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Still Life with Memories #1-2
Apart From Love
Apart from Love contains two threads, volume I and II of Still Life with Memories, woven together (along with two new chapters) around the same events in 1980, when Ben returns to meet his father, Lenny, and his new wife, Anita. It is then that he discovers a family secret.
My Own Voice (volume I of Still Life with Memories):
Ten years ago, when she was seventeen, Anita started an affair with Lenny, in spite of knowing that he was a married man. Now married to him and carrying his child, she finds herself condemned to compete with Natasha’s shadow, the memory of her brilliance back in her prime, before she succumbed to early-onset Alzheimer’s. Despite Anita’s lack of education, her rough slang, and what happened to her in the past, Lenny tries to transform her. He wants her to become Natasha.
Faced with his compelling wish, and the way he writes her as a character in his book, how can Anita find a voice of her own? And when his estranged son, Ben, comes back and lives in the same small apartment, can she keep the balance between the two men, whose desire for her is marred by guilt and blame?
The White Piano (volume II of Still Life with Memories):
Coming back to his childhood home after years of absence, Ben is unprepared for the secret, which is now revealed to him: his mother, Natasha, who used to be a brilliant pianist, is losing herself to early-onset Alzheimer’s, which turns the way her mind works into a riddle. His father has remarried, and his new wife, Anita, looks remarkably similar to Natasha—only much younger. In this state of being isolated, being apart from love, how will Ben react when it is so tempting to resort to blame and guilt? “In our family, forgiveness is something you pray for, something you yearn to receive—but so seldom do you give it to others.”
Behind his father's back, Ben and Anita find themselves increasingly drawn to each other. They take turns using an old tape recorder to express their most intimate thoughts, not realizing at first that their voices are being captured by him. These tapes, with his eloquent speech and her slang, reveal the story from two opposite viewpoints.
What emerges in this family is a struggle, a desperate, daring struggle to find a path out of conflicts, out of isolation, from guilt to forgiveness.
What’s in a name:
The title Apart From Love comes from a phrase used in the story:
After a while I whispered, like, “Just say something to me. Anything.” And I thought, Any other word apart from Love, ‘cause that word is diluted, and no one knows what it really means, anyway.
Anita to Lenny, in Apart From Love
Why, why can’t you say nothing? Say any word—but that one, ‘cause you don’t really mean it. Nobody does. Say anything, apart from Love.
Anita to Ben, in The Entertainer
For my own sake I should have been much more careful. Now—even in her absence—I find myself in her hands, which feels strange to me. I am surrounded—and at the same time, isolated. I am alone. I am apart from Love.
Ben, in Nothing Surrendered
My Own Voice (volume I of Still Life with Memories):
Ten years ago, when she was seventeen, Anita started an affair with Lenny, in spite of knowing that he was a married man. Now married to him and carrying his child, she finds herself condemned to compete with Natasha’s shadow, the memory of her brilliance back in her prime, before she succumbed to early-onset Alzheimer’s. Despite Anita’s lack of education, her rough slang, and what happened to her in the past, Lenny tries to transform her. He wants her to become Natasha.
Faced with his compelling wish, and the way he writes her as a character in his book, how can Anita find a voice of her own? And when his estranged son, Ben, comes back and lives in the same small apartment, can she keep the balance between the two men, whose desire for her is marred by guilt and blame?
The White Piano (volume II of Still Life with Memories):
Coming back to his childhood home after years of absence, Ben is unprepared for the secret, which is now revealed to him: his mother, Natasha, who used to be a brilliant pianist, is losing herself to early-onset Alzheimer’s, which turns the way her mind works into a riddle. His father has remarried, and his new wife, Anita, looks remarkably similar to Natasha—only much younger. In this state of being isolated, being apart from love, how will Ben react when it is so tempting to resort to blame and guilt? “In our family, forgiveness is something you pray for, something you yearn to receive—but so seldom do you give it to others.”
Behind his father's back, Ben and Anita find themselves increasingly drawn to each other. They take turns using an old tape recorder to express their most intimate thoughts, not realizing at first that their voices are being captured by him. These tapes, with his eloquent speech and her slang, reveal the story from two opposite viewpoints.
What emerges in this family is a struggle, a desperate, daring struggle to find a path out of conflicts, out of isolation, from guilt to forgiveness.
What’s in a name:
The title Apart From Love comes from a phrase used in the story:
After a while I whispered, like, “Just say something to me. Anything.” And I thought, Any other word apart from Love, ‘cause that word is diluted, and no one knows what it really means, anyway.
Anita to Lenny, in Apart From Love
Why, why can’t you say nothing? Say any word—but that one, ‘cause you don’t really mean it. Nobody does. Say anything, apart from Love.
Anita to Ben, in The Entertainer
For my own sake I should have been much more careful. Now—even in her absence—I find myself in her hands, which feels strange to me. I am surrounded—and at the same time, isolated. I am alone. I am apart from Love.
