Review: The Valley of the Horses, by Jean M. Auel

In the ten years since last I read this book I had entirely forgotten about its rather racy last few chapters. If it weren't for the rest of the book and its vivid descriptions of the life and times of the Upper Paleolithic I'd be embarrassed to admit to reading it. On the other hand, while racy isn't my cup of tea, I do like a good love story.

This is a beautifully romanticized and vibrant depiction of prehistoric human life. It's long-winded at times, but I love the descriptions of the land and the animals that roamed it. My only complaint is amount of time spent on memories and on recapping what happened in the first book. If I'd never read the first book, or if there had been more than 3 minutes between when I finished the first book and started this one, I'd probably have been glad for the recaps, as it was I was able to skip over a lot of writing and finish the book sooner, which is good since I have about a week to finish the three remaining books before the new one comes out.

Book 3 on my way to 52 in 2011