Clan of the Cave Bear
I first read Clan of the Cave Bear in high school, when my
aunt got the fifth book for me as a Christmas present. I was, at that
time, concerned about reading things in order so as not to miss
anything. So I dutifully went out and tracked down the first four books
and made my way through them in order to enjoy the fifth book, which I
couldn't very well not read.
I remember liking each book less than the one before, as the series progressively got weirder and weirder. There were some things about the feminism presented in these books that felt a little off, as formative as these books were for me in that sense. Still there was a lot that stuck with me, and I always remembered the first book fondly. I'd been meaning to revisit it for a while, but I was hesitant because I wasn't sure it would live up to my memory.
This book both is and isn't as good as I remember it being. The language is flowery and often repetitive. When it dives into the internal monologues of characters working through difficult problem, Auel often uses three or four paragraphs when one would have gotten the struggle across just as well. The feminism is more dependent on a single woman breaking the mold and becoming man-like than on all the work the rest of the women do ever being recognized as equally valuable. And Auel goes to great lengths to justify the patriarchal society of the Clan with talk of tradition and their inability to adapt. There's also a bunch of weird metaphysics surrounding the memories of the member of the Clan, which go a step beyond instinct and have always made me view this book as more fantastical than strictly historical.
Still, somehow this book manages to be more than the sum of its parts. As frustrating as some of the passages got, I still found myself lost in the world. I remembered most of the big plot points from the last time I read it, but it was exciting to see all the little details surrounding those larger events. And for all that there's some weird science and uncomfortable sociology in this book, Auel definitely did her research when it comes to the way the cavemen lived and the tools they used. Though this book was written back in 1980, a lot of it still stands up to what we know from archaeology today.
I probably won't go on to the next books, as I remember them getting really weird and more than a little boring. But I'm glad I circled back to this one, at least. It was fun to revisit Ayla and Iza and Creb and the rest.
I remember liking each book less than the one before, as the series progressively got weirder and weirder. There were some things about the feminism presented in these books that felt a little off, as formative as these books were for me in that sense. Still there was a lot that stuck with me, and I always remembered the first book fondly. I'd been meaning to revisit it for a while, but I was hesitant because I wasn't sure it would live up to my memory.
This book both is and isn't as good as I remember it being. The language is flowery and often repetitive. When it dives into the internal monologues of characters working through difficult problem, Auel often uses three or four paragraphs when one would have gotten the struggle across just as well. The feminism is more dependent on a single woman breaking the mold and becoming man-like than on all the work the rest of the women do ever being recognized as equally valuable. And Auel goes to great lengths to justify the patriarchal society of the Clan with talk of tradition and their inability to adapt. There's also a bunch of weird metaphysics surrounding the memories of the member of the Clan, which go a step beyond instinct and have always made me view this book as more fantastical than strictly historical.
Still, somehow this book manages to be more than the sum of its parts. As frustrating as some of the passages got, I still found myself lost in the world. I remembered most of the big plot points from the last time I read it, but it was exciting to see all the little details surrounding those larger events. And for all that there's some weird science and uncomfortable sociology in this book, Auel definitely did her research when it comes to the way the cavemen lived and the tools they used. Though this book was written back in 1980, a lot of it still stands up to what we know from archaeology today.
I probably won't go on to the next books, as I remember them getting really weird and more than a little boring. But I'm glad I circled back to this one, at least. It was fun to revisit Ayla and Iza and Creb and the rest.
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