num_pages: 828
description: In The land of Painted Caves Jean M. Auel brings the ice-age epic Earth's Children series to an extraordinary conclusion. Ayla one of the most remarkable and beloved heroines in contemporary fiction continues to explore the world and the people around her with curiosity insight and above all courage.As the story opens Ayla Jondalar and their infant daughter Jonayla are welcomed by the Zelandonii but problems arise. They are faced with new challenges not just the ordinary trials of sheer survival but the complications posed by many groups of people who need to live and work together. The wisdom that Ayla gained from her struggles as an orphaned child alone in a hostile environment strengthens her as she moves closer to leadership of the Zelandonia.Ayla and Jondalar's first priority is the care for their golden-haired child Jonayla and the well-being of their amazing animals Wolf Whinney Racer and Gray. The two participate in hunts to provide food in travels to Summer Meetings for decision making and in social activities. Whatever the obstacles Ayla's inventive spirit produces new ways to lessen the difficulties of daily life: searching for wild edibles to make delicious meals experimenting with techniques to ease the long journeys the Zelandoni must take honing her skills as a healer and a leader. And then there are the Sacred Caves the caves that Ayla's mentor--the Donier the First of the Zelandonia--takes her to see. These caves are filled with remarkable art--paintings of mammoths lions aurochs rhinoceros reindeer bison bear. The powerful mystical aura within these caves sometimes overwhelms Ayla.Ayla's final preparations for her initiation as a Zelandoni bring The Land of Painted Caves to a riveting climax. So much time apart from Jondalar has caused him to drift away from her. The rituals themselves bring her close to death. But through those rituals Ayla gains A Gift of Knowledge so important that it will change the world.Spellbinding drama meticulous research fascinating detail and superb narrative skill combine to make The Land of Painted Caves a captivating utterly believable creation of a civilization that resonates long after the reader has turned the last page and serves as an astonishing end to this beloved saga.
language: English
title: The Land of Painted Caves
publisher: Random House Crown Publishers