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Clan of the Cave Bear is a book like no other. If you go into reading it expecting book like others then you will lose interest in it very quickly. But then again if you expect to much then you could be disappointed. Hmm…not helping much am I? Well, Jean Auel is a different kind of author. To me, you either like her style or you don’t. There isn’t a middle ground with it. Jean Auel makes rich characters, but at the same time she want you to know as much as possible about the landscape and the enviroment around the characters.

In my opinion, I relate to two different people in the book. To both Ayla for her determination & to Iza for the herbal knowledge. In my opinion, I would be just like her. I could survive and take care of myself. What surprised me is how long it took for Ayla to leave. Personally, I would have left a lot sooner then she did. When they cast her out when she was pregnant I would have left that spring. But again that is me.

The opposition that Ayla gets from the members of the Clan make her smarter & stronger then she would have been if they accepted her without question. Since they didn’t accept her, Ayla had to struggle and fight for her position within the Clan. But that is the only way she would have been able to handle what happens to her in the future.

It doesn’t surprise me that The Clan members would choose death. It is in their minds that they have to have the Clan in order to survive. The more you learn about the others the more you understand this. It all revolves around how the minds of the Others & the Clan work. I can’t really go into the differences without giving away parts from the rest of the series. But I will tell you that the answers are in the series.

I believe that Jean Auel’s description of the landscape and the world shows just how much she research she did into the books. I have done intense reading into this series and the author. Before she would write a word of the book, she would travel to the area that she was protraying and do as much research into the ancient history there was. She found out about the plants & animals that would have been around during that time. Jean Auel does her best to make sure that her information is correct or as close to correct before she writes it. If you look at the maps in the front of the books, you will see “finds” that Jean Auel’s research has come across. I don’t think she has found these things, just letting her readers know about them.

As for the rest of the series I would have to say that of course I will read the rest of the series. I have already done so numerous times. It is one of my favorite series. Yes, the first book may have some scenes in it that are hard to read, but they had to happen in order for Ayla to become the woman that she needed to become. As for her child, Durc, if you want to know she never sees him again. Durc is her gift to the Clan. He is to try to lead them into the future. Whether he does or not Jean Auel doesn’t say or hasn’t said yet.

This series currently has five books & supposedly she is writing the sixth one and there is going to be a seventh one. But it has been five years since the release of the fifth book, & so far no word of the sixth book.

This book really sucked me in quite fast, I thought the concept was fascinating.  However, in the end, I’m really left with mixed feelings about the book overall that I’m still having trouble resolving and it’s been almost two weeks since I finished.

Ayla was by far the easiest character for me to relate to.  She’s female, I’m female.  She likes to learn, I like to learn.  She asks why a lot and wants answers that make sense, I can definitely relate to that.  Aside from Ayla I could also relate to Iza.  As a mother myself I understand how Iza came to see Ayla as her daughter and the love she had for her.

It did not surprise me that Ayla survived the death curse.  I would have been surprised if she had died.  I do not think her decision to survive is wrong, what I think is wrong is people who give up in the face of death.  Accepting death is one thing, I don’t think that is wrong, but just lying down and waiting for it to happen instead of living life to the fullest up to the very end is something I will never understand.  In Ayla’s position I would have done the same thing she did and tried my best to survive.

I’m not sure if Ayla had more brain power necessarily than the Clan.  I think it might be more of a difference in how her brain worked in relation to how the Clan’s brains worked.  The Clan depends more on memory to help them survive, but they are not able to learn new things or adapt very well.  They seem to function also a lot by instinct rather than ingenuity.  Ayla’s brain obviously thinks more and asks questions more.  Ayla also seemed driven to try new things in a way the Clan never did or could.  If I interpret the novel properly, Ayla is supposed to be more like Modern Man than the Clan is.  The Clan would be a lower step on the ladder or our evolution, so an argument could definitely be made that Ayla is “smarter” since that is a big part of man’s evolution, the ability to use our brain to invent and learn.

