by Jean M. Auel
An epic novel in the Earth Children series about Ayla, a prehistoric woman with
exceptional human qualities.
Reviewed by: Catherine McNair
About Catherine McNair
Jean Auel has become well-known for her Earth Children series, capturing
the hearts of millions with her main character, Ayla. She continues Ayla's story in this
novel, as Ayla journeys with her mate, Jondalar, to his home and family.
This story is set in prehistoric Europe, during the Ice Age. Jean Auel
has done extensiveresearch in archeology and anthropology. Combining this acquired
knowledge with her insights into what life could have been like at that time creates a fascinating
story.
There are two very different groups of people in this story. One group
calls themselves The Clan. These people have short and stout bodies, dark hair and dark
eyes. They have extremely well-developed memories, to the point of possessing a collective memory
among them. However, they do not learn new ideas or tasks very well. The other group of
people are tall, slender, and fair. They do not possess the memory skills that members of the Clan
do, but they are much faster at learning and grasping abstract ideas. These groups do not
mix, for the most part, and fear each other. It becomes apparent to the reader that The Clan is
becoming smaller as the years go by, and they are less able to adapt to change. The second
group seems to be the future of humankind.
Ayla is one of The Others, as the Clan members call them. She is tall
with blonde hair and blue eyes. Ugly, by the standards of The Clan. She is orphaned at a very
young age when an earthquake kills both of her parents, leaving her completely alone and helpless. She is found by a woman of The Clan, who
adopts her and cares for her even though many of her people do not want Ayla around. Because of the fear and prejudice between the two groups,
Ayla eventually leaves the people that adopted her and while living alone meets Jondalar and they fall in love.
This novel begins as she and Jondalar arrive at his birthplace. Because
of being raised in The Clan, Ayla is very different from everyone else she meets. She has
lived with both groups of people, and lived completely alone for three years. In order to
survive, she had to take the best ideas for hunting, food preparation and storage, making clothing
and many other tasks to be successful. This resulted in a combination of ways that are strange to
many people and Ayla must overcome others' fear of her strangeness as well as learn quickly in
order to fit in. Jondalar's people consider Clan members to be animals, and any association with
them is met with disgust and hatred. When others find out she was raised by The Clan, who are called
"flatheads" by Jondalar's people because of the strange and different shape of their heads, Ayla
finds herself in danger at times, and often misunderstood because people do not understand the
differences between the groups as she does.
Jean Auel very skillfully weaves into these novels how people fear
things that are different, and how people fear change. Ayla bridges a gap between these two groups and
is able to help each one understand the other. When these human situations are played against a
backdrop of a society so different from ours, and yet the fear and the emotions are so similar,
it highlights the issues of prejudice and discrimination in our society and allows the reader to
more clearly see how flawed our thinking is at times.
Ayla is eccentric, lovely, compassionate, and skilled at anything she
tries to do. She is mysterious with her different ways and her
companions of a horse, a wolf, and a cave lion that heed her wishes.
And, her knowledge of medicinal properties of plants makes her a very
valuable and high ranking person wherever she goes. I anxiously await
every book in the Earth Children series to hear more of what Ayla
discovers in her travels and experiences!
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: The Shelters of Stone
Copyright © by Catherine McNair, 2002
Reviewed by Catherine McNair:
-- Four to Score - by Janet Evanovich
-- Cold Tea on a Hot Day - by Curtiss Ann Matlock
-- Flesh and Blood - by Jonathan Kellerman
-- The Shelters of Stone - by Jean M. Auel
-- Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls - by Mary Pipher, Ph.D.
-- The Summons - by John Grisham
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