I first read the books as a kid when I was wayyy too young for some of the topics discussed. Recently, I've been shopping for audiobooks to make long car drives less boring and remembered CotC - however, weirdly enough, I only remembered the first book and then a few blurry, disjointed moments from the later books (I definitely remember that I read at last up to Ayla's and Jondalar's marriage).

So the first book was pretty much as I remembered it and I loved listening to it. Now I'm at the second book and ohhh boy. I've seen people criticise the fact that Ayla can do everything and constantly invents new things but her chapters were the only thing I've liked about the audiobook so far. With every new Jondalar chapter, I'm more tempted to skip forward to Ayla.

He and basically everyone he encounters are so incredibly annoying, arrogant and boring and the tribes just seem like weird sex cults. I was actually shocked at the part where he basically threatens to rape/abuse a woman who played a dumb prank on him - like, I had my finger on the skip button in case he would actually go through with it.

Also, the part where Ayla gets horny while watching Whinny mate - did the descriptions of the animals' genitals etc. have to be so graphic??

From reading other peoples posts, I guess it's going to get worse after Ayla returns with Jondalar? Luckily I just bought the first three audiobooks so I don't have to sit through more caveman drama and caveman sex

It's not a typo...the pains in this book...

The stupid white tunic...just wrap it with your matrimonial tunic, you know, the one he knows about? Weight is fine for horse but running out of space? Make backpack! When Darvo literally just told you he tried your old tunic on that morning don't ask him if he still has it....

I've just finished this...not for the first time either, it's one of my all time favourite books!

But I'm always left wondering what happened to the clan after Ayla left...did they find a new cave? Did broud manage to control himself? Where's Durc?

Pros to being with Jondalar:

• Handsome

• Blue eyes

• Tall

• Big dick

• Magic tongue

• The perfect man

Cons:

• Angsty

• Jealous

• Violent

• Controlling

• Prone to angry outbursts

• Cave Lion totem doesn't approve of him

Conclusion: Jondalar would be an okay one night stand, but girl he is not mate material. Please split and whatever you do, don't have any more babies with the guy.

Edit: Isn't there also a big taboo about getting into a relationship with someone immediately after doing their First Rites? Bad Jondalar!

I’m reading the chapter where Ayla hunts one of the horses in VoH and I’m banging my head… surely she could have stalked out in a tree and speared + jumped downwards to strike?? Spear hunters to this very day stalk out in vegetation (as low as 12-15 feet above ground if there is good cover) and wait for game to come to them for a clean shot… why’d we have to get the whole over complicated pit and fence trap for a quarry like a primitive horse that’s relatively small (compared to a bison or rhinoceros at least)? Large cervids and comparably sized animals (wildebeest, zebra, water buffalo, kudu etc) can be taken down with a single spear shot, and aiming from above is even easier than on the ground. I’m sorry Jean but this scene was crazy.

I watched The Duel with Liam Hemsworth, and he is Jondalar to me forevermore. Imagine him blonde.

When I read, I don't imagine a whole face. I imagine a person's features as they're described, but I don't try to put it all together, if that makes sense. When I watched this movie, I saw Jondalar and now I have a face to imagine.

Does anyone have pdf versions of the series? I’d love to put them on my kindle to have everywhere I go.

https://youtu.be/YeAp1fPt8Eg?feature=shared

Hi! If anyone is interested in what Ayla may have sounded like, please listen to this whole performance. Minus her awesome mouth harp, I can absolutely hear this as part of a performance during the Summer Meetings or other special occasions.

I’m guessing we never see Durc again do we 😭 the way I bawled. Everything about Durc hit hard in this book and I had to go squeeze my son after I finished the ending!!! WHY

I generally see people say that the series depicted Cro Magnons accurately but that almost everything about the Neanderthals is outdated due to how much more we know today than in the 80s. Are there any articles that I can read that show what she got wrong vs what is accurate?