What bothered me the most about this book was Broud.  Of course, the reader was never meant to like him, that much is obvious, and I can appreciate the fact that this character did not like Ayla at all.  There is bound to be at least one member of the Clan who would never accept her, it is what you would expect.  The rape sections of the book really disturbed me, as would be expected, but I really wish I had known about it ahead of time so I could have skipped that part.  Seriously, I really didn’t need to know about Broud’s throbbing male organ!  I tried to explain it to myself by saying, “They are cave people, they don’t see sex the same way we do.”  But that did not work for me, in the end, Broud forced himself on her when she did not want him to.  That is rape and always will be.  What I do not understand is why the Clan accepted it and never thought twice about it being “wrong”.  The book was clear that he repeatedly raped her several times a day in the presence of the Clan and it was obvious to everyone that she did not enjoy it, desire it, or like it in any way, and it never occurred to any of them that what Broud was doing was wrong.  The Clan would get so uptight about other “unacceptable” behaviors that for me I did not find their ambivalence about what Broud was doing believable at all, especially Iza’s and Creb’s “yeah, whatever” attitude…I didnt buy it at all, it did not fit with the rest of the book.  I do appreciate the irony though in that by doing what he did Broud was giving Ayla what she wanted, a child.  I also did find it darkly humorous about how the minute Ayla stopped caring about being raped, because she was so happy to be pregnant, that Broud immediately stopped getting any satisfaction from what he was doing and eventually stopped (thank goodness, I’m not sure how much more of that I could have taken).

This might surprise you, but I did like Brun.  He wasn’t perfect, I think that’s why I liked him, but he was a good leader and in the end I really respected him a lot.  I could relate to him in the fact that parents often see their own children through rose-colored glasses.  He knew what Broud was doing was wrong, I think he also ultimately knew Broud would be a bad leader.  He probably should have made sure Broud was never made the leader, but he also loved his son so it was a struggle for him to resolve.  I can appreciate that.  Maybe in the end he didn’t make the best choices, but I liked the fact that he recognized that and wanted to make amends in the best way he knew how.

I do not know if I will read any more of the series.  I was so bothered by the rape sections in this book, I don’t want to encounter more by continuing to read the series.  Just that one part made me dislike The Clan of the Cave Bear more than I would have otherwise, I think the book was intensely spoiled with it (or at least with it written the way it ways, trying to disturb the reader as much as possible with vivid descriptions…ugh).  I would have liked this book ten times more without it, besides that one part I thought it was great.  I am interested in happens to Ayla though so I may be lead to read them in the future.

I sit her with tears “caked” to the side of my face. “Caked” was a word used often in this book, as though it was the only proper way to described dried tears. It’s not entirely inappropriate, but it created associations I’d probably be better without - caked food, for example, shouldn’t be in the same imagery as hardened breast milk. In any case, the book was written well enough to enrapture me; I couldn’t put it down and read all 495 pages within just a few days, and in the end, I cried.

The language bothered me in some places (it’s not just the use of the word “caked”), some bits were awkward and I had to read over some paragraphs two or three times before either finally grasping the idea or giving up entirely. I’m not speaking about the language of the people, of course; I think that was done brilliantly. Though the clan people were not actually speaking English, it was necessary, of course, to translate their words for the reader. However, instead of writing things that Ayla “said” or Iza “spoke,” the characters “motioned.” Their language is more or less made up of a series of hand-signals - sign language, if you will - and I think this was portrayed very well in the text. I didn’t miss a beat and really enjoyed the part where Ayla is learning the language of the clan.

The narration also tells the story, and one would normally think this is what’s supposed to happen, but I’m more used to books that are narrated from one character’s point of view at expense of the general plotline, so that there may not even be a plot - greater importance is placed on the Psychology of the character who is narrating. So it’s a different kind of book than I usually read, and the style of writing was thus different from what I’m used to. I recently read a book like this one where certain points integral to the plotline were repeated several times. This is not something I enjoy in books, partially because I have an excellent memory while reading and thus I don’t need to be reminded of earlier points made. Plus, even if I don’t remember, I like to make the connections on my own and figure things out my own way. In this book, everything is plainly outlined and the reader is given constant reminders of earlier passages when they come into importance again. Nothing wrong with this, I know some people need it, but I still found it annoying.

