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  • The Land of Painted Caves

  • Earth's Children, Book 6
  • By: Jean M Auel
  • Narrated by: Rowena Cooper
  • Length: 29 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (314 ratings)

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The Land of Painted Caves cover art

The Land of Painted Caves

By: Jean M Auel
Narrated by: Rowena Cooper
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Publisher's Summary

The Land of Painted Caves concludes the story of Ayla, her mate Jondalar, and their little daughter, Jonayla, taking readers on a journey of discovery and adventure as Ayla struggles to find a balance between her duties as a new mother and her training to become a Zelandoni - one of the Ninth Cave community's spiritual leaders and healers.

Once again, Jean Auel combines her brilliant narrative skills and appealing characters with a remarkable re-creation of the way life was lived thousands of years ago, rendering the terrain, dwelling places, longings, beliefs, creativity, and daily lives of Ice Age Europeans as real to the reader as today's news.

©2011 Jean M Auel (P)2011 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd

What listeners say about The Land of Painted Caves

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Same Old Same Old

If ever there was a couple in desperate need of Palaeolithic marriage counselling its Ayla and Jondola. Surely in the first 5 books they would have learnt from their mistakes, but no, all the same squabbles and misunderstandings rehashed in one long and slightly painful book. No new concepts, no new story lines.
The one thing that saved the previous books from their ‘long windedness’ was the narrators lovely work. Such a pleasure to listen to - until this book, where she decided to attempt accents which were inconsistent and quite frankly, annoying as hell. She had Ayla sounding like an 18th century cockney pickpocket half the time, and an uneducated New Zealander with no front teeth for the rest of the time! After over 150 hours of their story, this was indeed a sad note to end on. But end it did and thankfully there is no 7th book that I will feel compelled to read.

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6 people found this helpful

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

Repedative

I've loved the previous books in the series but found the land of the painted caves a bit repetitive sad .

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4 people found this helpful

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

Poorly written. Badly (or not) edited.

Sadly, this was badly edited. So many repetitions of thoughts, actions, and sequences that it was hard work. I find it hard to believe it was published as it is! Baffling.

Maybe the earlier books were like this also, but I was too young and not well read? I really enjoyed the rest of the series, even though sometimes the precision of detail was a bit mind-numbing, there was always enough story to keep me interested.

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say, entire paragraphs appeared to be cut and pasted, and more than once.

It's as if the writer imagines we have no ability to remember, so she tells us the same things over and over and over again. Not only from previous books - one could forgive that, as it's often good to be reminded, but from this very same book, and so often!

And, now it seems I'm doing the same!

Who was the editor? I think they should be fired!

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3 people found this helpful

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

Endlessly repetitive and lacking plot

What disappointed you about The Land of Painted Caves?

It didn't live up to the plot suggested in previous books in the series.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment

Any additional comments?

I wondered if the original author had actually written this book. What happened to all the interesting plot lines about Ayla's two sons meeting in the flesh and providing a link between the two races of people?

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3 people found this helpful

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

Spare yourself

Such a deterioration in writing that it’s unrecognisable from the first book. No plot, excruciating repetition, no attempt to explore any of the interesting themes from the first books. Characters act out of character… or have no character at all.
The narrator did a good rendition of the first few books and so Ayla’s sudden South African accent in this book is very jarring - when the same narrator previously left her accent up to the imagination (except for a bewildering instance in the previous book where she rolls her Rs with unprecedented gusto).
Loved the start of the series. Keep your good memories if you did too and spare yourself this book. Consider watching paint dry instead.

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1 person found this helpful

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

mixed feelings

though the book had its fair share of reminders/ memories, flash backs one to many times here and there i understood the need for it. the hidden hints and messages lay in them. yes there was so much on caves and far less on aylas storyline it took a bit away from the main plot but also left one questioning one's own interpretation of the cave paintings. personally I believe or thought the ancients must been actually clan or more specific mogurs as they were even more powerful in the spirit world which we see with aylas inabilities to control any of it.

the ending hmm as was written left story unfinished ayla is only 26 what about her 2 sons nothing is revealed there except mamut saying it isn't what it seems. the story has always been about ayla so why was jondolars point of view the ending, that would of been fitting if she had died which as sad as it sounds would of been a better closure and with wolf's howl more fitting. we could of then seen a proper zealandoni burial but how it ends makes the story scream for more for closure for more of her life.

Maybe jean wanted to leave that a mystery as we already know what the first is thinking how will it change life with the gift of knowledge. I feel the best part of the book really was the second half of the book.
yet will say the music slowly coming in at the end sent chills throughout my body and left me entranced and basically felt like I was also in the firsts tent thinking aswell.

Definitely worth listening to but a very patient and dedicated understanding and listening is required to enjoy it which I did

But so much story still to tell a wonderful beautiful mysterious captivating story left unfinished which i will always be left wondering how her life ends.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Tedious, long winded and repetitive.

This book should have been abridged. The author seemed to be struggling to fill the pages, I would have preferred a shorter book with a lot less repetitive padding out.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Love it

Loved and enjoyed every min of listening
At the end really enjoyed the extra music and can't wait for the next book

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1 person found this helpful

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

Disappointing final book

A lot of it felt like she was filling up space with the same thing- lots of repeated parts, and repetitions of the song. Really disappointed with this book. The others were better.
Should have a better narrator who could do different voices for all the characters.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Love this series ( Earth's Children )

I must admot that the ending was , unfulfilling. . .
Leaving ypu wanting more and with questions yet unanswered. worse still the author has confirmed there is no chance of another book.
What happens when her sons meet?
what is Jonayla's story etc.....

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