Daughter of Kura

by Debra Austin

Book Overview

"At first, Snap was aware of a few background noises -- a baby cried, the fire crackled, one of the older children laughed. Eventually, the other sounds disappeared, and she heard only the ancient... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1439112703
• ISBN13: 9781439112700
• Release Date: July 2010
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.7" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

I couldn't put it down.

First, I'll say that I loved the _Clan of the Cave Bear_ series. Austin's novel starts out with the characters signing to each other, and I thought "Oh, no. It's just going to be a copy-cat." Boy, was I wrong! Comparing _Clan of the Cave Bear_ to _Daughter of Kura_ is like comparing Alaska to Hawaii. They both have stunning vistas, in completely different ways. This book is set much earlier than the Clan books, going back to the days of homo erectus. Yes, it's a female protagonist who is banished from her clan, just like the C of CB books, but the circumstances and then experiences after are absolutely, completely different. I lost a fair amount of sleep because I just could not put the book down. These characters became so real to me, and the landscape so vivid in my mind. I loved how Austin explored the idea of ancient religions, and how they may have come about. The issues that arise are relevant, even informative, to today's society. Austin's writing is direct, immediate, and crystal clear. This book is a fascinating journey into one author's speculation, based on facts, about those who lived so long ago. A joy to read. I highly recommend it.

A well-written story in an early human setting

I very much enjoyed this book. I had wondered what a story about Homo erectus might be like, and I think Debra Austin has done a creditable job of recreating an environment and a society that are at least plausible. We can never know all the details of how our Homo erectus ancestors lived. We do, though, know something of their technology and we can make reasonable deductions about how their societies could have been organized based on modern observations of pre-technological societies and other sources. The story begins with a sketch of the ordinary life of a H. erectus village as seen through the eyes of Snap, a girl who has just become a woman. The story begins just before the annual autumn bonding ritual, in which females select the males who will be their winter mates. The society is matriarchal. The women remain together throughout the year, while men head off in the spring to hunt and trade. The men go individually or in small groups. Women migrate within a small area around their home village, but in a group, as they seek fruits and vegetables both for immediate consumption and to store for the winter. Mating is village-exogamous, that is, men may not mate with women of the village in which they were born. They may return to the same village year after year to find a mate, or they may go to a different village each year. The author portrays a strong tendency for men to return to the same village in order to be chosen by a woman they have been fond of in previous years. Everything is proceeding normally until a new man, Bapoto, appears in Kura, Snap's home village. He winds up being selected by Snap's mother, Whistle, the second-highest ranking woman after Chirp, her mother, who is the Mother of the village. Bapoto acquires the high social status of his mate and proceeds to become very bossy and to introduce the concept of a Great Spirit who somehow oversees human affairs. This concept is quite new to everyone in Kura and only a few people accept it at first. Chirp, the Mother, firmly rejects it, as does her granddaughter Snap. Bapoto not only wants to introduce religion, but also a partially patriarchal social structure. This is met with deep suspicion by almost everyone. The old ways have served people well since time immemorial, and changing them is only likely to cause trouble. Another new man also shows up in Kura. He is Ash, a young man who, like Snap, is participating in the bonding ritual for the first time. Ash and Snap hit it off well and Snap chooses him as her mate for the winter. It turns out that Bapoto's attempted innovations do cause a lot of trouble. Snap is forced to flee from Kura after Bapoto attempts to force an unwanted permanent mate on her. Snap winds up founding a new village called Asili. Various adventures and misadventures ensue. Among other things, we learn that Kura is not the first village in which Bapoto has wrought havoc with his attempted social reforms. We learn that it is not even clear whether he be

A year in the life of a prehistoric caveman tribe

This could almost be a prequel to Clan of Cave Bear. The story is well written and takes place among cave people who talk with their hands, have pronounced ridges on their foreheads and lots of hair. The characters have a slightly alien feel, but the underlying humanity is there. We see both the good and the bad. We see the joy and the tradgedy of life more dependent on the nature of nature then we are today, and yet it rings very true to the joys and tradgedies of todays world. The charaters became familiar and I came to care about them. It was facinating to glimse the day to day routines of the cave dwellers. It was also interesting to glimse the relationships between people in a prehistoric matriarchial society. If you liked Clan of Cave Bear, you will like Daughter of Kura.

I really enjoyed this book

I am not so good at reviewing books because I don't want to give away the story line. This book reminded me of the "Clan of the Cave Bear" series in that it deals with an ancient civilization that is not yet as developed as modern humans. However this story is set in Africa and there are references both to plants and animals that are familiar and those that are not (perhaps extinct or just not well-known outside the continent?) The author did a great job of character development and one does feel that the characters are real and believable. The best praise I can give the book is that I hope this is just the first book of several and that we get to follow Snap's continuing journey through life.

A peek into an ancient village

Snap, the protagonist and the Daughter of Kura, was of the genus Homo Erectus, half a million years ago and before the current Homo Sapiens. She spoke in hand sign, was able to control fire, hunted with spears, and was able to tan and work leather and to create containers. Religious discussions were beginning. While "Daughter of Kura" has a most definite plot, this speculative pre-historic story is a glimpse into the life of this early species and its social structure. Author Debra Austin [Debra Grubb] has a degree in physics and she is passionate about paleoanthropology (the study of the ancestors of our current human species). While a lot of the book is definitely speculative - how do we know, for example, whether Homo Erectus had a developed voice box to speak? - a lot of "Daughter of Kura: A Novel" is based on actual scientific research. This wonderful book belongs in the libraries of fans of prehistoric fiction, as well as in high school and college libraries. With the science documented, as well as with its thorough glossary, "Daughter of Kura" can act as a part of a research project; with Austin's dialogue and mystery, it was a pleasure to read.