I can’t say I related to any of the characters very much. Ayla’s description is fully given, as well as Creb’s and Iza’s, who were with us through the entire book, but the other characters seemed either to embody extremes (such as Broud’s mixed pride and jealousy) or to have glossed-over descriptions without much detail. It didn’t take away a lot from my reading of the book, but I do generally prefer to relate to at least one character in the novels I read; it makes it easier to understand their struggles and thoughts. However, I do feel that Ayla was very strong, very brave, and extremely well-written. I was not surprised when she survived her first Death curse, and I have no doubt that she’ll survive her second.

One of the things I found interesting was the differences between Ayla and Creb’s thinking patterns. For example, Ayla was able to count higher than twenty on her first try, whereas Creb felt he was “left in the dust” at seeing his “student” excell in what he couldn’t do. I am not sure if this is due to brainpower or adaptability, but I think it is a mixture of both. The differences between Clan and Others was heavily discussed throughout the entire book - not just in physical appearance, but also in spirituality and learning. It’s clear that the Others are those humans who survive into what we are today; thus, the Others must be adaptable and they must have the ability to think towards the future. Creb explains his ability to think ahead as one due to the spirits, but Ayla inherently is able to do so, as demonstrated by the visions she saw after she accidentally stumbled into the mog-urs’ ceremony at the Clan Gathering.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t have a lot to talk about because there were so many things about it that really caught my eye and made me wonder, but which worked themselves out in the end. This isn’t the kind of book that leaves you with a lot of questions about character motivation or other abstract ideas - any questions I have (like whether Ayla will ever find a mate or if she’ll see Durc and the Clan again) will presumably be answered in the future books. I’d recommend it but probably only if people asked specifically about it - it’s not one of my favorite books, but it’s not unworthy of praise either. I will probably eventually pick up the rest of the series, though I’m not jumping to read them immediately.

Hope you all enjoyed the book as much as I did. It was a slow start for me, but I quickly got into it and finished it in just a manner of days! :) Anyway, I think this is the first discussion that we have with the new WordPress installed, so I just wanted to tell you that the categories are now below the entry box; don’t forget to post your discussions in the “Clan of the Cave Bear” category.

Hev kindly gathered the questions for us this month and I think they’re wonderful!

• Which character of The Clan of the Cave Bear could you relate to best and why?
• Ayla is found & brought into The Clan by Iza, the medicine woman. Iza & Creb adopt her into their family fire place, but there are members of The Clan that feel that Ayla should not be allowed in The Clan. Ayla first trys to handle these members by acting just like other Clan women, when that does not work she starts to act differently. How does this help her in her develpment as she grows and develops into a woman? Do you think it makes her stronger? smarter? weaker? dumber? and why?
• When Ayla is forced to spend the month away from the Clan in the “Death” sentence, does it surprise you that she survives the death? Do you feel that her decision to live and survive was wrong? If you were in Ayla’s position would you choose to survive or would you let death come for you like most Clan people do when the Death sentence is pronounced?
• Did Ayla have more brain learning power then The Clan or was it just her ability to adapt?
• Was Mrs. Auel’s description of the landscape a good one? Does Mrs. Auel make you feel like the lanscape is believable? Why or why not?
• How could we learn from Ayla’s maturing into a woman? What part of the book could we take lessons from for this day & age?
• Finally, what else struck you about the book that was good or bad? What did you like or dislike about it that we haven’t discussed already? Were you glad you read this book? Would you recommend it to a friend? Did this book make you want to read more work by this author?

Bonus Question

• This last question is for our member Hev (she is the one that recommended this book). She would like to know if any of you are going to read the rest of the series? There is a total of four other books in the series & she highly recommends them. The titles are: The Valley of Horses, The Mammoth Hunters, The Plains of Passage, & Shelters of Stone. *Here is a hint. Ayla does find the love that she wants, it is in book 2, but does she stay with him through out the other two books?*

May’s Book

I’m just 100 pages away from finishing the book I’m currently reading, then I’ll get started on May’s book, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I’ve heard good and bad things about it, as I’m sure you all have - it’s a very popular book among many circles. Now it’s time to make judgments of our own! Enjoy. :) Discussion will begin on May 25, 2008.

Hev was the only person who expressed interest in this idea but perhaps someone else will be more into it once they see it up! Here is April’s “book-related question,” an idea I suggested in this post. Reply with your answer so we can discuss it in the comments here (think of it as a mini discussion and don’t make your own post, this way we can keep all the responses together in one post).

