The Clan of the Cave Bear: Earth's Children, Book 1
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The Clan of the Cave Bear: Earth's Children, Book 1 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Jean M. Auel (Author), Sandra Burr (Narrator), Brilliance Audio (Publisher)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 11,778 ratings
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This novel of awesome beauty and power is a moving saga about people, relationships, and the boundaries of love.

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read

Through Jean M. Auel’s magnificent storytelling we are taken back to the dawn of modern humans, and with a girl named Ayla we are swept up in the harsh and beautiful Ice Age world they shared with the ones who called themselves The Clan of the Cave Bear. A natural disaster leaves the young girl wandering alone in an unfamiliar and dangerous land until she is found by a woman of the Clan, people very different from her own kind.

To them, blond, blue-eyed Ayla looks peculiar and ugly - she is one of the Others, those who have moved into their ancient homeland; but Iza cannot leave the girl to die and takes her with them. Iza and Creb, the old Mog-ur, grow to love her, and as Ayla learns the ways of the Clan and Iza’s way of healing, most come to accept her. But the brutal and proud youth who is destined to become their next leader sees her differences as a threat to his authority. He develops a deep and abiding hatred for the strange girl of the Others who lives in their midst, and is determined to get his revenge.

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  1. Listening Length
    22 hours and 17 minutes
  2. Author
    Jean M. Auel
  3. Narrator
    Sandra Burr
  4. Audible release date
    June 5, 2008
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Brilliance Audio
  7. ASIN
    B001AWVRX6
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 22 hours and 17 minutes
Author Jean M. Auel
Narrator Sandra Burr
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date June 05, 2008
Publisher Brilliance Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B001AWVRX6
Best Sellers Rank #2,157 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#2 in Ancient History Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#3 in Ancient History Fiction (Books)
#511 in Historical Romances

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
11,778 global ratings
I paid for a new book and got a used one
2 Stars
I paid for a new book and got a used one
I paid $8 for a new paperback book and received a used paperback with a 75-cent price tag still on the cover. I don’t mind getting a gently-used book - in fact, I prefer to be part of a book-sharing cycle - but if you’re going to cheat and mislead your customers, at least be sneaky about it. <eye roll>
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Top reviews from the United States

TeeMee-Kraftqueen65-Obsessive Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Ranks As A Classic For Me-Deserving of 5 Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2022
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The reason, at least for me, this ranks as a classic, deserving of 5 stars, is because of the way in which Auel puts words to page in her style of writing, which is an exceptional skill. On top of all that, the research and lengths she dedicated herself to before even telling the story, adds to it being a rare feat of accomplishment. The way in which Auel's unique talent of being one of the great storytellers of all times, is simply mind-blowing and worthy of praise.

As much as I remember loving this series back when it first came out and I first read it, I realized now I wouldn't be able to read this book, let alone the entire series, straight through and at the same rapid pace I now tend to read at today.

This one requires so much more concentration to absorb and fully appreciate, as well as remembering what a huge difference of mindfulness we were at back when first printed and released. Huge difference in societal acceptance of what a female lead character, heck any female, was allowed to develop and be presented as in the written word.

Just as importantly though, in this review I also personally have a strong desire to share a particular viewpoint for other select readers that may be similar to myself.
It's very graphic details and scenes at times, which can cause triggers for anyone that's a survivor of any sort of abuse, and can be a difficult and stressfully distressing read. If you have "triggers" you may want to give some thought on how to approach some of the scenes.

It wasn't enough for me to stop reading the book. I just dug in harder, got through those areas, and read on. And what a wonderful experience it was!

