Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Feb 17, 2012

Crystal Starr Light rated it:

WARNING: This book has caused me a lot of heartache, and as I review it, I may end up in a ball of mush, blathering unintelligibly.

When we last left Ayla and Jondalar, they were returning to Jondalar's family, standing smiling as they met one of the Mamutoi. Now, Ayla is quivering in fear, afraid that this Other is going to see her and immediately know, somehow, that she lived with the Clan and hate her (this is only 1 of the many continuity conflicts in this story). Jondalar, bein More...

26 comments like (10 people liked it)

Oct 26, 2007

Plant Girl rated it:

This book could have been much shorter and I probably would have enjoyed it more! Is she getting paid per word? ha. The characters became more weak and aggravating, their silly storylines were drawn on for far too long. Still, it was somewhat enjoyable, but I don't know if I want to continue reading this series (I'm taking a break!) ha.

3 comments like (7 people liked it)

Aug 10, 2007

Kelly rated it:

This has been my least favorite out of the Earths Children series, although I find it hard to dislike any of the books.
The love story in this one starts out strong, and by the time you get half way through, you are so sick of the misunderstandings and hurt feelings that you feel no one could be that stupid about love.
For some reason, both of the main characters bothered me to some degree in this book. Aside from the love story being obnoxious, you half expect that Jondolar has revert More...

1 comment like (15 people liked it)

Mar 13, 2008

Ellen rated it:

I have a huge Love hate relationship with these books. The author repeats herself over and over again; she treats the reader like they're stupid and cannot remember a thing. In fact I believe any good editor could cut these books down by hundreds of pages. Yet, this series is addicting. The first one is by far the best but be prepared to be sucked in - if you read the first you will want to read them all.

2 comments like (9 people liked it)

Jun 02, 2008

Luis rated it:

I was excited about getting into the third installment. It started out very well. Once again, you are learning about what life was like back in those days. There is quite a bit of details thrown in about how structures were built or certain rituals were held, just as in the first two books. I was a bit frustrated with the whole love thing between Ayla and Jondalar. I think it was taken a bit too far.

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Apr 22, 2009

Kevin rated it:

Was very disappointed in this book. It just went on and on and on without getting anywhere. It would have definitely been better if it were half as long. I really liked the first two books. I thought the Clan was well done - their differences with the Others were well explained and consistent with how they lived. The second one was an interesting study of someone living alone. During Valley of the Horses, Ayla's inventions and innovations started to stack up a bit and were starting to edge into More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Aug 29, 2008

Danielle rated it:

I couldn't wait for this book to be over because I got so freakin' tired of all the "he doesn't love me" "she doesn't love me" crap! I wanted to shake Ayla and Jondalar and the author for going on and on and on and on about their unrequited love. Either freakin' say "I love you" or move on!!! Another thing I didn't like is that this book (and the previous one) had the most boring repetitive sex scenes. This one didn't have as much sex as the last one but every t More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 20, 2009

Allison rated it:

The Mammoth Hunters is the third book in Jean Auel’s Earth’s Children series. With as good as the first two books in the series are, The Mammoth Hunters is a that much more of a disappointment. Last the reader left Ayla, she and Jondalar were setting out on a journey, and not long into it, they encounter a camp of Mamutoi—mammoth hunters. Wintering with the Mamutoi gives Ayla the opportunity to live with the Others, as up until now she only remembers living with the Clan and on her own. As More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 23, 2012

Colleen O'Neill rated it:

I'm enjoying following Ayla through her ongoing saga with Jondalar and the Others. But after three long books (this one in 723 pages) she's only 18 years old and had lived many, many lifetimes.

There are my usual complaints: Auel is a pretty repetitive writer, visiting and revisiting events that happened in the first two books again and again and again. I could do without that. The soft-core love scenes are also overdone (yes, we get it, these two are perfect sexual specimens).

More...

0 comments like

Nov 07, 2011

Shannon rated it:

Im trying to grasp why i couldnt put this book down and why i cant wait to get the next one? The characters were extremely frustrating, totally unbelievable & somewhat flat. Is ot because i am so invested in Ayla (and now Jondalar) that i am willing to put the sloppy writing, repitition and lazy character development aside?
I think I loved this book because it gave me what I wanted: an epic love story, a goddess, and a peak into the evolution of human tools and animal husbandry. Ayla is only More...

