Questions About The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth's Children, #1)

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Answered Questions (16)

How old should you be to read this book? Would it be appropriate for a teen?

Malone I read this when I was 11. The sex scenes didn't corrupt me. I'd be horrified at my mother if she had kept it from me until I was 17 just because of s…moreI read this when I was 11. The sex scenes didn't corrupt me. I'd be horrified at my mother if she had kept it from me until I was 17 just because of sex, because this is still one of my favourite books of all time.

It is definitely appropriate for a teen.(less)

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how do i read clan of the cave bears?

Tigress Goodreads is not a site for reading books. It's just for reviewing and keeping track of books you've read/want to read, and connecting with other read…moreGoodreads is not a site for reading books. It's just for reviewing and keeping track of books you've read/want to read, and connecting with other readers. You still have to get books from the library, bookstore, Amazon, etc.(less)

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Is the book cool? Is it sad?

Jared Yes and yes. Good action, interesting characters, tragic moments.

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Are the locations in this book real? Is there a cave with neanderthal findings in the Crimea?

Shanelle Many of them are. There was an enormous amount of anthropological research that went into the writing of this series, and although all of the events a…moreMany of them are. There was an enormous amount of anthropological research that went into the writing of this series, and although all of the events and individual people are of course fiction, much of it is based on real archaeological evidence (with creative license applied in some cases). Here is a link with some of the research that went into the series. There isn't much specific to Clan of the Cave Bear, since the story takes place almost entirely in one location, but if you read the rest of the books I think you'll find it very interesting. http://donsmaps.com/earth1click.html (less)

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Is there any anthropological research behind this books or it is totally fictional?

Desiree She did do research when writing her novels however there were some things she wrote that were later found to be untrue in the pre-historic era. For e…moreShe did do research when writing her novels however there were some things she wrote that were later found to be untrue in the pre-historic era. For example, the Neanderthals in "Clan of the Cave Bear" spoke in grunt and sign language (they weren't able to make speech) but it was discovered that Neanderthals most likely could talk and communicate in speech and not noise (this was found years later after the book was published) Another thing is the appearance of Ayla, having a fair complexion, blue eyes and blonde hair. I've read in research that Cro-Magnans would have likely had a darker complexion and hair. Other "cavemen" books I read did have a skin complexion differentiation with Neanderthals and Cro-Magnans such as "The Inheritors" and "Dance of the Tiger" (I believe). Why? I am not sure.
The Neanderthals in "Clan of the Cave Bear" were quite smart, however, able to understand medicine, basic hunting, cooking, counting, making clothes etc., which is true to the Neanderthals in the past (most likely).
As the previous responded stated this isn't a book one should take to heart on whether is true or not, I still come across articles, reports etc. of new discoveries about the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnans so there is still a lot to learn about them. It is still a very good book and is close to what they would have lived back then how the media use to portray them. (less)

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