Auel's style of writing is very intense, vivid, and illustratively descriptive. My mind's eye could smoothly and agilely take the words off the page and transfer them to a realistic interpretation of more of a visual versus spoken image. Like a motion picture, I saw the clan women hunting and gathering vegetables, nuts, and seeds, on the vast open plains outside their cave. I could see Ayla, the MC, as she climbed the hillside, into the cliffs, as she was looking for her hidden, secretive cave. I was easily able to place myself next to Ayla during the brutally cold weather periods, on the seering plains as she walked for days in the desert-like conditions. I was drawn in as if I was watching it unfold before my very eyes, when the men went on the mammoth hunt, or participated in the sacred rituals that had been passed down for innumerable generations.

What a monumental, colossal journey Auel weaves. She is more than just a writer, but rather a gifted storyteller that harkens back to the time period she shares with us. They had limited access to writing utensils, or parchment in order to document the stories, but rather had to remember everything in vivid detail to entertain, share, and pass on with the next generation.

My ONLY criticism is more one directed at the publishing company of this particular release of the e-book. To include 6!!! lengthy excerpts from other books from the writer, AND additionally an acknowledgements section, AND an interview with the author is above and beyond shallow and greedy! It still showed I had close to 2 hours left in the book. Major disappointment! As much as I enjoyed reading about the research Auel put forth to write this, it was still a huge letdown.

I would still highly recommend this book and the series to anyone interested in historical fantasy fiction.
26 people found this helpful
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Kimberly
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful read
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2024
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I read this for the first time about thirty years ago, when I was the mother of four young children, and enjoyed it. I’m re-reading the whole series now as a grandmother and I love it even more. It is just as entertaining and engrossing as it was all those years ago. I’m excited to read the last couple of books, as I never did read those and they will be new to me. Highly recommend to any reader who loves great storytelling.
2 people found this helpful
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MJ
4.0 out of 5 stars Good beginning to a so-so series
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2014
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I first read this book when I was 14, as assigned reading for high school. It was for a humanities class and it was chosen for its description of human life in the caveman days. I loved the book at the first reading and it quickly became a favorite. I recently decided to re-read it after a couple decades and it held up surprisingly well. I have always had an interest in Neanderthal and Cro-Magnons, and the early development of humans on the planet. The book is rich in detail. The plot is engaging if not original. The tale of a fish-out-of-water in Ayla, a young Cro-Magnon girl, being orphaned by an earthquake and being found and raised by a clan of Neanderthals. It is a story of human development and adaptability, but also illustrates that we are not as adaptable as we think. The Neanderthals were doomed to die out and could not adapt. The new species, personified by Ayla, is more adaptable yet she could never completely conform to the Neanderthal way.

The book has its flaws and I would normally give it three stars, but I do really like this book so I bumped it up to 4. The characters, as endearing as some of them are, are flat and one-note. Iza is kind and Motherly. Creb is wise and kind as well as powerful. Brun is stoic and in control. Broud is moody and dangerous. Ayla is in reality a kind of a Mary-Sue with being extremely clever, and brave, and young, and fearless, and smart, and beautiful but she doesn't know she is beautiful... She is kind of a blank that could be considered an author-insert. Auel describes these characters using the same words over and over again. The descriptions of the primeval flora and fauna are interesting, but are on the side of being excessive. Some reviewers don't like the sci-fi twist of the Neanderthals having racial memory and even telepathic powers under certain conditions. I can understand that but it is a work of fiction after all and it doesn't bother me personally. I was more dubious of the book's conceit that Neanderthals didn't realize babies are started by sex. The clan believes that they are created by spirits floating around and being swallowed. There is a disturbing rape scene in the book, between a very young Ayla and a member of the clan. Her extreme youth throughout the book bothered me more when I read it most recently. I know, they were cave-people and matured and were expected to grow up quicker, but it is still odd to think by the end of the book Ayla is only like 12 years old after all she has been through.