0 comments like

Nov 01, 2011

NickySatia rated it:

*contains spoilers*

I'm rereading the Earth's Children series by Jean M. Auel. I've been having some migraines and I find that during those times I like to return to books that I've already read (in this case: multiple times).

Even though I was very dissapointed by the lastest book 'The land of the painted caves', Ayla's story still interests me. This book, 'The Mammoth Hunters', is one of the ones I like best in the series. To be honest; it seems to me that the uneven books i More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 12, 2011

Goldenwattle rated it:

The short rundown:
A page turner, as in: Pedantic description – turn page. Tell not show – turn page. Angst and more angst – turn page. Repeat history (telling) again and again and – turn page. Describe all actions in minute detail – turn page. Another long description of “pleasures” – turn pages.

The longer rundown:
All actions ‘must’ be described in mind numbing detail. Ditto descriptions, feelings, etc. AND then repeated later. Does anyone actually read these stories word More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 23, 2011

Neil rated it:

II gave these books an honest try, starting with Clan of the Cave Bears. I think the author is a good storyteller, and a good writer. However, these books are absolutely crippled by what appears to be a lack of effective editing. The further you get into the books, the more you have to put up with the retelling of what you've already read... Over and over and over and over.

Here's a link to my review on my website of this book.
http://neilhanson.com/2011/book-review-t...

I' More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 11, 2011

Narantsetseg rated it:

I don't know why I read this book after the dreadfull "The Valley of Horses", but I did. There seems to be something strangely addictive about this series, although I can't figure out what that is.

I read this book and the others up to "The Plains of Passage" when I was about 14, and at the time I thought they were great. So, out of nostalgia I decided to listen to them in audio format. I listen to them before I go to sleep, and don't misunderstand me, the narrator More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Apr 23, 2011

C.D. rated it:

I'm slowly but surely working my way through the Earth's Children series and this happens to be my least favorite of the bunch. Since I still gave it four stars, it obviously wasn't that bad. The interactions between the characters and the tension between Jondalar and Ayla was pretty believable, but also deeply frustrating. When I'd read the book as a teenager, I'd been more annoyed than I was this time, as I saw the plot largely relying on the fact that characters weren't speaking to one anothe More...

0 comments like

Mar 08, 2011

Rebecca rated it:

Having read the whole series.... book 1 ROCKED, book 2 was not bad... book 3 was cheesy.... book 4 was a bore, book 5 however seems to be getting back on track and is on par with book 2. Ms. Auel has this nasty habit of repeating everything so much that you have the feeling its to compensate for lack of inspiration. Lady, if we've gotten to book 5 all we need is a reminder (think flat heads) you don't have to tell us everything all over again, and DEFINITELY not more than once per book. That and More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 03, 2011

Angela rated it:

I have been listening to this for the past month or so. However, I heard a bit I wanted to put down because I really liked the story, but had to find my paper copy to find it again, so I could transcribe it here...

page 383 in chapter 22
"..."I'll tell you a winter story about the Great Bountiful Earth Mother who created all that lives,' the old man said, smiling. Ayla sat beside him on a mat near the fire.

'In a great struggle, the Earth Mother took a life f More...

0 comments like

Feb 03, 2011

Melissa rated it:

I'm a big fan of the Earth's Children series and really enjoyed this third book of the series. There are some flaws that make it not quite as charming as the first two, but overall, it was still a good read. It could probably be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend reading the other two first as to get an idea of the background. For those of you who don't know it, and don't mind spoilers, Ayla was a little girl, who, when orphaned by an earthquake, was found be a clan of Neanderthals More...

0 comments like

Jan 07, 2011

Kathleen rated it:

I got this book as a Christmas present when I was twelve. My (young) uncle knew I liked historical fiction and had recently developed an interest in dawn-of-man science. As a scientist, he wanted to encourage this interest. However, he was also very busy, and instead of reading the book himself, he gave it to his roommate. A week later, the roommate handed it back. "It's pretty good. Not enough sex, though."

My uncle gave it to me without a second thought and forgot about it u More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 18, 2010

~M~ rated it:

I began reading the Earth's Children Series when I was in high school thanks to my mother, who loved archaeology and was an avid reader. As I have written in my reviews of The Clan of the Cave Bear and Valley of the Horses, I am particularly drawn to stories about people being dropped into alien environments or cultures and having to learn and adapt in order to survive.

