The Valley of Horses | JEAN M. AUEL | Great escape from modern life

The Valley of Horses | JEAN M. AUEL | Mystically fantastic

books:

The Valley of Horses

	The Valley of Horses JEAN M. AUEL, 2002 - 512 pages average customer review:based on 192 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Forced to leave the Clan and her young son, Ayla sets out alone to travel the frigid steppes until she finds the valley of horses. Unable to find people like herself, the Cro-Magnons, she settles there and seeks friendship elsewhere. First she adopts a young filly, then a wounded lion cub. But far to the west, two young Cro-Magnon brothers have begun a journey. One of them is Jondalar, whose destiny is bound inextricably with Ayla's. Jean Auel's imaginative reconstruction of pre-historic life, rich in detail of language, culture, myth and ritual, has become a set text in schools and colleges around the world.

for more information click here

Great escape from modern life

This is the Sequel from the Clan of the Cave Bear. It takes place in the Paleolithic age. Neanderthals and Cro Magnons share the earth, although not always willingly. Ayla, a young Cro Magnon woman, Has been cast out by the Neanderthal clan who had raised her. She is on a journey to find her own kind. Her travels are scary and lonely. The Author put so much reference material in the story, you can imagine Ayla searching for edible plants and hunting small game animals.

On another part of the continent, 2 young Cro Magnon Men are on a journey of their own. They meet many people along the way and learn many languages while having great adventures.

A chance meeting brings Ayla to encounter the 2 men in a tragic event that changes all of their lives.

I loved reading this book. I could relate to Ayla's feelings of loneliness. I appreciated her struggle to survive. I understood her love of animals and her insecurities about herself. This book was a great escape from the problems of modern life. I enjoyed reading about the daily struggles of a people who can appreciate a planet that has so many resources to offer. I would recommend this book to anyone.

for more information click here

Mystically fantastic

I loved this book about the same as the first. Some say that it was unrealistic, too sappy, and Ayla wasn't more like today's progressive woman. I say, that that is kind of the idea. Auel's books are not meant to be taken as factual. Much of her research is only to enrich the story - a made up story. The religions and social order of the people in her books can only be assumed. Why not make it mystical. I totally enjoyed reading this book. Though, I admit, the first half is slower than the rest, I was still captivated by the loneliness of Ayla, her inevitable ability to invent, her constant discovery of who she was. I couldn't wait for Jondalar to meet her and show her the deep kind of bond she could not have ever known with the clan. He showed her and taught her so much and she to him, that they became like a supercouple. More advanced than any human on earth. They conflicted due to differences in culture and ways of communicating that the tension between them was so unbearable I had to read read read nonstop until it was finally satisfyingly released. Anyone who has ever been through the bliss of new love will surely appreciate the bond and expressions of that love between Ayla and Jondalar. I cried out of happiness for both characters, particularly Ayla as she was lifted out of the recurring darkness her life had always been. Don't go in reading this book thinking you're going to learn all about how people were back then, go in for the story, and happen to learn a little along the way. Enjoy!

for more information click here