquessin més coses. El que expliquen m'ha semblat poc, i podrien haver explicat molta cosa.
D'alguna manera, tot i que representa que aquest ja és l'últim llibre, la història acaba molt de cop. M'ha donat la impressió de que si hi hagués un setè llibre no em sorprendria, tot i que l'Auel hagi dit que és l'últim...
No és una mala lectura, però després d'acabar-lo em sento una mica decebuda. Sí, parla de coves (com ja explica el títol), però... potser m'hagués interessat més que s'hagués centrat en altres temes.
La primera cova és interessant. La segona, també. A partir de la tercera llegia en diagonal. A partir de la vintena, em saltava alguna pàgina fins qua sortien de la cova...
No és que el llibre no m'hagi agradat. Està bé, m'ha interessat molt. Només que, un cop l'he acabat aquest matí, he pensat: El llibre té 800 pàgines. No se m'ha fet pesat (a banda de la repetició de coves i la repetició del cant a la mare). Però, si hagués d'explicar la història del llibre, la podria resumir en: es visiten moltes coves; tothom té enveja de l'Ayla, d'en Jondalar i de la Jonayla; es produeix un episodi de gelosia; l'Ayla es pren la ditxosa arrel i es reconcilien.
Les pàgines més interessants són les últimes 50 o 100.
Hagués preferit no tanta cova i que els visitants que apareixen al final expliquessin més coses. El que expliquen m'ha semblat poc, i podrien haver explicat molta cosa.
D'alguna manera, tot i que representa que aquest ja és l'últim llibre, la història acaba molt de cop. M'ha donat la impressió de que si hi hagués un setè llibre no em sorprendria, tot i que l'Auel hagi dit que és l'últim...
No és una mala lectura, però després d'acabar-lo em sento una mica decebuda. Sí, parla de coves (com ja explica el títol), però... potser m'hagués interessat més que s'hagués centrat en altres temes.
Jean M. Auel's first book in her "Earth's Children" series, The Clan of the Cave Bear, was published in 1980, and introduced Ayla, a Cro-Magnon child who had lost her family in a earthquake. She was found by a group of Neanderthals, the Clan of the Cave Bear, who took her in and raised her. It was a well-written and thoroughly researched book which brought the people of that prehistorical period to life.
In the next ten years, Auel published three more books in the series: The Valley of Horses; The Mammoth Hunters; and The Plains of Passage. The books continued to show the author's attention to getting the details of prehistoric life plausible and as correct as possible, and they contained a wealth of information about how those lives may have been lived. But by the fourth book, the series was definitely running out of steam.
Twelve years passed before Auel completed the fifth book in the series, The Shelters of Stone, in which Ayla and her lover, Jondalar, were mated and settled down to life in the Ninth Cave of the Zeladonai, who were Jondalar's people. Now, nine years later, the sixth and, apparently, final book in the series, The Land of Painted Caves will be released on March 29. I received an advance copy and spent this week reading it.
I am fascinated by anthropology and archaeology, especially of prehistoric humans, and so this series would seem like manna from the heavens for me, and, indeed, I have enjoyed it for the most part. This last entry, though, was a disappointment.
The book is divided into three (very big) parts. In part I, Ayla is an acolyte to the Zelandonii, who are healers and keepers of the people's myths and ancient wisdom. Ayla and Jondalar have a baby daughter, Jonayla, and Ayla experiences all the conflicts of any working mother. In part II, five years have passed but Ayla's training continues and she must often spend time away from her family to perform her duties. In part III, she becomes a full-fledged member of the Zelandonii, but her relationship with Jondalar suffers and conflicts threaten to tear them apart.
This is a very, very long book, over 700 pages, and it seems longer.
It could have easily been shorter with some judicious editing and I think that would have made it a better book. As it stands, the writing is boringly repetitious. The author recapitulates all Ayla's history from the previous books. There might have been a need for that once, but it seems like she does it in practically every second chapter. After the second or third retelling, I'm saying, "Yeah, yeah, I know! Just get on with the story!" But she doesn't.
