The Clan of the Cave Bear vs The Pillars of the Earth: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Epic Fiction, Epic literature, Historical Fiction, Fiction
The Clan of the Cave Bear
“The naked child ran out of the hide-covered lean-to toward the rocky beach at the bend in the small river.”
The Clan of the Cave Bear is a 1980 novel and epic work of prehistoric fiction by Jean M. Auel about prehistoric times. It is the first book in the Earth's Children book series, which speculates on the possibilities of…
1 film adaptation
vs
The Pillars of the Earth
“IN A BROAD VALLEY, at the foot of a sloping hillside, beside a clear bubbling stream, Tom was building a house.”
The Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel by Welsh author Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England. Set in the 12th century, the novel covers the…
1 film adaptation
The verdict
- Readers rate The Pillars of the Earth highest: The Pillars of the Earth 4.4 · The Clan of the Cave Bear 4.1.
- The Clan of the Cave Bear is the quickest read — about 10 hours vs 19 for The Pillars of the Earth.
- The Pillars of the Earth has the widest readership — 855879 ratings behind its score.
- The Clan of the Cave Bear runs the darker storyline; The Pillars of the Earth stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Clan of the Cave Bear | The Pillars of the Earth | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.1 (287543) | 4.3 (855879) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (271) | 4.2 (1034) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (2) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (411) | 4.5 (3249) |
Reception
| The Clan of the Cave Bear | The Pillars of the Earth | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 287543 | 855879 |
| Editions | 89 | 111 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 116221 | 598767 |
| Reading it now | 8763 | 39803 |
| Written reviews | 9328 | 43843 |
| Wikipedia attention | 9227 | 28093 |
| Pages | 552 | 1040 |