Unfortunately, this book was overly long and about one third of it could have been cut.
Turning it into a romance novel may have been good for a bunch of the female readers but could have been left out too. The story is not bad.

This book is my absolute favorite of the series. I enjoyed the journey back from Ayla's valley to Jondalar's home. The adventures they went through were entertaining, and added a richness to the world. I noticed less repetition in this book than there would be in the next two books. I highly recommend this book.

This book was not the best in the series but still is a good read. There are many detailed sex scenes and the love between Alya and Jondalar grows even stronger. At times I am frustrated with some of the characters but that is some of the appeal behind the book. Captivating and Auel continues with the descriptions, although they are very repetitive if you have read the previous books.

I loved this book and can't wait for the next one.