History YMMV / EarthsChildren

* HarsherInHindsight: In ''The Valley of Horses'', all Thonolan's jokes about he thinks he's died and gone to the spirit world when he wakes and [[LoveAtFirstSight first lays eyes on Jetamio]] are heartbreaking in hindsight. [[spoiler: She ends up dying in childbirth and Thonolan is completely devastated, even seeming to wish he was dead along with her. And then he ''does'' die]].

* DiagnosedByTheAudience: Readers speculate that Jondalar may have [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderline_personality_disorder Borderline Personality Disorder]], due to certain behaviours and thought patterns matching some of the symptoms and traits of BPD. This includes: Mood swings and a tendency to feel things (both positive and negative) very intensely to the point of inappropriateness (his anger had led to violent outbursts in the past and he feels he's losing control), a history of unstable relationships (the majority of Jondalar’s intimate relationships are passionate but short-lived; his partners often find him either too intense or emotionally unavailable, whilst he has difficulty connecting to them on a deeper emotional level because he thinks he’ll scare them off), a persistent fear of abandonment and rejection (his CrazyJealousGuy behaviour around Ayla is rooted in his fear of losing her; he also tends to be quite reserved around others - a notable exception being his brother and Ayla - out of fear of being rejected or shunned, as he was in his youth), feeling his life lacks meaning or purpose, impulsive and reckless behaviour (such as beating up Madroman for ruining his relationship with Zolena, abruptly abandoning his life at the Ninth Cave to go on years-long, potentially dangerous journey and suddenly proposing to Serenio without any prior discussion [[spoiler:after his sister-in-law and nephew die]]), and distorted self-image (such as self-hatred and feelings of unworthiness).

*** To be fair, Jondalar ''is'' actually a teenager at the start of the series. He's stated to be around eighteen when he starts out on his journey in ''The Valley of Horses'', meaning he's around 20 when he first meets Ayla. Therefore, could his emotional outbursts be partly explained by hormones and a still-developing brain?
* It’s been speculated by some readers that Jondalar may possibly have [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderline_personality_disorder Borderline Personality Disorder]], due to certain behaviours matching some of the symptoms. Common signs or symptoms of borderline personality disorder include:
** '''Inappropriate or extreme emotional reactions''': Pretty much Jondalar in a nutshell. He becomes irritated, impatient and angry quite easily and states himself that he feels his anger is uncontrollable at times. He’s also been known to become aggressive or violent when angered (the incident with Madroman when they were both teenagers is a prime example). His relationship with Ayla is very emotionally intense as well (not though always in a negative way), be it arguing with her or making love to her.
** '''History of unstable relationships''': The vast majority of Jondalar’s relationships are passionate, but short-lived. His partners tend to find him too intense whilst he has difficulty connecting to many of them on a deeper emotional level.
** '''Persistent fear of abandonment and rejection''': He gets extremely jealous if other men pay attention to Ayla and becomes utterly despondent when they break up in the third book. Losing her seems to be one of his greatest fears. He also tends to be quite reserved around others - a notable exception being his brother and Ayla - out of fear of being rejected or shunned, as he was in his youth; Jondalar greatly fears a repeat of this earlier situation.
** '''Impulsive, risky or self-destructive behaviours''': He left to go on a long journey with his brother on a whim, abandoning his other plans. He doesn’t really embark on self-destructive behaviours, though he does mentally beat himself up a lot.
** '''Persistent feelings of emptiness or isolation''': At the start of the series, he seems to be wandering aimlessly through life, not understanding his goal or purpose, and feeling misunderstood and unable to truly bond with romantic/sexual partners.
** '''Intense mood swings''': He can go from the extremes of very happy and excitable to downright depressed and back again in a matter of minutes, depending on the circumstances, and has moods that can last for days on end. He also becomes anxious easily.
** '''Unstable/distorted self-image''': He expresses a lot of self-hatred at times, sometimes brooding over for it hours or days.

!! Other
* The nature of Ranec and Ayla's relationship, specifically in regards to Ranec. He is far more accepting of Ayla initially, but is that because he just overlooks or ignores her flaws? He repeatedly refers to her as "perfect", compares her to his people's ''goddess'' and believes she can do no wrong. He's known Ayla for even less time than Jondalar and immediately decides he's in love with her. He never seems to notice how unhappy and reluctant Ayla is about the whole situation, even though everyone else finds it obvious. Thus, begging the question: is Ranec actually in love with Ayla, or is he more [[LovingAShadow in love with the]] ''[[LovingAShadow idea]]'' [[LovingAShadow of her]] and overlooks the flaws in their relationship so as not to lose her?
** There's also some [[QuestionableConsent issues surrounding consent]] in their relationship. Whilst it didn't seem to be Ranec's intention to take advantage of her, Ayla seems to think (due to her Clan training) the first time that Ranec propositions her that she ''has'' to go with. Whilst she may find Ranec attractive, she does seem to feel obligated to sleep with him anyway at his request, with Mamut even reminding her at one point that she can actually say no if she wants to.

