The Land of Painted Caves

Today I finished reading The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel. It is the last installment of the Earth's Children series, and is set in prehistoric times. The main character, Ayla, is an orphaned Cro-Magnon girl who is taken in by the Clan of the Cave Bear, a group of Neanderthals. The series outlines Ayla's trials as she struggles to find a place to belong in the world.

I began reading the series when I was quite young, perhaps around 13, because my mom had read them. When this last book came out, I was incredibly excited to finish the series and bought it nearly right away, although I am generally opposed to buying hardcover novels.

I have to admit that I was incredibly disappointed. Please note that, if you are interested in reading the story, there will be some spoilers below.

I found that the story, in general, lacked plot. Ayla and her family seemed to be constantly on the move, on a type of journey, but always to do the same activities. While Auel tried to change it up with hunts and natural disasters, these events were covered within a matter of pages, and then forgotten. It wasn't until the end that I found that anything exciting began to happen, and then, of course, there was the predictable falling out between Ayla and her mate, Jondalar. To top it off, Auel solved their problems in exactly the same way she has solved other problems in previous books.

The characters themselves, most notably Ayla and Jondalar, are flat and, in my opinion, poorly developed. In the fanfiction world, Ayla would be called a Mary-Sue: a predictable, boring, and "perfect" character, with few flaws and none of which are major. Everything works out for her, with minimal or no effort on her behalf. In the interest of artistic creativity, Auel has credited Ayla with many inventions and concepts, for example taming animals. While I would normally find this completely acceptable, it only adds to the "perfect" idea of Ayla, this orphaned girl who is extremely lucky.

Additionally, I found the book poorly edited. There were a great deal of typos, and at one point a paragraph was duplicated nearly word for word a few pages after I first read it. Auel also discusses Ayla's accent in great length, bringing it up in detail every single time Ayla meets someone new -- which is often. There are other constant repetitions, which detract from the story and add length to an already long (and boring) novel. I found myself skimming for many pages at a time, tiring of the constant retelling of the same idea, just at another point in their travels. I also don't personally like Auel's writing style, which I find basic, bland, and predictable.

I do, however, admire the great amounts of research that must have gone into this story, and the series as a whole. Auel discusses medicinal plants in extreme detail, as well as design methods the Cro-Magnons may have used to build both basic and unique items. I imagine that this was no easy feat. I also liked the reappearance of some former characters, despite how unrealistic that may seem.

I give this book a 2 out of 5. I would recommend this novel to anyone who has read the rest of the series in its entirety, just to culminate Ayla's story. Otherwise, I think this book is one that can probably be skipped.