Post the cover to your currently reading book selection, whether it’s Clan of the Cave Bear or another that you’re into right now. Now judge it! Whether you’ve just started the book, you’re in the middle, or you’re almost done with it, tell us what you think of the cover based on the story.

Covers are essentially advertisements so they don’t always provide a picture of the story. Sometimes a detail or emotion will be pulled from the text and illustrated, but sometimes the cover will seem to have absolutely no relation to the book at all! Discuss what you like or dislike about the cover. Would you have used a different image? A different font? Why?

Sorry for the delay in writing me review of Life of Pi.  I wanted to take the time to really think about what I was going to say.

I’m surprised.  It seems I liked this book much more then my fellow reviewers.  That’s okay, but I did realize after reading another review that most books I really like I tend to reread.  The first time I read Life of Pi was several years ago and this is the first time I have reread it since.

The main thing that struck me about this book are the two stories.  One story which takes place in the bulk of the book involving Pi stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.  The second story is one he tells the Japanese investigators when they don’t believe his first story.  Which one is true?  Does it matter?

Personally, I believe the second story, the brief one, is the one that is true.  Here is why:  With animals we can accept a certain cruelty.  We call it “natural” and “instinct”.  When they ravage people or each other we can’t really blame the animals because “they don’t know better”.  When humans do it, it becomes much more disturbing.  Are we not better than an animal who doesn’t know better?  We should be, but sadly, we are not in many cases.  Pi tells us in the beginning portion of the novel that animals become dangerous when they are in stressful, unknown situation.  Can’t the same thing apply to humans?  I think that is exactly what happens, but Pi, being as God loving and gentle as he is, is astounded and appalled at the behavior of his fellow shipwreck victims as well as himself.  What have they done?  It is so much easier to understand if the main characters are animals as opposed to humans who should know better.

The main reason I like this book so much is because I like Pi.  He is a fantastic character.  I will continue to recommend this book although it is definitely disturbing.  I believe that is the reason I have not reread this book until now.  Even this time around, I couldn’t finish the entire thing, I only skimmed and read certain important sections.

Hey kids, first of all I wanted to tell you that I upgraded WordPress this afternoon, if you notice any problems let me know. I’m iffy about the new admin panel but it seems to be pretty easy to figure out once you get the hang of it.

Secondly, if any of you are interested in book-related website funtime things, please check out the Bookworms Carnival. Basically every month someone “hosts” a topic for the carnival and they call for submissions based on that topic - anything from reviews and thoughts to analysis and criticism. It’s really quite interesting! As an example, last month’s theme was Women in Literature and February’s was Speculative Fiction.

I’m bringing this up because this month I’m hosting an edition on Latin American literature/authors. If you follow that link, you’ll be taken to an informational page explaining things a bit, and if you’re interested please submit a post! I’d love to see your thoughts on the topic. :) The deadline is April 13 (about a week away).

Even if you don’t submit to mine I hope you’ll find interest in the idea. The Bookworms Carnival has provided much insight on different categories of literature, and ever since I discovered it last October I’ve been following along religiously. :)

Third, and finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to point you in the direction of some bookish links. I discovered a few communities & blogs recently which I’ve found interesting and you guys are the only people who I know would be interested, so here I am spamming you! I hope you don’t mind.

- MetaxuCafe Litblog Network
- Wordsy
- Litminds
- BookTwo: Literature + Technology

How would you guys feel if once a month (say, around the 10th or so) I posted a discussion question related to books in general (not necessarily the one we’re currently reading)? It would kind of be like a Booking Through Thursday thing, except it would only be once a month and they wouldn’t always be the same questions as those. It’d just kind of be something to bring us together during our reading time and to keep this site a little more active during the month rather than just at the end of it.

Do you like the idea? Let me know so we can get started on that this month! :)

I have mixed feelings about this book. I attempted to read it once a couple of years ago, but when I came to Pi’s shipwreck on the boat I found it so emotionally disturbing that I put the book aside until the title came up on this list and I figured I would give it another try.

