Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
Apr
'08
I sit her with tears “caked” to the side of my face. “Caked” was a word used often in this book, as though it was the only proper way to described dried tears. It’s not entirely inappropriate, but it created associations I’d probably be better without - caked food, for example, shouldn’t be in the same imagery as hardened breast milk. In any case, the book was written well enough to enrapture me; I couldn’t put it down and read all 495 pages within just a few days, and in the end, I cried.
The language bothered me in some places (it’s not just the use of the word “caked”), some bits were awkward and I had to read over some paragraphs two or three times before either finally grasping the idea or giving up entirely. I’m not speaking about the language of the people, of course; I think that was done brilliantly. Though the clan people were not actually speaking English, it was necessary, of course, to translate their words for the reader. However, instead of writing things that Ayla “said” or Iza “spoke,” the characters “motioned.” Their language is more or less made up of a series of hand-signals - sign language, if you will - and I think this was portrayed very well in the text. I didn’t miss a beat and really enjoyed the part where Ayla is learning the language of the clan.
The narration also tells the story, and one would normally think this is what’s supposed to happen, but I’m more used to books that are narrated from one character’s point of view at expense of the general plotline, so that there may not even be a plot - greater importance is placed on the Psychology of the character who is narrating. So it’s a different kind of book than I usually read, and the style of writing was thus different from what I’m used to. I recently read a book like this one where certain points integral to the plotline were repeated several times. This is not something I enjoy in books, partially because I have an excellent memory while reading and thus I don’t need to be reminded of earlier points made. Plus, even if I don’t remember, I like to make the connections on my own and figure things out my own way. In this book, everything is plainly outlined and the reader is given constant reminders of earlier passages when they come into importance again. Nothing wrong with this, I know some people need it, but I still found it annoying.
I can’t say I related to any of the characters very much. Ayla’s description is fully given, as well as Creb’s and Iza’s, who were with us through the entire book, but the other characters seemed either to embody extremes (such as Broud’s mixed pride and jealousy) or to have glossed-over descriptions without much detail. It didn’t take away a lot from my reading of the book, but I do generally prefer to relate to at least one character in the novels I read; it makes it easier to understand their struggles and thoughts. However, I do feel that Ayla was very strong, very brave, and extremely well-written. I was not surprised when she survived her first Death curse, and I have no doubt that she’ll survive her second.
One of the things I found interesting was the differences between Ayla and Creb’s thinking patterns. For example, Ayla was able to count higher than twenty on her first try, whereas Creb felt he was “left in the dust” at seeing his “student” excell in what he couldn’t do. I am not sure if this is due to brainpower or adaptability, but I think it is a mixture of both. The differences between Clan and Others was heavily discussed throughout the entire book - not just in physical appearance, but also in spirituality and learning. It’s clear that the Others are those humans who survive into what we are today; thus, the Others must be adaptable and they must have the ability to think towards the future. Creb explains his ability to think ahead as one due to the spirits, but Ayla inherently is able to do so, as demonstrated by the visions she saw after she accidentally stumbled into the mog-urs’ ceremony at the Clan Gathering.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t have a lot to talk about because there were so many things about it that really caught my eye and made me wonder, but which worked themselves out in the end. This isn’t the kind of book that leaves you with a lot of questions about character motivation or other abstract ideas - any questions I have (like whether Ayla will ever find a mate or if she’ll see Durc and the Clan again) will presumably be answered in the future books. I’d recommend it but probably only if people asked specifically about it - it’s not one of my favorite books, but it’s not unworthy of praise either. I will probably eventually pick up the rest of the series, though I’m not jumping to read them immediately.
Also reviewed by:
Where Troubles Melt Like Lemon Drops
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I think I need to re-read this. I absolutely loved it when i read at 16 but it was in italian. It got me into reading a lot of books about pre-historic age and people, and I almost thought of studying that in college for a while.
I felt I could relate with Ayla a lot and really loved her character. I went on reading the second, third and fourth, bu I only enjoyed the second, and still not as much as the first.
May
'08