The Valley of Horses

Earth's Children, Book 2

By: Jean M. Auel

Narrated by: Sandra Burr

Length: 21 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

A timeless epic of the dawn of civilization.

In The Valley of Horses, Ayla, the unforgettable heroine of The Clan of the Cave Bear, sets out on her own odyssey of discovery away from the nurturing adoptive family and friends of the Clan. She is in search of others like herself and in search of love.

Sharing a hidden valley with a herd of steppe horses, Ayla finds a unique friendship with animals as vulnerable as herself and ingeniously discovers the complex skills needed to survive - skills no Clan member was ever able to master.

But none of her experiences prepares her for the emotional turmoil she feels when she rescues a young man - the first of the Others she has seen - from almost certain death.

Torn between her desire for human companionship and her fear of the unknown Others, she struggles against her deep attraction to the handsome Jondalar. It is Jondalar who teaches her the meaning of true friendship and love.

Listen to more in the Earth's Children series.

©2004 Jean M. Auel (P)2004 Brilliance Audio

great series

I read this trilogy years ago, and loved it. I am loving it all over again. For me, this second book is wonderful because Ayla is such a strong spirit and her connection with animals intrigues me. It is also nice to have more humans for her to interact with. Can't wait for the next one!

Let down by the narration

I don't know why I enjoy the story of Ayla and Jondalar, but I do. Both characters have a definite Mary-sueish quality to them but the rich description of life in prehistoric Europe still manages to engage me even after several readings. I'm happy to find the entire, unabridged reading on Audible.

Unfortunately, this version is let down by the narration. The reader is competent enough, but I find her voice quite nasal, and she reads too quickly for me to really enjoy the story. The 'flashbacks' to Ayla's Clan life were particularly irritating to listen to. I eventually became accustomed to the reading, but I would have preferred it had she been a little less rushed.

I gave this 4 stars, but would have given 3.5 if I could.

Alone in a frozen world

Would you listen to The Valley of Horses again? Why?

Yes, I would listen again. Auel's language carries the reader into a world full of danger, beauty and extraordinary adventure.

What did you like best about this story?

The imagery of a lush verdant landscape containing incredible animal and plant life and a story line of a woman surviving and prospering.

What aspect of Sandra Burr’s performance would you have changed?

This book needs a reader who feels the world she is building for the listener. I did not get the feeling Burr was interested.

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

No. Too long for that

Any additional comments?

I discovered that all the intimacy of sex episodes detracted from the sweep of the story.for me. I could have done with editing most of that out.

Part II of a great read

I read the first book in this series shortly after it first came out and was captivated by the story and the setting. Auel had an excellent idea for a story and did a bang up job of telling it. The next four books in this series I grabbed as soon as they were released. When these books became available as audio books on cassette I bought them and listened to them again and again over the years. Now I have the entire series again through Audible. Good investment in money and great investment in time. Personally I think Sandra Burr does a good job with the series. My only complaint is that it has been 31 years since the first book in the series came out and Auel said at that time it would be a six book series. For anyone that's interested book 6 'Land of Painted Caves' will finally be released in book stores on March 29, 2011. I hope Audible makes it available then as well I've been waiting on for 31 years. Actually the five books of this series that have already been published read more like one exceptionally long book. I know a lot of people don???t care for the detail that Auel goes into but I like it.

great story, but the narration is a bit rushed

I'd read all these books previously - all but the first two as they were published.
I love the story and all the detail she wrote into it. Doesn't feel dated at all, despite being twenty years later for me.

Listening though, I felt the narration seemed rushed and somewhat difficult to get into each time I started it.

A Stunning Continuation of Clan of the Cave Bear

First reading The Clan of the Cave Bear is not required in order to start The Valley of the Horses. Jean M. Auel introduces all the information necessary to bring you up to date on Ayla’s past history and starts the parallel story of two men starting their journey from the other side of the continent. You will be introduced into the landscape of the geography, animal life and cultures of other peoples existing in this period. Ms. Auel once again, shares her detailed research into all these aspects as well as the strong character development she created in Clan of the Cave Bear. Sandra Burr continues her excellent narration of the story with her rich voice ranging the scope of all the characters.

Too long. Dragged a bit.

The story really dragged on in this book compared to the first one. And the sex scenes were way too descriptive for me, read like a cheap romance novel in parts. But I really enjoyed the first book and this was a good continuation.

Awful

The narrator did a great job, made the voices was easy to understand. all around great.

the story started out good. and then about half way it, it becomes cave man porn essentially, like really really bad porn. and then the book ends. it's ruined the whole series for me.

Foreplay, foreplay, foreplay

Disappointing sequel. A couple chapters of new character development, a couple reminiscent of the first book's pretend inventions, then lots of teen sexual awkwardness. I ended up skipping through parts of the last chapters.

Smutty Romance Novel - about cavemen

Not at all like the first book in the series. This is constantly talking about some guy's member. Really not worth buying. Maybe I'm the only idiot who didn't get this book was a caveman romance novel, but I couldn't finish reading it.

wasnt read well

sounds like a computer. it really was not pleasant. very cold feeling. didnt finish the first chapter. switched to rowena cooper