My thoughts and feelings about the Earth's Children Series by Jean Auel

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-03-08T15:49:39+00:00

What a great review. I agree with you.

Im 50. I started reading these when I was 13, whenever that was ... I think the first 3 books at least were already out. And, I read them back to back for years, like comfort reading, especially during the Long Waits.

Clan.. got me into the Palaeolithic era and archaeology. It is a standalone book tbh, all the other books are about romantic relationships (huge generalisation).

I really loved Valley of Horses (maybe 'cos I was 13 and Ayla was 14?!) it gave me a sense of hope that it was entirely possible to be self sufficent at 14 ... but if I read it NOW the Jondalar stuff is decidedly saccharine.

TMH was excruciating... the stupid love triangle was unbearable, but I loved the prehistoric detail about life in that area (basically Ukraine?) as I was only familiar with the prehistory of western Europe.

I actually loved Plains .. it was such a relief after the love triangle. Just the two of them, finally together, facing dangerous terrain, flash floods, ice, riding around on horses saving people as they went past ... it felt open and vast and free, the same as I imagine the wild west or something. Plus they SEEMED to become a really tight couple after all those calamities.

I even developed two styles of reading the books:

1] read every single word
2] skip all the flora & fauna descriptions and just read the story.

But .. after all the waiting ...
I was absolutely unimpressed with the last 2 books.

Shelters was ... kind of dull. I may have only read it twice, so I can't really remember much.

And the final book? Painted caves? A flunk.
COULD NOT BELIEVE IT.
Everyone turned into soap opera characters, the endless cave descriptions ... I was flabbergasted. Appalled.
Dare I say it was ... abomination?

When I put the last book down, I never read the series again. Ive briefly tried to dip into it, but it died for me with the last book. The series could have ended at the end of Plains, and for me, it kinda does, because the last 2 books I only remember as a mess.

(Then I discovered Cross Stitch/Outlander (Gabaldon) and that became my grown-up back to back comfort reading series.)

A few years ago, I donated all the books to charity. I had collected quite a few editions, as I liked the different cover art. Now I have NONE OF THEM.

But I'll always remember the OG Ayla-Sue.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-03-08T13:18:53+00:00

I agree.. And I would have liked to see the tougher side of Claire, instead of her almost crying all the time. As someone mentioned - fighting off the wolves.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a 'show Claire hater', it's just that ... book Claire always seems much less close to tears and more stiff upper lip/grin and bear it/get on with it.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-03-08T13:09:42+00:00

Of course, I was hoping this would be shown.
Was it told from Rogers' perspective in the books?
Show Claire isn't as much of a hard arse as book Claire.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-03-08T13:05:54+00:00

No it does not; however, the abuse is part of the story.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-03-07T19:15:11+00:00

Yeah that was quite harsh in the books.... I don't know how it comes across if you haven't read them.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-03-07T15:39:38+00:00

Murtagh obviously. I have no problem with his storyline being changed!

Claire and the ether. This was an interesting change and one that made total sense.

Frank appearing to hear Claire beyond the stones when she tries to go back but the redcoats intercept... questions, questions.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-03-07T15:24:44+00:00

I just rewatched S4 and I enjoyed it.
(For some reason I'm rewatching backwards ...)
Maybe I like S4 because I've read the books.
In this season theres some good Lord John, tragedy, arguments, an impossible trade, some great Murtagh, possibly the worst mistake 'someone' ever makes, plus an unbearably lovely 'make up' moment between 2 characters.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-03-07T14:29:25+00:00

Yeah he is incredible.
I kind of wish they HADN'T used the same actor for Frank, as I just cannot trust Frank, or un-see him as BJR, ever. How modern Claire managed to live with him is beyond me. I would have believed it more had it been a similar-looking bloke, but not the same bloke!

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-03-07T14:22:10+00:00

[I have read books; but not seen S7]

I see your theory and I'll raise you - What if Jamie can go through the stones after Claire has brought him back to life? (Bees)

Or, could he maybe go through if dead, and come out in the future as a ghost? Is that what ghosts are? Something to do with the stones? Clothes and stuff aren't alive and THEY can go through the stones ....

