The Shelters of Stone
Dec 2010 · Hachette UK
4.4star
35 reviewsreport
eBook
800
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About this eBook
The fifth novel in the Earth's Children series, Jean M. Auel's internationally bestselling reconstruction of pre-historic life, when two kinds of human beings, Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon, shared the earth.
Ayla and Jondalar have reached home: the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, the old stone age settlement in the region known today as south-west France.
Ayla has much to learn from the Zelandonii as well as much to teach them. Jondalar's family are initially wary of the beautiful young woman he has brought back, with her strange accent and her tame wolf and horses. She is delighted when she meets Zelandoni, the spiritual leader of her people, a fellow healer with whom she can share her medicinal skills.
After the rigours and dangers that have characterised her extraordinary life, Ayla yearns for peace and tranquility; to be Jondalar's mate and to have children. But her unique spiritual gifts cannot be ignored, and even as she gives birth to their eagerly-awaited child, she is coming to accept that she has a greater role to play in the destiny of the Zelandonii.
Set 25,000 years in the past, yet utterly relatable today, The Shelters of Stone is an epic tale of love, identity and the struggle to survive, rich in detail of language, culture, myth and ritual.
Praise for Jean M. Auel
'Beautiful, exciting, imaginative' New York Times
'A major bestseller . . . A remarkable work of imagination' Daily Express
Ayla and Jondalar have reached home: the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, the old stone age settlement in the region known today as south-west France.
Ayla has much to learn from the Zelandonii as well as much to teach them. Jondalar's family are initially wary of the beautiful young woman he has brought back, with her strange accent and her tame wolf and horses. She is delighted when she meets Zelandoni, the spiritual leader of her people, a fellow healer with whom she can share her medicinal skills.
After the rigours and dangers that have characterised her extraordinary life, Ayla yearns for peace and tranquility; to be Jondalar's mate and to have children. But her unique spiritual gifts cannot be ignored, and even as she gives birth to their eagerly-awaited child, she is coming to accept that she has a greater role to play in the destiny of the Zelandonii.
Set 25,000 years in the past, yet utterly relatable today, The Shelters of Stone is an epic tale of love, identity and the struggle to survive, rich in detail of language, culture, myth and ritual.
Praise for Jean M. Auel
'Beautiful, exciting, imaginative' New York Times
'A major bestseller . . . A remarkable work of imagination' Daily Express
Ratings and reviews
4.4
35 reviews
YulJ
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21 April 2021
I've read every book in the series starting around 30 years ago. After book 2 I'm afraid the quality has waned, with this being the weakest of the lot. It absolutely did not need to be 900+ pages long. The repetition of previous experiences, countless introductions (human and animal) and passages that went nowhere were tiresome. The themes have become repetitive too; Ayla meets new people who are astounded by her, then those people go to some big gathering where it's just rinse, repeat. There's also the conflicting attempt at dispelling the people's metaphysical beliefs with reason, and then confirming them with Ayla's dreams and premonitions.
Maverick Clarke
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4 April 2013
I enjoyed reading about the geography of the Zalendonii's caves and the way the people of the Zalendonii lived and did things but a lot of Ayla's past with the clan, her accent, her control over the animals etc were often repeated. I could also predict a lot of what was going to happen as well and found myself skipping a few pages but overall It wasn't bad. The first three books I find to be the best.
3 people found this review helpful
Jane Craig
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29 March 2015
It was a book I could not put down! As were all the books in the series! Thank you for being an amazing author.
3 people found this review helpful
About the author
Jean M. Auel is one of the world's most esteemed and beloved authors. Her extensive factual research has earned her the respect of renowned scientists, archaeologists and anthropologists around the globe, culminating in her being made an Officer of the Order of Arts & Letters by the French Minister of Culture and Communication in 2008.
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