I couldn't wait for this book to end. Repetitive repetitive repetitive. Auel uses the same phrases and descriptions so many times throughout all five books that it drove me batty. How many formal introductions of the same characters do there have to be? How many times do you have to tell the story of how Ayla acquired her animals, found Jondalar, was raised by flatheads, etc. etc. etc. Did Auel really need to write out the really long mother song multiple times??? And the thing that drove me insane the most were the sex scenes! The same sex scenes have been described repeatedly in the last four books and every time one came up it disturbed me and grossed me out. I am not a prude by any means but these books are supposed to be historical fiction not creepy ice age erotica. I do not need to hear about Ayla's "folds" and "hard nodule" or Jondalar's "tumescent manhood". Telling me once how Ayla learned to cleanse herself after pleasures is enough, you don't have to tell me every freakin' time!

I could go on and on but I think you get the picture that this series of books really annoys me. I don't know if I will read the next one if/when it gets published. If I do it will only be because I don't like to leave a series unfinished.