• The Shelters of Stone

  • Earth's Children, Book 5
  • By: Jean M. Auel
  • Narrated by: Sandra Burr
  • Length: 33 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (3,723 ratings)

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The Shelters of Stone  By  cover art

The Shelters of Stone

By: Jean M. Auel
Narrated by: Sandra Burr
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Publisher's summary

After their epic journey across Europe, Ayla and Jondalar have reached his home, the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, the old stone-age settlement in the region known today as southwest France. Jondalar's family greet him warmly, but they are initially wary of the beautiful young woman he has brought back, with her strange accent and her tame wolf and horses.

Ayla has much to learn from the Zelandonii and much to teach them. She is intrigued by their clothes, their crafts, and their home, and wants to learn their customs and the ways that they live, so that she will fit in. She is delighted when she meets Zelandoni, the spiritual leader of the people, a fellow healer with whom she can share medicinal skills and knowledge. The Zelandonii are surprised to learn she was found and raised by the Clan, the ones that they call flatheads and think of as animals, and are skeptical when she tells them they are people.

After the rigors and dangers that have characterized her extraordinary life so far, Ayla yearns for peace and tranquility, to be Jondalar's mate, and to have children. But her unique spiritual gifts cannot be ignored, and even as she gives birth to her eagerly-awaited child, she is coming to accept that she has a greater role to play in the destiny of the Zelandonii.

Listen to more in the Earth's Children series.
©2004 Jean M. Auel (P)2004 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

Critic reviews

"Burr is adept at reading the detailed descriptions of Cro-Magnon artifacts without losing our interest and at creating varied portrayals of the many characters. A fine performance of a long-awaited book." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about The Shelters of Stone

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,451
  • 4 Stars
    772
  • 3 Stars
    333
  • 2 Stars
    96
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Performance
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    2,026
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    579
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    245
  • 2 Stars
    116
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    120
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    2,121
  • 4 Stars
    602
  • 3 Stars
    245
  • 2 Stars
    77
  • 1 Stars
    51

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

I LOVE THIS SERIES OF BOOKS! ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND!

Would you listen to The Shelters of Stone again? Why?

I LOVE ALL OF JEAN M. AUEL BOOKS! I DON'T WANT THE SERIES TO END!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Shelters of Stone?

AYLA AND JONDALYN MEETING!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

AYLAS'S STRENGTH

Any additional comments?

I DON'T REMEMBER IN THE FIRST 2 BOOKS (PLEASURES OF MAKING LOVE!) ONCE AYLA MEETS JONDALYN I WAS TURNED OFF BY ALL THE DISCREET LOVE MAKING! I RATED THE SERIES A 5! BECAUSE, I LOVE THE STORY! I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED ON 3RD OR 4TH BOOK THEY HAVE AYLA WITH A THICK ACCENT! I MISS THE ORIGINAL AYLA WHOEVER NARRATED THE FIRST COUPLE BOOKS! THESE BOOKS I HAVE READ AND LISTENED 2 HAS BEEN 2X'S! I EVEN HAVE SOME OF THE BOOKS! BUT WITH AUDIBLE, I WOULD MUCH RATHER LISTEN! I HOPE AFTER THE SET OF SERIES OF 6 BOOKS END!! PLEASE WRITE MORE BOOKS TO GO WITH SERIES!! I AM ON MY 6TH BOOK AND I ALREADY FEEL SO SAD TO HAVE LISTENED TO THEM ALL! I LOVE THE CHARACTERS! AYLA IS SO UPLIFTING IN ALL THESE BOOKS! WRITE MORE FOR THIS SERIES, BUT LEAVE ALL INTIMATE SEXUAL DETAILS OUT AND BRING BACK AYLA'S ORIGINAL VOICE AS IN FIRST CPL BOOK! THANK YOU! I RECOMMEND THE WHOLE SERIES! SUPERB! I TREASURE MY COMPLETE SERIES!

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

i love this series! very well read!

a great series of books and extremely well read. very exciting book. i cant wait to start number 6 now.

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

Suddenly Ayla has an accent

very odd to change a characters accent so many books into a series..but otherwise I love the theories

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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

STANDING OVATATION

loved the whole series. very interesting and informative DESERVES 10 stars makes me want to know more

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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!

I read the entire series twice and now listen to it the whole series is great. Do yourself a favor start from the beginning and read all the books in the series.

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

New voice for Ayla

I hated the new voice for Ayla. You should not introduce a new voice for a character that has been in the the previous books. Hard to swallow. She sounds German.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A and J 💘 you!!!!

Pretty perfect. Everybody was happy smart and free. Imagine a family's house in the nineties. But they were all better than anyone else muscularily and brainwise. Loved it!!!

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

Why. Just why..

All the other books the person reading the book doesnt give her a acent. But in this book she does. It sucks. Narrate the way all the other books have. Its like watching a show and switching out a actor

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Why an accent???

Love the series, but Ayla’s new accent was very distracting and unnecessary! Please no accent in the next book!

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

Narration

I did not care for the narration of Ayla with an accent so strong. Or the horse whinny. But the story is awesome . I did get used to the accent but still think I would have enjoyed it more without those two changes in narration.

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