This second read wasn’t much different from the first, although I was able to finish the book. I found Pi’s adventure on the boat too be incredible and still very disturbing to me. I also thought this section of the book to be too drawn out. I admit I skimmed and skipped much of this section just because, for me, I couldn’t handle it. I’m not sure why, but I think it’s mostly because reading of others’ suffering (human and animal) is too much for me to handle.

I do understand Pi’s motivation for wanting to save Richard Parker though. Given that he grew up with these animals his whole life, he probably saw them as a part of his extended family. Also, he must have been an animal lover and who would want to see an animal suffer, even at his own potential sacrifice.  Finally, even though Richard Parker is a “wild” animal, albeit a somewhat controlled one, it was still another living being on the boat with him and perhaps he preferred the company of a potential predator to that of being alone.

Still, the situation is “over the top,” and what cinched it for me was the island of carnivorous trees. Sure, if you believe in God (as I do) it could be argued that God creates all, that God is capable of miracles, so why not a tiger who wouldn’t eat the main source of food presented to him (Pi) and an island that feeds on living things? Still, for me, it was hard to digest.

Perhaps the second account was the true one. Perhaps the first. Perhaps neither. The fact that Pi survived at all could be the miracle that would make the reader of the story “believe in God.”

I would probably recommend this book to others, although it isn’t on my favorites list and I couldn’t bear to give it another read. Once was enough for me.

Bear with me on this one; I wrote it almost as soon as I finished it last month. I usually wait until I can put it on this website, but I was so into thinking about this book that I felt like I had to write a review immediately. :P

I first tried to read this book a few years ago, I think while I was in college, and as most people find is the case I thought it was really boring and wordy. I didn’t get past the fifth page. I don’t usually give up on books but this one wasn’t very entertaining at all. With that in mind, I started reading this again at the end of February. It was mostly because it’s the March selection for the Quilting Bee book club, but also because Richard has said nothing but good things about it, and as we are now so in touch with one another that we like much of the same reading material, I thought I’d really like it this time around. Boy, was I right!

Not only did I not find the beginning boring, but I actually thought it contained some of the most interesting ideas of the whole book. There are several main themes in this book including, but certainly not limited to, spirituality and faith, religion, anthromorphology (projecting cute, cuddly human traits onto highly dangerous animals and expecting them to live up to those expectations), survival, truth, and storytelling. The beginning part surfs smoothly through these themes, especially religion and spirituality, and if the reader has found herself accustomed to the writing style, she’s gasping for more. Just in time comes part two, the bulk of the book, which describes Pi’s time at sea trapped in a lifeboat with a tiger, zebra, hyena, and orangutan.

It was exciting and interesting, albeit a bit too technical (I had to look up some of the things he was talking about just to get a visual image - that is to say, the description in some parts wasn’t very well done but in others was phenomenal). Who knew that a book about life stranded at sea could be so compelling? I made a post on my blog a few days ago about how I read straight through this book in one day (leap day, to be exact) because I found it so fascinating, and someone commented wondering why everyone was so “enamoured” with it, as they found it to be incredibly dull and boring. I wouldn’t say I am enamoured with it (it still isn’t a “favorite book” or even a “top 10″), but I can certainly see why others would fall in love. However, I can also see why some would find it uninteresting and unentertaining. It just seems to be one of those books that one can only get “into” when in a certain mind frame, after having read several of a certain type of book (thoughtful/philosophical, and the like), when the day’s not sunny, when one doesn’t find easy seasickness based on description, etc. In short, there are a lot of reasons this book can be dislikable (just like any other book, mind you), and I’m accepting of that. However, I personally thought it was absolutely invigorating.

The themes I found most interesting were anthromorphology and truth. I found them much more important than the book - or its fans - seemed to illustrate. In fact, I haven’t seen “anthromorphology” as an important theme anywhere, not in any reviews or other statements about the book. Mostly people seem to talk about survival and faith - also two very big themes in the book, but certainly not the only ones. My point is illustrated by the end of the second part. Almost immediately after I finished the book, Richard asked me if I also thought the ending (of part two) was anticlimactic. I can see where he’s coming from. In fact, even Pi saw where he was coming from. He said he wished the tiger would have turned around and stood there while Pi gave a long speech about how much their lives touched each other - a proper good-bye, as it were. Instead, the animal just went into the Mexican forest without a second thought. He didn’t even glance back. Richard and Pi both were disappointed in the tiger’s behavior - but why? I think it’s because they’d projected those human emotions onto the animal so much throughout the book that they expectd it to act as a human would. No, the tiger didn’t rip Pi to shreds, but I believe that was due to basic animal training. Take Pavlov’s dogs, their drooling, the meat, the punishment. The tiger’s training involved seasickness and a mind-numbing whistle in order to administer territorial lines. The tiger didn’t stay on his side of the boat because he liked Pi and didn’t want to eat him. I take this as an important part of the book because it determines whether or not - and why - you see the ending as anticlimactic. I didn’t simply because I understand the reason why the tiger didn’t turn around for farewells; I didn’t expect him to. That would have been much too magical for this book.

