📚 Plains of Passage – Jean M. Auel
Earth’s Children, Book Four
🥃🥃🥃 Bourbons |
🔥🔥 Flames
Ayla and Jondalar are back on the move, trekking across Ice Age Europe with horses, a wolf, and enough gear to start a small civilization. If that sounds like a lot—it is. Plains of Passage is the definition of old-school epic: sweeping landscapes, deeply researched prehistoric culture, and a writing style that insists on telling you every single thing that’s happening, whether it moves the plot forward or not.
This book is detailed to a fault. We don’t just know what Ayla does—we know how, why, what time of day, what herbs she uses, and probably how her grandmother’s cousin once did it, too. It's impressive in its own way, but also exhausting. At times it reads less like a novel and more like a prehistoric field guide with relationship angst.
That said, there’s still something comforting about Auel’s style. The world she builds feels immersive, even when it overstays its welcome. Ayla continues to be impossibly capable, which occasionally edges into fantasy territory, but she’s still compelling. Jondalar spends half the book second-guessing everything, which is a little tiring, but at least feels consistent. And the romance—still tender, still intense, still very ’80s in tone. You’ll either be into it or skipping ahead.
The pacing drags, especially through the middle, and I could’ve done without the constant recap of past events or another description of Ayla’s medicine pouch. But the emotional core—two people trying to find home in each other and in the world—is still strong.
Final Pour:
This one took a few bourbons to get through, but I don’t regret the trip. It’s slow, meandering, and deeply nostalgic in tone. If you’ve made it this far in the series, you’ll want to see where they end up.
🥃🥃🥃 bourbons – because getting through 760 pages of Ice Age logistics calls for a drink.
🔥🔥 flames – the passion’s still there, but it simmers more than it sizzles.
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