Review of The Clan of the Cave Bear: Earth's Children, Book One

I actually read this book for the first time in 3rd grade. It was my second adult novel (after Watership Down) and I voraciously gobbled up every abundant detail of the Cro-Magnon Ayla's adventures with her adoptive Neanderthal clan.

I've given The Clan of the Cave Bear a re-read after all this time, and I still find Jean Auel's descriptions impressively meticulous. Whether it's mammoths, herbs, or Neanderthal tool-making techniques, Auel provides plenty of information for the reader to chew on. It's clear she did her research.. and then some.

As for plot, the story-line and conflict in this first book will always trump the rest of the series for me. The Clan and their customs are fascinatingly different and Ayla's often painful attempts to assimilate into their alien culture makes for compelling reading. The other high point is the way Ayla's adoptive Neanderthal parents are rendered. The wise mogur, Creb and the loving medicine woman, Iza are both beautifully fleshed out characters. Even Brun the leader is fairly well developed. And Broud? Well, brats are fairly easy characters to write I think. Broud is fairly one note, but he serves his purpose in the story well enough. These characters come off the pages like real people, something that seems to happen less and less as the series progresses.

Worth a look. And possibly mildly inappropriate for 3rd graders. Depends on the 3rd grader.