In truth, not much happens in this book. There isn't much drama at all until part III. Mostly it is a relating of the day-to-day lives of the Zelandonai (Cro-Magnon) and how they utilize the resources around them to make life better and easier for themselves. As a gardener myself, one of the things that I truly enjoyed about the book was all the lore about plants and their uses, including psychotropic plants and how they might have been utilized. Auel has not lost her touch as a researcher and the intricate explanations of the uses of plants is proof of that.
I'm sorry to say, though, that I think she has lost her touch as a story-teller, and perhaps it is just as well that this is the last in the series.
In the next ten years, Auel published three more books in the series: The Valley of Horses; The Mammoth Hunters; and The Plains of Passage. The books continued to show the author's attention to getting the details of prehistoric life plausible and as correct as possible, and they contained a wealth of information about how those lives may have been lived. But by the fourth book, the series was definitely running out of steam.
Twelve years passed before Auel completed the fifth book in the series, The Shelters of Stone, in which Ayla and her lover, Jondalar, were mated and settled down to life in the Ninth Cave of the Zeladonai, who were Jondalar's people. Now, nine years later, the sixth and, apparently, final book in the series, The Land of Painted Caves will be released on March 29. I received an advance copy and spent this week reading it.
I am fascinated by anthropology and archaeology, especially of prehistoric humans, and so this series would seem like manna from the heavens for me, and, indeed, I have enjoyed it for the most part. This last entry, though, was a disappointment.
The book is divided into three (very big) parts. In part I, Ayla is an acolyte to the Zelandonii, who are healers and keepers of the people's myths and ancient wisdom. Ayla and Jondalar have a baby daughter, Jonayla, and Ayla experiences all the conflicts of any working mother. In part II, five years have passed but Ayla's training continues and she must often spend time away from her family to perform her duties. In part III, she becomes a full-fledged member of the Zelandonii, but her relationship with Jondalar suffers and conflicts threaten to tear them apart.
This is a very, very long book, over 700 pages, and it seems longer.
It could have easily been shorter with some judicious editing and I think that would have made it a better book. As it stands, the writing is boringly repetitious. The author recapitulates all Ayla's history from the previous books. There might have been a need for that once, but it seems like she does it in practically every second chapter. After the second or third retelling, I'm saying, "Yeah, yeah, I know! Just get on with the story!" But she doesn't.
In truth, not much happens in this book. There isn't much drama at all until part III. Mostly it is a relating of the day-to-day lives of the Zelandonai (Cro-Magnon) and how they utilize the resources around them to make life better and easier for themselves. As a gardener myself, one of the things that I truly enjoyed about the book was all the lore about plants and their uses, including psychotropic plants and how they might have been utilized. Auel has not lost her touch as a researcher and the intricate explanations of the uses of plants is proof of that.
I'm sorry to say, though, that I think she has lost her touch as a story-teller, and perhaps it is just as well that this is the last in the series.
While I enjoyed this book it was also intensely irritating!
Unlike the last five books which start and end within days and sometimes even moments of each other, this book has three time jumps. I found the first and second part rather tedious, as it details Ayla's Donier Tour. Be prepared for long descriptions of sacred cave after sacred cave. It felt very monotonous. Considering all of the traveling that has happened in previous books, I'd say that the novelty is gone. I'd rather Ayla and Jondalar stay in one place and build a life together. Of course they meet lots of new people, and there are interesting events, but it really did feel repetitive
Most of the meat of the book happens in the third part, and is mostly Ayla and Jondalar having the same communication problems that they had in the Mammoth Hunters. I was furious that Jondalar had been having an affair with Marona. Despite the Zelandoni's culture with regards to pleasures, I found it very hard to believe that he could be with a woman who had been so cruel to Ayla. That did not seem in keeping with his character at all. I know that Auel was trying to demonstrate how far Ayla and Jondalar had drifted, but still....