[[folder: YMMV]]

* {{Sequelitis}}:
** There are some readers who believe this started as early as the second or third books, though it's not a universal view. The main problem some readers encounter is that while the first book (which is also the shortest) always had something going on, most of the action in the sequels (''especially'' the last two books) is mainly relegated to beginning and end, and getting through the entirety of the books (which are increasingly [[DoorStopper very long]]) can be tedious. Some of the plots, such as ''The Mammoth Hunters'' and particularly ''The Shelters of Stone'' focus mostly on relationship drama and the like, and so come across as 'soap opera-y', which doesn't sit well with some readers. While ''The Valley of Horses'', ''The Mammoth Hunters'' and ''The Plains of Passage'' are still generally well-regarded, ''The Clan of the Cave Bear'' is still seen as superior.
** The last two books - while they do have their fans - are widely agreed to be the weakest entries in the series.
*** ''The Shelters of Stone'' took [[SequelGap over a decade to be released]] and was seen as a letdown by several readers, due to its plot largely consisting of Ayla settling into Zelandonii life and getting involved in a few domestic disputes, which provides the only real conflict in the story, and not a lot else. It then rather abruptly ends on a {{Cliffhanger}} with Ayla having [[spoiler: just given birth to her and Jondalar’s daughter]] and accepted Zelandoni’s offer to train her as a shaman. This is compared to the previous book, ''The Plains of Passage'', which is a great deal more action-packed and had more genuinely threatening villains and conflicts. Some of the editing in the book raised eyebrows too, namely the WantonCrueltyToTheCommonComma.
*** The first half of ''The Land of Painted Caves'' (which also took an unusually long time to come out) follows a similar formula to ''The Shelters of Stone'', with the central conflict of Ayla's FamilyVersusCareer dilemma and her CharacterDevelopment only really picking up in the second half, which quickly gets monotonous for some readers, especially seeing as both novels equal close to [[{{Doorstopper}} 800 pages]]. The sixth book also [[LeftHanging left several loose ends hanging]] which some readers had been waiting for around ''three decades'' to be resolved.

* It’s been speculated by some readers that Jondalar may possibly have [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderline_personality_disorder Borderline Personality Disorder]], due to [[AmbiguousDisorder certain behaviours matching some of the symptoms]]. Common signs or symptoms of borderline personality disorder include:

* SalvagedStory: Originally, all the Neanderthals were dark-haired and brown-eyed, while Ayla was blonde and blue-eyed, which was seen as unusual, and many other Cro-Magnons had fair hair and light eyes. This was criticized as a case of HumansAreWhite and put at further odds when genetic evidence showed that some Neanderthals were fair haired. In later books, Ayla meets some fair-haired Neanderthals, implying that the ones she grew around just happened to be dark-haired. Ayla also meets Cro-Magnon who are explicitly non-white, such as Ranec, who is of mixed ethnicity and takes after his African mother in appearance, and Jerika and Hochaman, who are heavily implied to be from East Asia; Jerika's daughter Joplaya is also of mixed ethnicity.

** One example that is very prevalent throughout the series from the second book onwards is aversion of SexIsEvil. With the [[EveryoneHasLotsOfSex numerous]] [[ExplicitContent explicit]] [[CoitusEnsues sex scenes]], various mentions of sex, SexAsRiteOfPassage moments and the link between sex and conception becoming a major plot point eventually, the author really wants to make sure we all know that [[SexIsGood sex is wonderful and sacred]], provided it's SafeSaneAndConsensual, and nothing to be ashamed of. Heck, most Cro Magnon societies in the series are depicted as believing their goddess gave them sex as a gift simply because sex is awesome! [[note]]That said, while it may come off as excessive to modern readers, it's a bit more understandable when one considers Auel began writing the books in the late 1970s (the first one was published in 1980, with the next three books being published over the decade), at which point things such as sex outside marriage and women actually enjoying sex had only recently gained mainstream acceptance in the West.[[/note]]

** In ''The Plains of Passage'', there's a scene where Ayla and Jondalar see a pair of mammoths mating and then get inspired by it to roleplay as mammoths themselves when they '[[CoitusEnsues share Pleasures]]'.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Originally, all the Neanderthals were dark-haired and brown-eyed, while Ayla was blonde and blue-eyed, which was seen as unusual, and many other Cro-Magnons had fair hair and light eyes. This was criticized as a case of HumansAreWhite and put at further odds when genetic evidence showed that some Neanderthals were fair haired. In later books, Ayla meets some fair-haired Neanderthals, implying that the ones she grew around just happened to be dark-haired. Ayla also meets Cro-Magnon who are explicitly non-white, such as Ranec, who is of mixed ethnicity and takes after his African mother in appearance, and Jerika and Hochaman, who are heavily implied to be from East Asia; Jerika's daughter Joplaya is also of mixed ethnicity.