Truth, on the other hand, is something that bugged me for a few days. I didn’t really like the last part, but I see why it was included - same goes with the author’s note. I suppose that in the book it’s generally believed that none of this could ever have happened, that the second story Pi told was more believable. However, if you read the author’s note, it would suggest that perhaps this is based on a true story! But then I realized (it hit me rather abruptly, but I still felt silly for not understanding at first) that the “author’s note” is not Yann Martel’s note. It’s the note of the author who is writing the life story of Pi within the book - the unknown character who visits his house, meets his family, and provides the transcripts for the last part of the book. Even with this knowledge, however, the book is presented as a biography. I’ve read fictional biographies before (and fictional autobiographies), but none that have been set up in this manner. It sets off signals in my mind of an unreliable narrator, yet I only looked at the book with skepticim after I had read the author’s note. (I should note that I read prefaces and author notes after I’ve finished the book. I’m not entirely sure why, but I suppose it has something to do with the fact that I don’t find very much interest in them, and skim them only to fill in gaps and confusion.)

In any case, truth comes into question within the story; it’s never revealed whether the bulk of the novel is the true story of Pi’s shipwreck or whether the last account given in part three is the true story. He, however, has stated numerous times in the book that he cannot get behind the idea of “facts” - I believe he said “dry, yeastless factuality” - finding that stories are more inspiring, much more memorable, and certainly more capable of emotion. Does that make the tiger story untrue? Not necessarily. It’s possible he may have added ideas, thoughts, feelings, and observations to the story thus making it only partially true. No one can tell a straight-forward completely accurate recollection of a memory, and certainly not one that lasted 227 days! However, if the second story is true, the first story makes complete sense. Pi is sixteen when he becomes stranded on the lifeboat. It’s reasonable - maybe even expected - for him to make up a fantastic representation of what happened to him. It is a human way to deal with horrific events. Why do we teach children the value of honesty by using a beaver, or show them how to prevent forest fires with a bear? True, these aren’t experiences as terrible as the ones Pi had to face, assuming the second story is true (cannibalism, among other things), but from a young age we use humanlike animals to help us face the trials of life.

I have to point out as a side note, if it hasn’t already been gathered, that this brings us back to anthromorphology. You can’t talk about very many of the other themes in this book without bringing yourself back to this idea.

My ideas on truth are further emphasized by the author’s note. Within, the author wonders if fiction is “the selective transforming of reality, the twisting of it to bring out its essence.” When someone writes a biography whether truly fiction or truly about an existing person, truth is morphed, twisted, brought out based on themes and ideas that wish to be expressed. I’ve mentioned this, but no one can write down their life story without making up some parts, fictionalizing and mythologizing bits and pieces. It’s simply impossible.

I could go on reiterating my points and boring everyone who has bothered to read this far into the entry, but I think you’ve generally gotten what I’m trying to say. I didn’t touch on religion, faith, or spirituality for a few reasons. First of all, the themes I’ve discussed are those which interested me most; secondly, I’m not sure I could talk about it without bringing in my own bias against religion; and thirdly, you could pick up any review of Life of Pi and see those themes discussed to a bloody pulp. I wanted to bring out something different and talk about storytelling, truth, and cute, cuddly animals that wouldn’t harm a fly.

So did I like it? Yes; I think I’ve mentioned that. Will I read it again? Probably not, because while I might get more out of it on a second read, I’m not sure I liked it enough to take up that time which could be spent enjoying another new author. Do I recommend it? Yes, with caution that the first part might be boring, but it’s necessary.