Customer Reviews

The Plains of Passage

5 star:		(141)
4 star:		(57)
3 star:		(45)
2 star:		(30)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

First, a quick explanation of my rating - 3 stars only in comparison to Auel's previous novels. Compared to books by other authors in the genre, The Plains of Passage is definitely 5 stars! Those of us who are hooked on the Earth's Children series will, of course, read every book Jean Auel produces, but in comparison to the first three books in the series, The Plains of Passage wasn't up to Auel's usual standard. Unlike other reviewers whose complaints center on the extensive plant and topography descriptions, what I found hardest to swallow was the "Ayla and Jondalar Save the Day - Again" theme than runs throughout the novel. After just their second encounter with a group of people during their journey to Jondalar's home, a "here it comes again feeling" rises up in the reader. It is a bit wearing on the most diehard Auel fan to endure 800 pages of Ayla and Jondalar coming to the rescue of yet another group of miserably backward people. Another large bite for readers to swallow is the presentation of Ayla and Jondalar as singular saviors of the planet. However, I'm sure most readers, no matter how caught up in the saga of Ayla and Jondalar, are able none-the-less to keep in mind that the many innovations and inventions she and he discover were not their unique and singular developments. Their experiences and discoveries were repeated endlessly by many other people of their time. After all, had the fate of humanity depended on only one person discovering the processes and uses of fire, sewing needles, various weapons, etc., the human race would not now be enjoying such luxuries as books by Jean Auel! But in spite of my complaints, I have read (and reread) all the books in Auel's series, and, with her many fans, am eagerly awaiting her next novel (a copy of which I plan to own the very day it hits bookstore shelves!).

I loved The Clan of the Cave Bear, but the successive books degenerated, and this one is the worst of the lot. The characters have become more or less one-dimensional, and Auel is much too fond of them, especially Ayla, who is too good at everything. This problem could be overcome if she had some character flaws, but by this point in the series, she really doesn't have much character at all. The biggest problem with this book, aside from its casting of Ayla and Jondalar as the universal saviours of prehistoric mankind, is its lack of plot. It's really nothing more than a series of episodes, each of which could stand alone; there really isn't much more to the book than how these people get from one place to another. The major underlying plot crisis seems to be the apparently inability of Ayla and Jondalar to conceive a child, but since we already know that this is because Ayla is taking contraceptives, where is the drama? And why does Auel feel the need to stretch out the length of the book by providing five-page sex scenes in each chapter? I don't mind sex scenes if they're part of the plot, but in this book they're quite unnecessary, and it's really rather nauseating (and boring) that Ayla and Jondalar's chief conversational topic is their fabulous sexual compatibility. I strongly recommend the first book, but this one is really a waste of time.

After reading some of the recent entries, its good to know that my disappointments in this book are shared by some other readers. The Plains of Passage seems to immensely lack the quality of the earlier books in the series and the 'adventures' of the main characters, Ayla and Jondalar, reminded me vividly of the reality of the 'moralizing' that so many 'explorers' have done to indigenous peoples. Even with this aside, I felt that the book was poorly written and extremely over-drawn; I often found myself skiping over entire chapters without feeling as though I had missed any of the story or character development (or, more accurately, in both cases the lack thereof).

Ever since the earthquake that forced young Ayla into a new and different world I have been hooked on this enduring saga. From the first book, "Clan of the Cave Bear" to the last book to date "The Plains of Passage" I have been able to escape to the prehistoric world Ms. Auel has created. In my opinion, any author that can take you from the stress of modern-day life to a fictitional but realistic past is gifted.

Some critics might like to nit-pick on each individual book in the series, and I suppose that there are some flaws, but, come on people, look at the whole picture! The author's purpose is to make each book stand on its own merits, especially for people who haven't read each book in the series. In my opinion, this is why each book is SO detailed and sometimes redundant about the plant and animal life of those times.

I like the developing love story between Ayla and Jondalar. It has all the believability of a modern romance, including jealousy, uncertainty, and even lust, to which we all can relate in the year 2000. Now their story is just becoming interesting to me--they've managed to overcome (so far) the initial relationship problems, and are ready to face their future together.

I feel that this has been a thoroughly enjoyable series to date, and eagerly await the much anticipated books 5 and 6 of the series. I've been reading this series for nearly 15 years, and have re-read the series several times. For many years it was an annual event, until I got to the point that I could probably knap my own flint spearpoints. Read this series and be prepared to be entertained!

