by Jean M. Auel
First published 1992
Ayla and her companion Jondalar arrive at the settlement of the Mamutoi, the mammoth hunting people Ayla has long sought to find. The tribe welcomes her into the Mammoth Hearth after witnessing her extraordinary abilities as a hunter and healer. Ayla learns their customs and language while forming her first friendships with other women. She also confronts difficult memories of the Clan that raised her. Among the Mamutoi lives Ranec, a skilled ivory carver whose dark skin and magnetic personality attract Ayla powerfully. This attraction ignites fierce jealousy in Jondalar, creating tension that builds through the long winter months. Ayla finds herself pulled between two very different men who represent two possible futures. When spring arrives, the tribe prepares for their most important event, the great mammoth hunt. Ayla must make her choice: stay with the Mamutoi and accept Ranec as her mate, or leave with Jondalar for distant lands and an uncertain destiny.
Genres: fiction, romance, historical-fiction, adventure
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, love-triangle
Setting: Mamutoi Settlement
Period: Ice Age
1216 pages · Hardcover · Chivers P
Content warnings: mental-illness