The Clan of the Cave Bear

Earth's Children, Book 1

By: Jean M. Auel

Narrated by: Sandra Burr

Length: 22 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

This novel of awesome beauty and power is a moving saga about people, relationships, and the boundaries of love.

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read

Through Jean M. Auel’s magnificent storytelling we are taken back to the dawn of modern humans, and with a girl named Ayla we are swept up in the harsh and beautiful Ice Age world they shared with the ones who called themselves The Clan of the Cave Bear. A natural disaster leaves the young girl wandering alone in an unfamiliar and dangerous land until she is found by a woman of the Clan, people very different from her own kind.

To them, blond, blue-eyed Ayla looks peculiar and ugly - she is one of the Others, those who have moved into their ancient homeland; but Iza cannot leave the girl to die and takes her with them. Iza and Creb, the old Mog-ur, grow to love her, and as Ayla learns the ways of the Clan and Iza’s way of healing, most come to accept her. But the brutal and proud youth who is destined to become their next leader sees her differences as a threat to his authority. He develops a deep and abiding hatred for the strange girl of the Others who lives in their midst, and is determined to get his revenge.

Listen to more in the Earth's Children series.

©1980 by Jean M. Auel. (P)1986 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Imaginative, exciting." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Jean Auel has performed a minor miracle." (San Francisco Chronicle)

Audiobook performers voice is very nasal and annoying

I enjoyed reading the full series of Jean Auel's Earth Children series when they were first published yrs ago and thought i would enjoy the audiobook versions. This voice artists nasal tone and static pacing is so unpleasant to listen to as to make revisiting this beloved series auditorily painful. I love audiobooks, simply not enjoying this voice artist performance and i understand that may simply be personal preference

Great Book..Spoiled by Pedantic Narration

I first read this book while afloat in the Indian Ocean around '81 if memory serves. I was captivated and read it in two days between watches, duty, and drills. It was something that I could visualize and at times feel in a raw kind of way. I had forgotten it until I saw it again here and jumped on it. I was excited to relive the experience and since I do my listening at bedtime I went to bed early to ensure a long listen. Then the disappointment set in.
I found myself listening to a narration aimed at third-graders. The singsong and the slow pace made me feel condescended to. It actually spoiled the story. The narration was at odds with the storyline in so many ways. It drove me to distraction and I just could not put myself in the book as a participant (like the first time I read it) or as a witness. Sadly the story, in this form, is lifeless.
I so wish I could rate this Audible offering at a five but I cannot. I have rated it at four stars overall though for the sake of the story.

A slice of history

While this is fiction and the characters are interesting, it does distract with long descriptions of implements, etc. I read all of these books about 10 years ago, and I loved them. In paperback form, I could skip over some of the descriptions. Can't actually do that listening to the books, but it wasn't distracting enough to make me want not to finish. I enjoyed the book, and will continue on in the series.

Good but needs a different reader

I am a fan of this book but I had two issues with it. I wish that chapter 1 and the preface would have been separated. I also think the reader sounds too much like Siri and it became a distraction

Awesome Story, Bad Narrator

This is an awesome story and series. But the narrator drives me crazy. She reads too fast, is monotone, and lacks emotion. I good narrator would greatly improve these. I would read the books first before listening to this to gain proper appreciation for the series.

long, but good

Any additional comments?

Good story, much detail, maybe a little too much detail but I did work while listening. I liked this audio better than the book. .

An amazing experience!

I love this series every time I stay it over. Give it a shout you won't be disappointed.

Absorbing Read

I first read this as a young adult and was pleasantly surprised that I still found it captivating 30 years later. Great job by narrator Sandra Burr.

classic novel was wonderful

I read this years ago and do glad I bought the audio version...it is lovely going through the series against. Looking forward to the next book.

Gripping Story Telling

Where does The Clan of the Cave Bear rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I don't like ranking books that I have read or listened to. I love them all equally for different reasons.

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

SO MANY! However each memorable moment for me was a poignant moment in the book, and write about it would spoil the book for anyone who happens to read this review.

What about Sandra Burr’s performance did you like?

Sandra was very good at maintaining the same pitch and tones for the different characters (of which there are many) throughout the entire book (which is quite long).

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, only because I like to listen them over several days.