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  • The Clan of the Cave Bear

  • Earth's Children, Book 1
  • Written by: Jean M. Auel
  • Narrated by: Sandra Burr
  • Length: 22 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (381 ratings)

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The Clan of the Cave Bear

Written by: Jean M. Auel
Narrated by: Sandra Burr
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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. 

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

What the critics say

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

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

What listeners say about The Clan of the Cave Bear

Average Customer Ratings
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Best book!!

I read the whole series of books a long time ago and the audible version was just as good as I remembered but I could listen while driving and doing a few other things because I couldn’t put it down.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it! Wheres the next book??

it was a long one. luckily I have plenty of time to listen when I'm at work. Looking forward to the next book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellence

The writer captures your imagination and takes right the the very spot so expertly explained… off to the Valley of the Horses

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Great read

Loved this book! Took me a while to get used to Siri telling me a story. Other than that it was great!

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Great story

Rich in detail. Great storytelling. I really enjoyed listening to this audible book. Somewhat addictive for me.

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I’ve read this book 4 times

I absolutely love this series. So much so that I bought the audible version even though I own the hard copies. This is a story I never want to end and I would feel lonely without.
Jean Auel is hands down my favourite author and Sandra Barr does a brilliant job of telling this story. It’s obviously that she is a true story teller

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Of course I loved it

This is a series I come back to time and time again in all seasons of my life. I love diving into different aspects of it and realizing just how much of the story is historically true. However the piece that shines strongest is the story itself which is gripping.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Strangely addictive

Knowing little about the book or author, I purchased the audible book as recommended by a number of people as a great story. Especially for a long road trip or lots of commuting. At first, I despised it! The narrators voice seemed to drone on monotonously and the relentless detail seemed excessive and distracting. However, I persevered as the book came so highly recommended. After a couple of chapters Ayla’s world became more engrossing. I have to say I’m hooked and on to the next book in the series!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

captivating and heartwrenching

I'm not sure why I need to write more to be able to give this book a star rating. but here it is. my 5 stars because I loved it.

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Fascinating

The writing style seems kind of basic but this is a story about cave people! It sucks you right in and keeps you interested right to the end. I was planning on just listening to Book 1 but now I need to listen to Book 2!
The gender issues of primitive man sadly continue speak to the events of today. Powerful storytelling.

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