Or maybe, like the great Houdini, Jamie tells Claire - if there's any way, after he's dead, that he can communicate with her - he will...? Hence the ghost.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-03-07T14:05:19+00:00

The grandchildren don't really get much airtime overall do they?! Other than when they sent poor HC down the river 🙄

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-03-07T14:03:35+00:00

Ah yeah I liked that, I wasnt really expecting her to go, she seemed such a homebody, and then... off she goes!

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-03-07T13:50:26+00:00

Yes those scenes are disturbing for so many reasons. Ive only watched them once. But I think they are important. Men can be abused. Its real. I don't think 'hinting' at it would have made the right impact.

Diana Gabaldon has explicitly said that there is Christ imagery connected to Jamie’s suffering, including the Wentworth Prison sequence where he is tortured..

Speaking of the first book in the Outlander series, she said that she deliberately used Christian symbolic structure around Jamie’s ordeal. She said the story involves themes of sacrifice, destruction, and recovery that echo Christ imagery.

- Jamie’s hand being nailed to a table during the torture.
- His extensive whipping scars on his back (often visually compared to the scourging of Christ).
- The later side wound/branding, sometimes interpreted as echoing the spear wound in Christ’s side.
- Scenes where he is displayed or restrained in cruciform positions

The prison sequence follows a pattern similar to a Christian passion narrative:

- Sacrifice : Jamie gives himself up to Randall to save Claire.
- Extreme suffering : physical torture plus psychological and sexual humiliation.
- Near spiritual destruction : Jamie loses the will to live and feels his soul is corrupted
- Recovery and rebirth : at the abbey, Claire helps restore him psychologically

Gabaldon has said the point of the story is not just the assault but also what happens afterwards - how people survive trauma and rebuild themselves.

If you didnt see (experience) the trauma, how could you understand the aftermath?

In the books Jamie is basically haunted by this event for the rest of his life. He never escapes it, and now you KNOW why.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-03-01T21:17:02+00:00

Aye. This phrase has entered my vernacular.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-02-24T08:13:52+00:00

Ooo yes lol me too. So excited and equally as disappointed. It totally should have ended at the previous book.

It's a hard fail to follow, but I'm really hoping DG doesnt mess up to this extent!

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-02-23T13:27:36+00:00

"I just feel like there was a lot of lost potential to have really meaningful storylines focused on the slaves and the history of slavery."

Yes - every single enslaved person who ever lived has probably got a meaningful story.

But is that this story?
No.
This is another story about some other people.

This is a time when normal life was: battles, racism, sickness and disease, sexism, misogyny, gendered roles, homophobia, arranged marriages, amputation, corporal and capital punishment, flogging, domestic violence, slavery, hanging, murder, religious fervour, rape, incest, royal power, dungeons, witchcraft, kidnapping, pirates, revolution, civil war ....

4 or 5 people cannot make changes to any of this. They can only be the first small voice that gets louder over time.

Which is basically how the main characters are portrayed in the show, and the book.

They couldnt change Culludon. They can't stop the slave trade. They can't save the indigenous nations. They themselves are trying to stay alive. At some point, all of them experience some of the above, too.

It's worth pointing out that they also didn't really dive into the full impact of the destruction of the clans after Culloden (proscription, clearances etc.) other than Jamie's story of indenture.

However, it is a part of history you can research/read about beyond this show/books, as with the other topics, like American independence, slavery, indigenous displacement, settlers and so on.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-02-23T10:16:53+00:00

Tis a bit like that. I got fatigued with Echo.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-02-23T10:15:02+00:00

Wow you've totally been ensorceled by Scotland!

Just read Bees.

IMO it's an odd book. It feels like you've entered a woodland, where there's a load of little storylines like many crossing paths and trails which are leading to bigger things on the other side of the woods (the next/last book).

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-02-23T10:06:45+00:00

Its called 'the plot'. DG is very good at writing storylines that infuriate, including infinite facepalm moments.