Ben, in Nothing Surrendered
292 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 2012
175 people are currently reading
872 people want to read
About the author
Uvi Poznansky
41 books359 followersUvi Poznansky is a USA TODAY bestselling, award-winning author, poet and artist. “I paint with my pen,” she says, “and write with my paintbrush.” Her romantic suspense box set, Love Under Fire, and her medical thriller box set, Do No Harm, made the USA TODAY bestselling list. Her romance box set, A Touch of Passion, was the 2016 WINNER of The Romance Reviews Readers' Choice Awards.
Education and work:
Uvi earned her B. A. in Architecture and Town Planning from the Technion in Haifa, Israel and practiced with an innovative Architectural firm, taking a major part in the large-scale project, called Home for the Soldier.
Having moved to Troy, N.Y. with her husband and two children, Uvi received a Fellowship grant and a Teaching Assistantship from the Architecture department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. There, she guided teams in a variety of design projects and earned her M.A. in Architecture. Then, taking a sharp turn in her education, she earned her M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan.
She worked first as an architect, and later as a software engineer, software team leader, software manager and a software consultant (with an emphasis on user interface for medical instruments devices.) All the while, she wrote and painted constantly, and exhibited in Israel and California. In addition, she taught art appreciation classes. Her versatile body of work includes bronze and ceramic sculptures, oil and watercolor paintings, charcoal, pen and pencil drawings, and mixed media.
Books and Genres:
Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance is a suspense series. It includes Coma Confidential, Virtually Lace, and Overdose.
Still Life with Memories is a family saga series with touches of romance. The series includes My Own Voice, The White Piano, The Music of Us, Dancing with Air, and Marriage before Death. Volume I and II are bundled in Apart from Love; volume III-V are bundled in Apart from War.
The David Chronicles is a historical fiction series with a modern twist. It includes three novels--Rise to Power, A Peek at Bathsheba, and The Edge of Revolt--and six art through the ages collections, describing each moment of the story.
Her poetry book, Home, is in tribute to her father. Her collection of dark tales, Twisted, and her Historical Fiction book, A Favorite Son, are both new age, biblically inspired books. In addition, Uvi wrote and illustrated two children books, Jess and Wiggle and Now I Am Paper. For each one of these books, she created an animation video (find them on YouTube and on her Goodreads page.)
Education and work:
Uvi earned her B. A. in Architecture and Town Planning from the Technion in Haifa, Israel and practiced with an innovative Architectural firm, taking a major part in the large-scale project, called Home for the Soldier.
Having moved to Troy, N.Y. with her husband and two children, Uvi received a Fellowship grant and a Teaching Assistantship from the Architecture department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. There, she guided teams in a variety of design projects and earned her M.A. in Architecture. Then, taking a sharp turn in her education, she earned her M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan.
She worked first as an architect, and later as a software engineer, software team leader, software manager and a software consultant (with an emphasis on user interface for medical instruments devices.) All the while, she wrote and painted constantly, and exhibited in Israel and California. In addition, she taught art appreciation classes. Her versatile body of work includes bronze and ceramic sculptures, oil and watercolor paintings, charcoal, pen and pencil drawings, and mixed media.
Books and Genres:
Ash Suspense Thrillers with a Dash of Romance is a suspense series. It includes Coma Confidential, Virtually Lace, and Overdose.
Still Life with Memories is a family saga series with touches of romance. The series includes My Own Voice, The White Piano, The Music of Us, Dancing with Air, and Marriage before Death. Volume I and II are bundled in Apart from Love; volume III-V are bundled in Apart from War.
The David Chronicles is a historical fiction series with a modern twist. It includes three novels--Rise to Power, A Peek at Bathsheba, and The Edge of Revolt--and six art through the ages collections, describing each moment of the story.
Her poetry book, Home, is in tribute to her father. Her collection of dark tales, Twisted, and her Historical Fiction book, A Favorite Son, are both new age, biblically inspired books. In addition, Uvi wrote and illustrated two children books, Jess and Wiggle and Now I Am Paper. For each one of these books, she created an animation video (find them on YouTube and on her Goodreads page.)
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 96 reviews
September 14, 2012
Uvi Poznansky has penned a literary symphony, complete with a cast of likeable yet bruised characters.
The story unfolds as each central figure takes center stage, allowing the reader to slip inside and vicariously experience their true emotions--no matter how damaged they are.
The story centers around Ben, his father Lenny, and Anita--Lenny's new wife. The underlying currents of a myriad of emotions are woven throughout each chapter as each of them struggle to deal with their new role and place in the broken family dynamic. Although Ben is an adult, he still feels the pain of the divorce of his mother and father years ago and holds an almost religious awe of his mother in his memories of her. He also harbors deep resentment toward his father for the demise of the marriage.
