Book reviews

Valley of the Horses
Jean M. Auel Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography History
Jean M. Auel Books
New book search
Jean M. Auel Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of Valley of the Horses
"The second novel in the Earth's Children series begins where "The Clan of the Cave Bear" left off. Ayla has been exiled by the clan, the neanderthals who have raised her, and the only family that she has ever known. She eventually settles in a valley, where she makes friends with a horse, a wolf, and a lion cub. However, she is lonely and yearns for human companionship. Meanwhile, a handsome cro-magnan named Jondalar, and his brother have embarked on a journey across prehistoric europe, a kind of rite of passage. Ayla comes across Jondalar after a violent attack that leaves his brother dead and him fatally wounded. Ayla nurses Jondalar back to health, and the two bond. But their relationship doesn't come easy. They don't speak the same language initially, and they must overcome Jondalar's prejudice against the clan that raised Ayla, and Ayla's fears about sex that have arisen after her rape in "Clan of the Cave Bear"."
fran laniado, Resident Scholar

"After becoming an outcast from the Neanderthal clan, Ayla begins her search for her own kind, but arrives in a lush valley, and finding all the resources she needs decides to stay. Her trials and struggles included such discoveries as learning a simple way of creating fire and raising wild animals, specifically a baby horse and an injured lion cub, to be her friends. In a parallel story line the Cro-Magnon Jondalar begins a journey with his brother, but they are better prepared for most of the extremes and struggles that they overcome. Their stories converge as Jondalar is attacked after his brother is killed, coincidently by the Lion that Ayla raised from a cub. She rescues Jondalar and during his recuperation they struggle to teach and learn from each other.They both admire each other and eventually reveal deep feelings of love, which they finally consumate their passion in a sensitively written rite of passage that had been denied to Ayla by the male dominated society of her adopted clan family. "
mmacy, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Valley of the Horses
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - distant past/middle ages
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Kind of romance: - GENERAL--no other subplots apply
Life of a profession: - caveman (ug!)
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story Yes
Exploring into the wild Yes
kind of story - surviving natural elements
Lover is - from very different culture

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - unemployed - explorer
Age: - a teen
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Age: - a teen
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - throughout most of the book.
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 (an above average amount)
Europe Yes
European country: - Eastern Europe

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - licking - actual description of hetero sex - descript. of female anat. (the big B's) - descript. of female anat. (the big V) - descript. of nude males (the big P)
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Valley of the Horses
The Shelters of Stone by Jean M. Auel
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
The Plains of Passage by Jean M. Auel
The Mammoth Hunters by Jean M. Auel
Shelters of Stone by Jean M. Auel


Click here for more information about this book


Jean M. Auel Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
fran laniado  

SCHOLARS:
Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy  mmacy  Meaghan Cook  Chuck  Molly O'Connor  seeker of novel  J-me  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Literature books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Animal story

Crime & Police story

Ethnic/regional/gender life

Exploring into the wild

Family, caring for ill

Family, loving relations

Family, struggle with

Internal struggle/realization?

Job/Profession/Status story

Kids growing up/acting up?

Political/social activism

Poverty, surviving

Pregnancy/Child rearing

Religion theme?

Romance/Romance Problems

Sports Story?

War/Revolt/Disaster on civilians



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
Feedback
About us




Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
.
George W. Bush 2:05:48 AM
Dave Pelzer 11:10:01 PM
Suzanne Collins 10:29:00 PM
Lilian Jackson Braun 9:30:43 PM
Donna Fletcher 9:16:54 PM
Jean M. Auel 9:10:47 PM
J.K. Rowling 7:40:18 PM
Lisanne Norman 7:16:47 PM
Barack Obama 7:10:39 PM
Robert Segarra 6:30:24 PM
Margaret Peterson Haddix 6:23:46 PM
Deric Longden 4:43:16 PM
V.C. Andrews 2:17:47 PM
Linda Nagata 1:04:02 PM
Robin Cook 12:08:25 AM
Ruth Minsky Sender 7:39:26 PM
Gary Paulsen 7:15:11 PM
Zdena Kapral 2:41:37 PM
Eric Ambler 1:43:13 PM
Faye Kellerman 12:33:04 PM

More message boards