The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth's Children #1) Book

The thing that strikes me most about her work is that every time there's a new discovery about how paleolithic people lived, it goes along with her stories. Things they said were silly back when she wrote it (Neanderthals with instruments, Neanderthals living with homo sapiens sapiens, and the like) keep proving true.

She presents interesting ideas of cognition, culture and how societies develop. The first two books are her best I think. The rest remain interesting if you can deal with the constant repetition, soft core porn and the fact that Ayla discovers everything but cold fusion.

Clan of the Cave Bear is an incredible, courageous story. The author spent a lot of time hanging out with some of the world's most noted paleontologists doing her research- and she knows her stuff!