* BestKnownForTheFanservice: Downplayed to an extent, but besides being [[TheEpic very]] [[{{Doorstopper}} long]] and [[ShownTheirWork extensively researched]], the ''Earth's Children'' series is also known for having [[EverybodyHasLotsOfSex lots]] and [[SexIsGood lots]] and ''lots'' of sex. The unabashed and often explicit sexual content has also resulted in the books [[MoralGuardians being banned in a few places]] over the years.

* NauseaFuel: Mamut's description of how he broke his arm in his youth, with his re-telling making it clear just how serious it was. He accidentally fell down a cliff and snapped the bone in his arm, causing the broken bone to rip through the muscle and skin of his arm. Mamut says it was so mangled, it looked more like meat, ''and'' the wound ended up packed with dirt. He's extremely lucky to have encountered a skilled Clan medicine woman, or he would probably have died of a nasty infection.

** Some of the sex scenes have this effect on some of the readers, due to their explicit nature.
** The graphic description of Jondalar's injuries from the cave lion attack, including Ayla trying to keep his leg muscle from sliding out of place.
** Ayla's gruesome ScreamingBirth in the first book, combined with NightmareFuel, as Ayla [[spoiler: is only eleven at the time]].

* IdiotPlot:
** ''The Mammoth Hunters'', for some readers. It could be argued that half of the drama involving Ayla and Jondalar's relationship woes could've been solved fairly easily if they'd just... y'know, ''talked'' to each other like adults?
** One could also make this argument for their relationship woes in ''The Land of Painted Caves''. Ayla and Jondalar both know that Ayla has some rigorous trials ahead in her studies that will require both of them to make sacrifices, and they never discuss how they will handle it or make arrangements? Nor do they appear to ask Zelandoni (or Jondalar's family) for advice; this is particularly egregious since not only is Zelandoni a close friend, but Jondalar comes from ''a family of leaders'' who are certainly no strangers to balancing the needs of family and leadership.

* RomanticPlotTumor: One thing criticized about ''The Mammoth Hunters'' is the overemphasis on Ayla and Jondalar's relationship troubles and the Jondalar-Ayla-Ranec LoveTriangle. While there is definitely more to the plot, some readers find it frustrating that the romantic drama lasts almost the entire 600+ page novel, especially as a lot of it comes off as an IdiotPlot, and find the other plot threads more engaging.

** If he hadn't already crossed it, {{B|igBad}}roud does in the middle of ''The Clan of the Cave Bear'' when he [[spoiler: rapes Ayla]].

** Marona. Though it's more her backstory that makes you feel sorry for her than anything else. Her mother (the same woman who raised Brukeval, so you how this probably turned out) was a lazy, irresponsible parent, letting her daughter do whatever she wanted. The neglect and lack of affection she received [[FreudianExcuse probably has a lot to do]] with her bitchy, attention-seeking behaviour now. Most of her relationships are shortlived and emotionally unfulfilling and she's never had children (it's even suggested she might be barren). Finally, the only positive traits she's seen as having are her beauty and sexuality. That's pretty sad. Not to mention, it's outright stated that her beauty will probably fade in time and that unless she changes her ways, she's going to end up very lonely.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Many readers prefer to think the series ended with ''The Plains of Passage'', book four. The fact that it took [[SequelGap twelve years]] for the fifth book to be published and that Sequelitis kicked in pretty hard with that installment certainly contributes.

** Jondalar. It's telling that he has the most entries under AlternativeCharacterInterpretation. Is he a {{Jerkass}} ManChild who is undeserving of Ayla, or a JerkWithAHeartOfGold who genuinely loves Ayla and [[LoveRedeems tries to become a better person for her]] in spite of his flaws?

** The subplot introduced in the fourth novel, where after meeting and rescuing Guban and Yorga, Ayla and Jondalar raise the possibility of trading with their clan. Jondalar actually brings it up with Willomar in the next book and he seems interested in the idea, which could’ve lead to some very interesting interactions between the Clan, the Zelandonii and Ayla. But…as of the sixth book, [[AbortedArc nothing seems to have come of it]] and [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse Yorga and Guban are barely mentioned]], even though several years have passed. It would arguably have added another exciting plot branch other than Ayla training to become a zelandoni and relationship drama, and it would’ve been nice to focus on the Clan again, as they haven’t been prominently featured since the first book, also bringing Ayla’s story 'full circle', in a manner of speaking.

*** The first half of ''The Land of Painted Caves'' follows a similar formula to ''The Shelters of Stone'', with the central conflict of Ayla's FamilyVersusCareer dilemma and her CharacterDevelopment only really picking up in the second half, which quickly gets monotonous for some readers, especially seeing as both novels equal close to [[{{Doorstopper}} 800 pages]]. The sixth book also [[LeftHanging left several loose ends hanging]] which some readers had been waiting for around ''three decades'' to be resolved.