This book is the 4th in a series written about Ayla, a cro-magnon raised by a neanderthal tribe. While the 1st book, Clan of the Cave Bear, was an enjoyable read (I recommend it), each new installment in the series has become progressively and exponentially more disappointing. I personally found myself extremely disappointed and dismally upset by the very moral missionary type escapades of the main characters of this book, Ayla and Jondalar. The book had a very "You are wrong, we are morally superior, and you should be thankful we arrived at your cave for the sole purpouse of your theological edification" feel to it. The sex drives of the main characters were also much to strong to even approach realism, sadly debasing what could have been an excellent story line/concept for the series to the level of semi-pornographic, trashy, Hustler-type pulp fiction. I highly recommend the 1st book in the series, but don't bother spending your money on the Plains of Passage.

The frustration I have with this book (and also with the fifth book in the series) is that, after reading the Clan of the Cave Bear, I know the talent of which this author is capable. We do not, unfortunately, see much of that talent in this book.

Readers do not appreciate being treated as though they lack intelligence, and the extreme repetition found in this book (and in the fifth book) sends the reader the message that she is just too stupid to remember what went on before.

So much of the book became tedious and boring. Even the [love] scenes were repetitive. You could sum it all up by saying that Jondalar is quite a lover. Jondalar has a really big .... manhood. Ayla is as vunerable as a virgin, yet deep enough to take in all of Jondalar, which Jondalar really digs.

Readers feel cheated because the first book was so very, very good. But now it seems that all we are getting for our loyalty and anticipation is a lazy, repetitive effort.

This book drags a little more in places than the previous ones, but it's still entertaining if you're a fan of the series. However, for every book since Clan of the Cave Bear (every book showing non-Neandertal cultures) I get the feeling that, while the material culture is certainly well researched, the way the people are actually living is not quite believable. They all get along too well, are perfectly egalitarian, and so on. (Hunting and gathering cultures are egalitarian, but there is still more of a sexual division of labor, especially with hunting, than you see in these books.) Also, I'd like to point out one (admittedly minor) flaw that probably very few people would notice. When Jondalar is captured and tied up by the tribe that hates men, Ayla throws her spear and cuts the rope tying his hands, freeing him. Well, I've experimented with spear-throwers for a few years now, and I've been to competitions and met some of the top throwers in the world, and I think it's very unlikely that Ayla could have been that accurate with her spear, especially considering her limited experience with the thrower (after all, it was just invented). But then, Ayla is a superwoman.

Compared to the previous three, this book was miserable. While I did not adore books two and three like I did _Clan of the Cave Bear_, they were still great reads I very much enjoyed.

However, this books was slow fails at being anything other then a massive book describing nothing but a plotless journey by Ayla and Jondalar. There are a few interesting episodes, but they takea long time to get to and are about a 100 pages apart-- and they're depressingly familiar from previous books in the series. Each sex scene has been done ten times before, each time Ayla and Jondalar are seperated, they run through the exact same dismal feelings and thought processes (for those who've read Goodkind's Sword of Truth, I was having Richard and Kahlan flashbacks), and the reactions of other cavemen to the Ayla-Goddess are tediously the same every time they run upon a new clan, forcing us to go through an identical first meeting scene every hundred pages or so. The journey could have been summed up much quicker, rather then having us follow along for almost 900 pages as the ice age heroes stroll across prehistoric Europe for a few months.

This is the fourth novel in Jean Auel's Earth's Children series and to be honest, it's probably the weakest of the four. The fault lies not just in the overly long explanations of the plants and animals of the day or the bland sex scenes (That has been addressed in other reviews so I won't bore you with it here). No, the real fault lies in the nature of the storyline itself. Ayla and Jondalar spend nearly the whole book travelling, which means they don't have time to form relationships with the myriad other characters in the novel. This is a real shame, the book lacks focus as a result and Auel wasted a chance for some really interesting character development. It might have been better really if Plains of Passage had been spread over two books, with less travelling and more character interaction. Also, I feel that Ayla has lost a lot of her motivation. She's no longer the strong and independent young woman that she was in Clan of the Cave Bear or even Valley of Horses. Now she seems content to trail around after Jondalar as he makes one dangerous mistake after another. The only time she really shines through is during a confrontation with a man-hating tribe along the way when she has to fend for herself. I only hope that Auel's long awaited fifth book will be better.

I have loved this series completely. Auel's gifted writing style takes us places the ordinary imagination can't go unprompted. Reading about Ayla's adventures and discoveries has sparked my interest in so many things, including medicinal prairie herbs and wondering how to reveal my own totem. I wish Creb had an email address so I could ask for help!

I thoroughly enjoy the way Auel develops her characters. After reading all four of the books in this series, I am convinced that no better love story exists than that of Ayla and Jondalar!

Please, Ms. Auel. We've been waiting nine long years to hear about Ayla's acceptance by the Zelandonii. And does Durc ever find his mother? Please! Finish the series!