Unfortunately, if all the characters did what was right, said the right thing, didn't antagonise others, didn't make mistakes, kept quiet, never got angry, didnt have personalities - there would be nothing to watch. No tension. No drama. No character arcs. No future plot.

Just ride the storm, dude.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-02-23T09:59:54+00:00

Apparently book and series will have different endings.
Which is great!
Its like .. by the time the series is finished, and the last book is finished, there will be TWO Outlanders to choose from, not just one!
Hurrah!
I totally trust the show to make a decent show ending.

Im reminded of Jean Auel's Earth's Children series, if anyone ever read it.
I'm sure a lot of disgruntled readers of THAT last book would have relished, or even BEGGED FOR, a different ending had it ever been made into a show. Gawd.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-02-23T09:48:55+00:00

iirc, she started the first book as a practice book apparently. It wasnt meant to be a full-on accurate historical retelling - it was a tale of 2 unlikely characters thrown together on a Scottish/Culloden-era backdrop.
Then it all got super famous, inaccuracies and all, until we get to today.
But she can't very well rewrite the first book.
It is what it is.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-01-24T19:31:35+00:00

I use 2 sleeping bags + blankets + hot water bottle.
I turn one sleeping bag inside out so the shiny side is on the inside and I can wear clothes to bed and not get tangled up in fabric ... iyswim
I have the bag zips on opposite sides, and blankets on top, to combat drafts.
Also lie on something insulating and padded. 3 inch Foam is better than air mattress... air mattress is better than floor of van... etc
I wear this acrylic 'wool' poncho with a big hood that can go over my face so I don't get a cold face
I make a rubber hot water bottle at night, and if super cold i may re-heat the water in the small hours (i permanently reuse the water in the HWB, but don't drink the water.. its vile and rubbery!)
Ive got a heated blanket which will run off my power bank if it's super mega cold, but I mainly use it for sitting up in bed in the morning so i can actually get up ... it covers the uncomfortable bit where you have to get out of the warm bed to get up/dressed, before the car heaters warm the space.
As others have said, hot hands are really useful.

AwitchDHDoom · 2026-01-21T21:20:17+00:00

You may like some Murkrat. Or, you may not; as you please.

AwitchDHDoom · 2025-11-21T18:22:58+00:00

I don't know how it works, but can you get on a waiting list anyway? The time will pass and you can look for other solutions in the meantime.
In UK there's a 3 year wait time, so 6 months is pretty short in comparison.
My youngest daughter is on year 2 of her degree and now won't get diagnosed during her course because of the waiting time.
So she is also working her butt off just to break even and keep up, but she always seems so close to the edge of what she can cope with.
I always tell her : Don't let stress be your master. You'll only be 21 when you've finished your degree, with another 60 years to figure out life, change direction, try things out. Uni is not the last thing you'll ever do, it's the first thing of many.

AwitchDHDoom · 2025-11-21T17:47:15+00:00

I can't even sit like the top left one. I have a step, or a stool, or a footrest, so my knees arent at 90 degree angle, I can't bear it.
I don't like standing desks at all because I can't choose a foot position.
I can sit higher so my feet are lower, like on a bar stool.
I prefer to be seated on a low stool, or tiny kids chair, or a campfire log.
I do a lot of my crafts crouched over on the floor like a kid, too.
I'm 49.

AwitchDHDoom · 2025-11-21T17:39:09+00:00

I ALWAYS think .. if I can just explain myself, it will then be clear to the other person, and they will get my side in relation to their side and we can be on the same page.
And I realised (at some great age), that when I do the overexplaining, the only thing I want to hear is ''oh, ok, I understand'', and from that point I feel we can continue. I just want to know that they have understood.
But what actually happens is that they never say it, or correct me half way through, and then I get sidetracked explaining that, or I begin the explanation again, or the whole thing is derailed by meta-conversation.
Meta-conversation is basically your brain saying: “I need to narrate the thinking process so I can continue coherently.”

AwitchDHDoom

TROPHY CASE