Enter Anita, the vivacious, and younger, new wife of Ben's aging father--and the reason for the divorce of Ben's parents. The family unit was shattered the day Anita came into the picture, and for years, the relationship between father and son simply did not exist. However, time, space and tragedy tend to soften deep-seated anger, and Ben reunites with his father after Lenny's most recent bout in the hospital.
Upon Ben's arrival back to the home he fled years ago, the tension he feels toward Anita is immediate for a variety of real and imagined reasons. Even as an adult, Ben finds it difficult to come to terms that another woman attempting to perform the role of wife and step-mother--and the fact that he finds himself inexplicably attracted to her.
This eloquently written tale provides a look into the damage caused by infidelity and the long-term emotional scars a broken home leaves on everyone involved. It also shines a light on the testosterone filled battle that each father and son share as they pursue more trophies to add to their internal mantle.
This book was lyrical--the words graced the pages like a tragic opera. It is apparent that Ms. Poznansky is a talented artist, painter and lover of the arts in each delicately crafted sentence.
This novel was a true pleasure to read and I recommend it to anyone that loves a compelling story of family struggles and affairs of the heart.
The story unfolds as each central figure takes center stage, allowing the reader to slip inside and vicariously experience their true emotions--no matter how damaged they are.
The story centers around Ben, his father Lenny, and Anita--Lenny's new wife. The underlying currents of a myriad of emotions are woven throughout each chapter as each of them struggle to deal with their new role and place in the broken family dynamic. Although Ben is an adult, he still feels the pain of the divorce of his mother and father years ago and holds an almost religious awe of his mother in his memories of her. He also harbors deep resentment toward his father for the demise of the marriage.
Enter Anita, the vivacious, and younger, new wife of Ben's aging father--and the reason for the divorce of Ben's parents. The family unit was shattered the day Anita came into the picture, and for years, the relationship between father and son simply did not exist. However, time, space and tragedy tend to soften deep-seated anger, and Ben reunites with his father after Lenny's most recent bout in the hospital.
Upon Ben's arrival back to the home he fled years ago, the tension he feels toward Anita is immediate for a variety of real and imagined reasons. Even as an adult, Ben finds it difficult to come to terms that another woman attempting to perform the role of wife and step-mother--and the fact that he finds himself inexplicably attracted to her.
This eloquently written tale provides a look into the damage caused by infidelity and the long-term emotional scars a broken home leaves on everyone involved. It also shines a light on the testosterone filled battle that each father and son share as they pursue more trophies to add to their internal mantle.
This book was lyrical--the words graced the pages like a tragic opera. It is apparent that Ms. Poznansky is a talented artist, painter and lover of the arts in each delicately crafted sentence.
This novel was a true pleasure to read and I recommend it to anyone that loves a compelling story of family struggles and affairs of the heart.
May 14, 2012
This is one of the most exquisitely written novels I've ever read.
From the very beginning, this story engages you as it is written with elaborate execution, mixing poetry with a novel. The author immediately pulls you in with Ben's return after having been gone for ten years. His emotions are raw and disjointed as he grapples with his father's recent marriage to a woman that has played a huge role in why he left in the first place.
Though it took me a few chapters to get my bearings as the story glided back and forth between characters, that did not deter me from reading on. I was instantly intrigued with Ben and wanted to understand why he felt the way he did about his family.
Then along came Anita with her quirky ways and uneducated speak. She is endearing as she is both innocent to so many things, yet so completely not in others. I couldn't help but root for her throughout the entire novel.
As the author carefully reveals the layers and depth of each character through poetic prose, the reader begins to understand just how complex their story, their ties really are. But most importantly, are the moments of shared enlightenment between the characters and the reader as they discover secrets and realize their own faults, wishes,and desires.
I highly recommend this story.
From the very beginning, this story engages you as it is written with elaborate execution, mixing poetry with a novel. The author immediately pulls you in with Ben's return after having been gone for ten years. His emotions are raw and disjointed as he grapples with his father's recent marriage to a woman that has played a huge role in why he left in the first place.
Though it took me a few chapters to get my bearings as the story glided back and forth between characters, that did not deter me from reading on. I was instantly intrigued with Ben and wanted to understand why he felt the way he did about his family.
Then along came Anita with her quirky ways and uneducated speak. She is endearing as she is both innocent to so many things, yet so completely not in others. I couldn't help but root for her throughout the entire novel.
As the author carefully reveals the layers and depth of each character through poetic prose, the reader begins to understand just how complex their story, their ties really are. But most importantly, are the moments of shared enlightenment between the characters and the reader as they discover secrets and realize their own faults, wishes,and desires.
I highly recommend this story.