In this book, Ayla meets her own people, The Others, for the first time. Through Ayla's eyes we learn about this co More...

0 comments like

Dec 10, 2011

Jaye rated it:

The original storyline was creative and addictive and the characters were dynamic.
Unfortunately, the lengthy, monotonous, overly-explanatory paragraphs describing the shade of every leaf on every friggin’ tree drove me insane— ugh!

I was a bit annoyed, to say the least.

Now, it is clear that during the development of the first book, Auel inhaled small doses of, uh, let’s just call it a “rambling” leaf. And that’s cool, no worries, I’m all for, uh, leaf-inhalation-- i More...

0 comments like

Jan 05, 2011

Jerelyn rated it:

I finished reading the Mammoth Hunters, the third book in this series by Jean M Auel. It follows our intrepid heroine Ayla and her hunky boyfriend Jondalar, north in search of other like them. Johndalar wants her to be around the others before taking her home to meet the folks. Whether it is because I have read three books in five and a half days or the soap operaish turn this book took I really didn't enjoy it as much as the first two.

Taken in by mostly loving and accepting Mammo More...

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 21, 2011

Michael rated it:

The action in "The Mammoth Hunters" continues the saga of earth's children and takes place in the Ice Age, 25,000 years ago.

Ayla and Jandlar meet the Mamutoi, who are a clan like Ayla and are Mammoth Hunters. When people see that Ayla can control a horse by having the horse come when she whistles and that she can ride the horse, some of the people in the village think she has exceptional powers, others are dsitrustful. This is a time when horses were only thought of as food More...

0 comments like

Jan 06, 2012

Josh rated it:

I did like The Mammoth Hunters, but then again ... I think I found it frustrating. There are so many similarities between the first two that everything just feels like it's being repeated ... and then there is the feeling of repetition within the book itself. While I really appreciated hearing about how the Clan worked flint in CotCB, I'm totally over it by the third time it's describe in TMH. Also, if I have to endure another sex scene between Ayla and Jondalar, described identically every time More...

0 comments like

Jun 19, 2011

Karen rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 14, 2011

Sarah (Tail-Kinker) rated it:

Another installment of the Earth's Children series.

This one was ok...but the love triangle between Ayla, Jondalar and another man she meets in the book got to be tiresome and over-visited. At times some of the scenes felt they belonged more in a romance than a historical fiction novel. Sometimes Ayla's super-human intelligence and ability to come up with outside-the-box (for her time) solutions got a bit wearysome as well. How many super important inventions are we supposed to give o More...

0 comments like

May 28, 2011

Ilze rated it:

As I read through the book, I grew to love the characters Jean M. Auel has created and enjoyed the environment that was set up, but her style really bothered me. As in the second book, "The Valley of the Horses", she keeps repeating the same stuff over, and over, and over again, and another thing - she plays on peopple's nerves by stretching out the whole misunderstood-love-affair between Ayla and Jondalar. In itself, it's not a bad strategy, but her style is too crude to keep the inte More...

0 comments like

Jan 30, 2009

Kirei rated it:

I didn't care for the second book in this series, but I am glad I went on and read this third book because it was much better. Plus, it answered my questions about Ayla and her son Durc. However, it did go on and on and on. Now that I am finished, I am sick of all things prehistoric.
The book itself dealt with some interesting issues: the loss of Durc, racism between Clan and Others. A lot of it was really cheesy though. This ain't high literature! Parts of it are practically porn More...

0 comments like

Dec 16, 2009

Klasko rated it:

The third book in the Earth's Children series. This one picks up where Valley of the Horses leaves off, and follows Ayla and Jondalar as they meet a tribe of Mamoth Hunters. Ayla is faced with some tough choices as she learns how to assimilate with the new people. I did not like this as much as I liked the last book, but I liked it well enough to read it more than once.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 26, 2008

Kristina rated it:

My two words to Ayla and Jondalar for most of this book: EPIC FAIL
I really couldn't handle all the stupid misunderstandings. I couln't wait for the book to be over because it just kept going on and on. And everyone around them not interfering because they think it's not their place - COME ON! SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING!
500+ pages could have been solved by two minutes of honest talking, and not over-analyzing everything the other person said, or did, or didn't do.
By th More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)