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  • The Clan of the Cave Bear

  • Earth's Children 1
  • By: Jean M. Auel
  • Narrated by: Rowena Cooper
  • Length: 20 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,110 ratings)
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The Clan of the Cave Bear cover art

The Clan of the Cave Bear

By: Jean M. Auel
Narrated by: Rowena Cooper
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Summary

Clan of the Cave Bear is the first novel in Jean M. Auel's magnificent best-selling epic of life 35,000 years ago. Leave the 21st century and go back to Ice Age Europe. Follow Ayla, a Cro-Magnon child who loses her parents in an earthquake and is adopted by a tribe of Neanderthal, the Clan. See how the Clan's wary suspicion is gradually transformed into acceptance of this girl, so different from them, under the guidance of its medicine woman, Iza, and its wise holy man, Creb. Immerse yourself in a world dictated by the demands of survival in a hostile environment, and be swept away in an epic tale of love, identity and struggle.

©1980 Jean M Auel (P)1992 AudioGO Ltd

Critic reviews

"Beautiful, exciting, imaginative." ( New York Times)
"A major best seller...a remarkable work of imagination." ( Daily Express)

What listeners say about The Clan of the Cave Bear

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

Have read this several times but listening to it as an audiobook brought another dimension to the story. When reading a good book I have a terrible habit of 'skimming' when I really enjoy it to find out what happens next but with the audiobook you can't do that which really improved it for me! I usually listen when walking my dog who is also benefitting from longer walks! Thoroughly recommend. Can't wait to start next one.

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28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

An interesting story

Narrated well, this is an unusual concept for a book. Set in the Ice Age, it tells of a child of 'modern' man who is adopted by Neanderthals. The author has incredible knowledge of her subject - the uses of plants for food and medicine, the geology and geography of the time, the uses of flint and other tools, the flora and fauna.
The characters are believable and empathy is built for them, the setting is drawn in great detail and the whole book is well worth reading.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting Research

Jean Auel has obviously spent a great deal of time and effort not only researching Neanderthal Man, but also present-day hunter gatherer societies, and then superimposed a story to present her findings in a captivating, easily accessible form. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the result, although I found the narrator's voice strangely lifeless, indeed more suited to reading an academic paper than a narrative. Auel is, however, no real story teller. The narrative remains driven by by her wish to acquaint the reader with her research, the imaginery additions are not convincing (clan memories accessed through the generations?), and the characters, though quite engaging, are never more than functional. All the same, I recommend this book. It allows an interesting insight into man's early history.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An 80s cracker

Read this book as a teen in the early 90's and didn't fully appreciate it, the movie didn't do it much justice either. Came across the audible book for it and snapped it up. Excellent and truly engrossing performance. The narrator doesn't grate on me like other narrators and it's a very easy listen. Very enjoyable.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A definate need to listen to.

This series is my go to when i cant decide what to listen to, when i need to completely escape, when i want something familiar. Despite having the audible set, kindle and paper format i cant praise these highly enough for lovers of a pre modern era. They are extensively researched and where imagination had to be taken to fill in the gaps it is entirely plausible and as it turns out the more we find out about the cave man era the author has actually made good instinctive observations.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

cave bear

I liked the premis of the tale. The ways pf the clan are prettycool, this reminded me of the movie Avatar in subtle ways. I developed a conection to the main character, at which point there was some pretty upsetting violence, I was almost tempted to stop reading as it seemed a little unnecessary and I was effected by it. I did finish and Im glad I did. over all it was an enjoyable experience

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Memorable and worth revisiting

I've read this series previously and found it so memorable that I wanted to read/hear it again. Not many books grab me enough to be revisited by me. I'm now looking forward to the next book in the series. ****** because 5 * are not enough.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

Would you listen to The Clan of the Cave Bear again? Why?

Yes, this was a great story, superbly narrated by Rowena Cooper

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Clan of the Cave Bear?

The ending brought a tear to my ear

Which character – as performed by Rowena Cooper – was your favourite?

Ayla

Any additional comments?

I'm so excited to listen to the rest of the series

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Just brilliant ...

I absolutely loved Clan of the Cave Bear and couldn't stop listening until it was finished. I will buy the next book in the series right away. Liked the narrator too - very clear enunciation. The subject matter and story was very different from anything I had read before. Highly recommended.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The history of each one of us

This excellent story transports us back through our genetic code and explains how we react to things and how our instincts really operate in times of crisis, etc. The author has used intelligent research to bring us this little part of ourselves and our history

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3 people found this helpful