Review – The Valley Of Horses by Jean M Auel #jeanmauel #librarylovechallenge

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

It has been many, many years since I read the first book of the Earth’s Children series, Clan Of The Cave Bear my Jean M Auel. The story stuck with me so much that here I am, decades later getting lost in Ayla’s story and prehistoic adventures. All her previous world came back easily, and that is so unusual for me, that I am sure I will read it to the very end.

We flip back and forth, between Ayla and Jondalar. It’s obvious to me they will end up together, but Ayla’s struggles after being kicked out of the Clan are fascinating. She learns to survive by doing, picking up skills on her own. She was seeking one of her own, but she makes friends with a horse and an even more unlikely companion, so her search is delayed and she spends years alone.

A scream changes her world forever when she saves Jondalar from Baby.

That’s all I’m saying, because Ayla’s story is sooooo worth experiencing for yourself, that I want you to discover it by becoming as immersed in the journey as I did.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

This odyssey into the distant past carries us back to the awesome mysteries of the exotic, primeval world of The Clan of the Cave Bear, and to Ayla, now grown into a beautiful and courageous young woman.Cruelly cast out by the new leader of the ancient Clan that adopted her as a child, Ayla leaves those she loves behind and travels alone through a stark, open land filled with dangerous animals but few people, searching for the Others, tall and fair like herself.  Living with the Clan has taught Ayla many skills but not real hunting. She finally knows she can survive when she traps a horse, which gives her meat and a warm pelt for the winter, but fate has bestowed a greater gift, an orphaned foal with whom she develops a unique kinship.One winter extends to more; she discovers a way to make fire more quickly and a wounded cave lion cub joins her unusual family, but her beloved animals don’t fulfill her restless need for human companionship. Then she hears the sound of a man screaming in pain. She saves tall, handsome Jondalar, who brings her a language to speak and an awakening of love and desire, but Ayla is torn between her fear of leaving her valley and her hope of living with her own kind.This eBook includes the full text of the novel plus the following additional • An Earth’s Children® series sampler including free chapters from the other books in Jean M. Auel’s bestselling series• A Q&A with the author about the Earth’s Children® series

  • Genre: Action and Adventure, Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Prehistoric, Romance
  • 577 pages, Kindle Edition
  • First published January 1, 1982
  • Series: Earth’s Children, #2
  • Characters: Ayla, Jondalar

ABOUT JEAN M AUEL

Jean M. Auel, née Jean Marie Untinen is an American author best known for her Earth’s Children books, a series of historical fiction novels set in prehistoric Europe that explores interactions of Cro-Magnon people with Neanderthals. As of 2010 her books have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide, in many translations.

Auel attended University of Portland, and earned an MBA in 1976. She received honorary degrees from her alma mater, as well as the University of Maine and the Mount Vernon College for Women. She and her husband, Ray Bernard Auel, have five children and live in Portland, Oregon.

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