Though this book is enjoyable, the rest of the Earth's Children series is pretty awful. Books 2 and 3 are OK, but not at the same level of interest as book 1. Books 4-6 are almost unreadable. Ayla meets with her own kind and runs around astonishing everyone with her awesomeness. She falls in love with an equally awesome guy, and the two of them go around being annoyingly awesome and have lots of overly-described sex but little plot or conflict. The latter books are soft-core caveman porn with a little plot thrown in. Unfortunately, writing about sex is not Auel's strong point imo. In addition, the series has WAY too much repetitive description of what type of tea Ayla brewed, how to cook ptarmigan the way Creb liked it, and descriptions of the environment. It is to the point where paragraphs seem lifted from previous books or chapters and used over and over again. In the course of the series, Ayla never tries to reconnect with the clan, and besides having to travel and having lovers' spats, really doesn't have much to do in latter books. The final book is so awful, that it reads like Auel copied pages of her research notes on cave-man times and occasionally remembers that there are characters to be written about. This book stands OK on its own, though the ending is kind of a cliff hanger. Just a warning for people starting the series out.
25 people found this helpful
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Zoeyzoolander
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024
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I loved this book and have now ordered the entire set. It gives a very descriptive glimpse into how early life could have been for early man. The characters are well written and the tale is enthralling. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
2 people found this helpful
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Charles J. Gregor
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2024
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Nice set up for rest of series.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2024
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Can’t wait to read the next one
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Woody
5.0 out of 5 stars Takes you far, far away
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024
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This book takes you far back to prehistoric times when Neanderthals were still roaming the earth. It is so realistic that you have no problem imagining that this is how things really were in the past. I started reading this book years ago, but then had to move and I lost it. Glad I could find it on Amazon..
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Shannon Bieberdorf
5.0 out of 5 stars Although it is part of the Earth's Children book series, it's a good read for adults.
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2024
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Interaction between Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon humans. But, it also is about a different race/species, and how we accept, appreciate, and learn from them.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Sue
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the start of jean Auel's serious of books
Reviewed in Canada on May 6, 2024
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This is the first book in Jean Auel's series of Earth's Children
Again, well researched and informative. Following the evolution of man in an enjoyable way
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Fausto Silva
5.0 out of 5 stars Buenísimo
Reviewed in Mexico on December 19, 2023
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Toda la serie es buenísima (éste es, apenas, el primero de seis).
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pavlova pavlinka
5.0 out of 5 stars Ho letto questo libro due volte e non smetto di meravigliarmi
Reviewed in Italy on October 3, 2023
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Non è facile descrivere un mondo scomparso da centinaia di migliaia di anni. A quel tempo (paleolitico inferiore) i metalli non esistevano ancora e gli strumenti di pietra non erano particolarmente diversificati. I reperti archeologici e le tracce della vita di queste prime persone intelligenti sono estremamente pochi. Ciò nonostante la scrittrice è riuscita a riscoprire questo strano mondo e a conoscerlo alla perfezione. Sembra essersi fusa con l'anima del suo personaggio principale e ha creato una narrazione unica, originale e del tutto in linea con l'epoca. La invidio
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars There are no words but I'll try.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2023
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I have read this book many times and it still moved me. The idea of the once despised Neanderthal not being a brutish caricature of us but so close as to be cousins is a recent concept. Obviously much of the narrative and perception is guessed at, but it still works. The characters are so well crafted that you believe in them. These are a more structured, more controlled version of us. Like us they are sentient, like us they live together in groups that set them so far above the other animals that they are nearly invincible. They have laws and codes and beliefs that our ancestors might not have found strange. The protagonist is given knowledge and power that sets her outside the social norms of these people and endangers her very existence. The author attempts to point out the differences between us and them as lack of ability to change and adapt. By humanizing these humans though she just emphasises their closeness to us. This is a great book of love, loss, life, death, redemption, joy and sadness. To read this book is to truly Walk With Ursus. Wonderful stuff.
3 people found this helpful
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Shiona Jarchow
5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasure to read
Reviewed in India on May 22, 2021
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It's an easy read and I enjoyed the plot of the story. I will recommend this series to all my reading buddies. Can't wait to read the next book
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