The Mammoth Hunters (3)

The Mammoth Hunters (3)
Jean M Auel

This is the 3rd book in the Earth's Children series. I read the first books, Clan of the Cave Bear, and Valley of the Horses back when I was in High School. The third book picks up where the others left off and continues the story of Ayla. In this book they meet and live with 'the others' and she learns what it is like to be part of a community and of a family. The book centers around the love affair of Ayla and Jondalar, or the lack there of... they have a falling out of sorts.. and each is in their own turmoil about the other.. In my opinion this gets dragged out a bit far. The basic problem is they wont speak to each other and express how they really feel.
The interesting part of these books is that they are look at the way people lived thousands of years ago... how they made everything they needed just from the animals they hunted, and the plants they picked.
The book was enjoyable and had many moments that made me smile. However at 647 pages it became a bit tedious at some points.. and didn't always seem to have a clear path forward.. the end came quickly.. and is an obvious lead up to her next book.

My goal this year was not to read as many books, but rather to get through some of my larger books, like this one, that I knew would take some time to get through. The book took me 2+ weeks to get through, although it seemed longer at times. I have her next 2 books as well, but will read something else before tackling the next one. I in week 5 and book 3... so I am behind, but that is ok ;)