The Valley of Horses by Jean M. Auel is book two in the Earth Children series and is able to stand alone. Being an animal
lover, especially a horse lover, the relationship Alya had with her
animals completely intrigued me.
The story begins where "The Clan of the Cavebear" stopped with seventeen year old Ayla cursed with death and aimlessly wandering through the plains hoping to find the others. She badly misses the clan members and wishes that she can
return. Iza had told her that she must find her own people. After wandering for a time Alya stumbles on a magnificent valley where a herd of horses live. She finds a cave that is perfect for inhabiting, high enough from the ground to prevent unexpected animals attacking and it even had a hole in the top for the smoke to go. Ayla's only worry is about the previous tenants of the caves who were lions and whether they would return.
Ayla's long time spent in the cave led to a great lonliness and she brings a young horse inside and cares for it, feeds it and builds up a unique relationship with it.
Although this book moves far slower than The Clan of The Cave Bear Jean M Auel writes about Ayla's relationships with animals in such a beautiful manner and shows us clearly how lonliness can prevade. Aurl's third person characterization is truly excellent. The plot has many twists and turns and the reader can see through Alya's eye the struggles of everyday life and the numerous skills required to remain alive and sane.
Jean M Aurl is a true artist with words and by reading the books you can see how much enjoyment the author gains from creating such a masterpiece. A highly recommended book in my view,