After all of the repetitiveness of part 1&2, I was pleasantly surprised by the knowledge that was gifted to Ayla during her calling to be Zelandonii. Finally having it be confirmed that babies are equally from their Mother and Father's body was an unexpected way to close out a theme that began in the very first book when Ayla created her theory. It was also interesting to start to see the changes that this information would bring to their culture and to see how Auel was connecting her world to ours.
After writing 6 epic novels, I was curious how some of the loose ends would be wrapped up. First of all, I loved that they were visited by the Mamutoi young men! That was unexpected; I just wish that they had been in more of the story. Although, it was hilarious when Danug basically cussed them out at the end of the book and told them how stupid they were being. But it did seem to be an easy out that all of the four people who hated Ayla moved away by the end of the book. Brukeval and Madroman simply left, Marona mated and moved far away, and Ladroman moved to the 5th cave. All wrapped up in a neat little bow, right?
While the drama of the third part was entertaining, it was also lazy writing in my opinion to revisit so many of the same character flaws: Ayla assuming that Jondalar didn't love her, Jondalar not wanting to know what Ayla was thinking in case he was rejected, Jondalar beating someone up over a woman.... etc. etc. After all of the things that have happened to them both and being mated for years, there was really no character growth, which was disappointing. And yet somehow, they also both seemed out of character to me by the end of the book. And then it was also annoying that there was little communication to resolve their issues. Jondalar proved he loved Ayla by bringing her back from the spirit world, so all is forgiven/resolved. I suppose that's why they never learn.
Finally, I think the most annoying thing was the over-communication from Auel. Instead of referring to previous events, she had to describe everything in excruciating detail as if we - the readers - had completely forgotten these significant events in Ayla's life (or forgotten the multiple retellings since). In addition to incorporating these retellings into her narrative, they also found their way into the dialogue between characters. I mean, really, why should Ayla have to explain to Marthona or Zelandonii who Iza or Kreb/Mogur was? How could they not know the names of her adoptive parents after spending years with Ayla? Or that Zelandonii wouldn't know that the holy men in the clan were called the Mogurs? Utterly ridiculous.
I know that most of this review is filled with complaints, and looking back I'm not sure if I enjoyed the book on its merits or because I felt relief/accomplishment to reach the end of this huge marathon... but I did enjoy the closure it brought, and the questions that it did answer. However, I found it extremely odd that Ayla was not the final narrator. We were in Jondalar's heard and then it moved to Zelandonii contemplating future culture changes. We started with Ayla, we should finish with Ayla. **Also, sorry for the spelling errors, I was listening to this book via audible :-)
Unlike the last five books which start and end within days and sometimes even moments of each other, this book has three time jumps. I found the first and second part rather tedious, as it details Ayla's Donier Tour. Be prepared for long descriptions of sacred cave after sacred cave. It felt very monotonous. Considering all of the traveling that has happened in previous books, I'd say that the novelty is gone. I'd rather Ayla and Jondalar stay in one place and build a life together. Of course they meet lots of new people, and there are interesting events, but it really did feel repetitive
Most of the meat of the book happens in the third part, and is mostly Ayla and Jondalar having the same communication problems that they had in the Mammoth Hunters. I was furious that Jondalar had been having an affair with Marona. Despite the Zelandoni's culture with regards to pleasures, I found it very hard to believe that he could be with a woman who had been so cruel to Ayla. That did not seem in keeping with his character at all. I know that Auel was trying to demonstrate how far Ayla and Jondalar had drifted, but still....
After all of the repetitiveness of part 1&2, I was pleasantly surprised by the knowledge that was gifted to Ayla during her calling to be Zelandonii. Finally having it be confirmed that babies are equally from their Mother and Father's body was an unexpected way to close out a theme that began in the very first book when Ayla created her theory. It was also interesting to start to see the changes that this information would bring to their culture and to see how Auel was connecting her world to ours.
