The Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

In a beautifully written, enigmatic, pre-historic tale of two variations of the same species, Jean M. Auel tells
of the immovable destiny that only one thread of the species may continue.

Our journey begins with the introduction of a five-year-old girl, left alone and devastated after an earthquake killed her family. Struggling to survive, she tumbles through the forest hoping for refuge. After being attacked by a ferocious cave lion, she is left for dead. Throughout the novel we discover that this girl is lucky beyond all measure; her first piece of luck comes in the form of rescue. When she awakens, she finds herself surrounded by people who are similar to herself, yet completely different. These are the people of The Clan of The Cave Bear.

The novel takes us through six years of the life of the girl, who comes to be known as Ayla. We travel with Ayla through the hardships of overcoming the differences of her people and the people of the Clan.

Not only does Ayla looks completely different to those of the Clan, she does other things that they finds peculiar as well: she cries when upset, she likes to swim in sea but most importantly, she doesn't understand why women should be treated as inferiors to men. This is one of the most interesting aspects of the novel in my opinion, as you can witness the raw determination of Ayla to make herself just as useful and as important as the men. There is a constant battle between the sexes, even highlighting the conflictions between people of the same sex. Ayla fights against the 'traditional' role of cook, cleaner and baby-maker and is determined to show the men, and the other women what a female is capable of. Some of the men even begin allow her a freer reign, with the firm exception of the soon-to-be-leader, Broud.

Another interesting element to this novel is the presence of revered Spirits, Mog-urs (Men of Magic) and other forms of magic such as healing magic and curses. Each member of the Clan has their own animal totem, which they believe protects them from harm and gives them guidance in the form of unusual signs. Though Ayla is born to the Others, she begins to live the Clan way, and she begins to respect and listen to her totem, the Cave Lion.

The Mog-ur, or Creb, as he is known to his family, is the most powerful Mog-ur of all time with an ability to connect with the minds of others and venture to the past to the part of their heritage in which they were just unicellular organisms and then follow their journey to the present day. Also, the clan that Ayla finds herself apart of has one of the most respected medicine women of the entire Clan at their disposal, and she, Iza, becomes mother to the poor, orphaned outsider. Ayla also has her own special power, she has intuition and forward-thinking, both of which are completely alien prospects to the people of the Clan.

I can not express enough praise for this author, her unique and powerful control over the English language gave me the ability to immerse myself so fully into Ayla's world. One of the things I love most about reading, is the capacity for extending my vocabulary, and I believe that Jean M. Auel has given me one of the most extensive expansions that my lexis has ever had through this brilliant, engaging novel.

I would say that this book is not for casual reading, but for someone like me, who treasures stories and reads a book in a meticulous manner. If you read for pleasure often, I would definitely recommend this book. It is a fantastic read, with a story that will keep you hooked for chapter after chapter.

I think that this book deserves a Historic rating, as I believe that, though this story is set thousands of years in the past, it carries messages that will resonate throughout the minds and souls of generations to come.

Happy Reading!

Review by Lauren Goodfellow