I downloaded the entire series on audible a number of years ago. I love listening the books over and over. I am currently listening to the Plains of Passaged (Last week I finished Shelters of Stone).

Over the weekend all the titles disappeared from my Audible Library. What's worse is I cannot download them any more. They're not available. Has anyone else encountered this? Are there other media where I can listen to the audio versions of the book?

So I'm wondering if they is any fics that bring characters to the past and they must survive in the earths children world.

I have found a few I might read but the only one im actually reading is Ayla's Clan on ao3.

Hi, my wife is a big fan. I was thinking of giving her a gift - any ideas or links, aside from books themselves? It could be jewelry, pictures, whatever crosses your mind. Thanks!

RANT. I have never wanted a fictional character to be trampled by a mammoth more in my life. I would rather lick a toaster than listen to his nonstop emo stream of consciousness. I think the problem is that I'm listening to the audiobook instead of reading the paperback, so my eyes can't just skip all his useless filler like the first time, and so I'm forced to withstand waaaahh my big man penis and lusty loins want her, but I can't have her, but I need her, but I'm just a loser with loser feelings waaaahh. If I hear "oh donii!" ONE MORE TIME. A perfect example of a great concept spoiled by a shit character. I'm still gonna reread (well, re-listen) but I'll probably die mad about it. Thanks for letting me vent!

Tbf I spent a good portion of book 2, and even some of book 3, wondering about whether we would see them again. But at a certain point, I knew it was never gonna happen. I think it made sense and am fine with it. It's sad of course that she never sees him again, but we know she couldn't go back.

I’m currently reading Shelters of Stone and was looking forward to book 6 until I read reviews of it. Is it even worth reading? From what I can tell from reviews, most people pretend it doesn’t exist and feel that Auel crapped on the characters she spent 5 books creating. Thoughts?

I have been listening to the last two audiobooks recently and although it’s mentioned in the earlier books, her accent becomes very apparent in these ones because they are so much farther away. One thing that is bothering me is this: If Jondalar taught Ayla how to speak, wouldn’t she have just learned with his Zelendonii accent? I know her original people taught her how to speak, but if she didn’t remember any of that language, it seems more realistic that she would pick up his accent because she was basically starting from scratch with speech/language.

If someone is born in Japan but they move to Australia as a toddler, they don’t typically have a Japanese accent. They inherit an Australian one.

What am I missing?

For some reasons I thought it was a low-budget, action movie when I first heard of it, but I watched it because the Homo Sapiens/Neandertal interactions fascinate me.

Well, I was very pleasantly surprised!

Sure, the blonde supermodel surrounded by cavemen is a little cheesy, and I'm sure the books are way more detailed (I'll have to read them now), but overall I was fascinated for 90 minutes.

I love the landscape and the magic rituals, I love the way the clan communicate, or the theory about their ancestral memory. It really makes you wonder how Neandertal could apprehend the world, where did they travel, how they vanish/fight/mate with HS, etc.

Is there a good way to read the series without re reading each book each time? Like half the volume of the books is repeating everyone's back stories and it'd be a much more pleasant re-reading experience if there were such an edition

Everytime I read about the pole drag I want to jump into the story and invent the wheel for them. It seems ridiculous to me that they used the pole drag to transport the first around and it was supposedly easier for her than walking. Those pole tips would get stuck every 2 minutes and torn up so fast with a heavy load.

This is my first read through, and technically not even since I’m listening on audiobook, so please excuse any misspellings of names. Okay, now I’ve had some pretty severe issues with Jondalar for awhile now, but he got over himself and his prejudices and I was settling into liking him. But I’m sorry, Ayla just caught him and Marona together at THEIR river spot and now I want to reach through time and fiction and claw that fuckers eyes out!!! Where’s Baby when you need him?!?!?! I’m so seriously upset and betrayed! I can’t believe it’s been going on for awhile! Let’s not even get into how Ayla just lost a child and was looking for that fuckstick to start a new one. UGHGHGHG I HATE JONDAWHORE!!!!!!!!!