After writing 6 epic novels, I was curious how some of the loose ends would be wrapped up. First of all, I loved that they were visited by the Mamutoi young men! That was unexpected; I just wish that they had been in more of the story. Although, it was hilarious when Danug basically cussed them out at the end of the book and told them how stupid they were being. But it did seem to be an easy out that all of the four people who hated Ayla moved away by the end of the book. Brukeval and Madroman simply left, Marona mated and moved far away, and Ladroman moved to the 5th cave. All wrapped up in a neat little bow, right?
While the drama of the third part was entertaining, it was also lazy writing in my opinion to revisit so many of the same character flaws: Ayla assuming that Jondalar didn't love her, Jondalar not wanting to know what Ayla was thinking in case he was rejected, Jondalar beating someone up over a woman.... etc. etc. After all of the things that have happened to them both and being mated for years, there was really no character growth, which was disappointing. And yet somehow, they also both seemed out of character to me by the end of the book. And then it was also annoying that there was little communication to resolve their issues. Jondalar proved he loved Ayla by bringing her back from the spirit world, so all is forgiven/resolved. I suppose that's why they never learn.
Finally, I think the most annoying thing was the over-communication from Auel. Instead of referring to previous events, she had to describe everything in excruciating detail as if we - the readers - had completely forgotten these significant events in Ayla's life (or forgotten the multiple retellings since). In addition to incorporating these retellings into her narrative, they also found their way into the dialogue between characters. I mean, really, why should Ayla have to explain to Marthona or Zelandonii who Iza or Kreb/Mogur was? How could they not know the names of her adoptive parents after spending years with Ayla? Or that Zelandonii wouldn't know that the holy men in the clan were called the Mogurs? Utterly ridiculous.
I know that most of this review is filled with complaints, and looking back I'm not sure if I enjoyed the book on its merits or because I felt relief/accomplishment to reach the end of this huge marathon... but I did enjoy the closure it brought, and the questions that it did answer. However, I found it extremely odd that Ayla was not the final narrator. We were in Jondalar's heard and then it moved to Zelandonii contemplating future culture changes. We started with Ayla, we should finish with Ayla. **Also, sorry for the spelling errors, I was listening to this book via audible :-)
Obviously very well researched and descriptive but the plot did not progress well, character development was disappointing and the storyline was extremely similar to book 3. Too repetitive and overall not impressed.
I give this book a star only because I don't want anyone to see 0 stars and mistakenly think that I didn't bother to score it, and maybe it's not so bad. As far as I can remember, this is the worst book I've ever read. I'm a huge fan of the series, reread the first three or four books a million times. But this book is so slow, so boring, so repetitive. It's like the first 3/4 of the book are a verbatim publication of her research notes of viewing the caves, and the last 1/4 is plot stolen from one of the previous books (I'll spare you any spoilers, though that does NOT mean I think you should read it) and plopped down into this story. Agonizing. I'm so sorry. I'm going back to reread The Valley of Horses, just to clean out my brain.
Finally finished! After over a month! Loved it & it ended really well but sometimes there's just too much information to take in all at once :)
A Disappointing Conclusion
As an avid (albeit very late) reader of the Earth’s Children series, I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to have the final book end this way. It seemed to me that nothing much happened for the majority of the novel before a fairly rushed and unsatisfying conclusion. The novel still has the basics of Auel’s narrative which enthralled me throughout the series; Ayla is still unquestionably fascinating and the geographical and biological detail is astounding, and I found myself enjoying the novel in spite of its flaws.
As an avid (albeit very late) reader of the Earth’s Children series, I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to have the final book end this way. It seemed to me that nothing much happened for the majority of the novel before a fairly rushed and unsatisfying conclusion. The novel still has the basics of Auel’s narrative which enthralled me throughout the series; Ayla is still unquestionably fascinating and the geographical and biological detail is astounding, and I found myself enjoying the novel in spite of its flaws.
A fitting conclusion. I thought it had a slow start but that the ending was a jumble of emotional highs, when Danug and Drewez turned up, and lows, when Ayla lost the baby and found Jondalar with Marona. I love this series and adore the characters.