May 23, 2012
Here is the first review of Apart From Love from the UK. A. Rose is a Top Amazon Reviewer:
A Beautifully Crafted Triangle of Love, 9 May 2012
By A. Rose (Devon & Menorca) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Apart From Love (Paperback)
The story is told from the viewpoints of Ben and Anita. Ben is the adult son of Lenny who has been estranged from his parents for the past ten years, with Ben blaming his father for the break up of the family when Lenny and Natasha divorced. Anita is Lenny's new wife who is pregnant, the same age as Ben and also has an uncanny resemblance to Natasha, so much so they could have been taken as sisters - but in appearance only. Natasha was a beautiful and talented concert pianist with elegance and grace to match. Whereas Anita is rough, ill educated, dresses brashly and her speech is no better than `street talk'. What Ben didn't know was that even when he was a child at home living with both his parents, his mother was in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease and that this progressed to the stage where Lenny divorced her and had her cared for in a home. The marriage wasn't always happy with Lenny having many affairs and flings but Anita, one of his flings, had been around for ten years or so before he married her following an unplanned pregnancy.
Without giving more of the story away, there are many facets to each persons story and all have their hopes, fears and revelations. The love between Ben and Anita which both of them hide as much from themselves as each other, is a slow burn, almost dangerous dance that is more in their heads than physical. Lenny is a little bit like a spy listening to tape recordings of both Ben and Anita's thoughts, playing and rewinding the tapes over and over, torturing himself in preparing their words for the novel he is writing.
Uvi Poznasky is a very talented lady, not only is she a very accomplished writer, she is a poet, sculptor, artist, teacher and much more. The beautiful cover of the book is of one of her works of art and after visiting her website I see that she is indeed gifted and worth taking a look at uviart.com . This is a beautiful and sophisticated novel of love, loss and torture and well worth reading.
(This review can be seen here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Apart-From-Lo... )
A Beautifully Crafted Triangle of Love, 9 May 2012
By A. Rose (Devon & Menorca) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Apart From Love (Paperback)
The story is told from the viewpoints of Ben and Anita. Ben is the adult son of Lenny who has been estranged from his parents for the past ten years, with Ben blaming his father for the break up of the family when Lenny and Natasha divorced. Anita is Lenny's new wife who is pregnant, the same age as Ben and also has an uncanny resemblance to Natasha, so much so they could have been taken as sisters - but in appearance only. Natasha was a beautiful and talented concert pianist with elegance and grace to match. Whereas Anita is rough, ill educated, dresses brashly and her speech is no better than `street talk'. What Ben didn't know was that even when he was a child at home living with both his parents, his mother was in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease and that this progressed to the stage where Lenny divorced her and had her cared for in a home. The marriage wasn't always happy with Lenny having many affairs and flings but Anita, one of his flings, had been around for ten years or so before he married her following an unplanned pregnancy.
Without giving more of the story away, there are many facets to each persons story and all have their hopes, fears and revelations. The love between Ben and Anita which both of them hide as much from themselves as each other, is a slow burn, almost dangerous dance that is more in their heads than physical. Lenny is a little bit like a spy listening to tape recordings of both Ben and Anita's thoughts, playing and rewinding the tapes over and over, torturing himself in preparing their words for the novel he is writing.
Uvi Poznasky is a very talented lady, not only is she a very accomplished writer, she is a poet, sculptor, artist, teacher and much more. The beautiful cover of the book is of one of her works of art and after visiting her website I see that she is indeed gifted and worth taking a look at uviart.com . This is a beautiful and sophisticated novel of love, loss and torture and well worth reading.
(This review can be seen here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Apart-From-Lo... )
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May 13, 2012
The characters quickly draw the reader in to Uvi Poznansky’s Apart from Love, and a haunting air of fable invites the reader’s willing suspension of disbelief. Returning from long absence to revisit his elderly father, Ben finds himself oddly drawn to the new young wife who so resembles his absent mother. The missing mother was a concert pianist who divorced his father and left to tour the world. But this story’s more about art than music, truths reflected in the shifting landscapes of lives and memory, photographs holding future promise as well as past regret, and symmetries breaking into triangular pain.
Ostensibly the story of Ben and Anita, as told in their two voices, this tale becomes instead the story of Ben’s father, enduring love, and the haunting music of past misdeeds, misunderstandings and loss. Anita’s voice, initially jarring in its somehow false California-girl “like”s, becomes a metaphor for nothing being quite what it seems. A mirror reflects truth and falsehood. A cultural veneer might be added by the speaker or subtracted by one who renders her words after secretly listening. And memory, even when captured on tape, might never be quite what it seems.
Apart from Love has a feel of modern art, inviting readers in to enjoy, explore and eventually wrap themselves in the mystery of lives and loves drawn together and thrown apart. An intriguing tale, it’s not an easy read but it’s certainly an involving one that doesn’t necessarily go where the reader expects.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this novel from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Ostensibly the story of Ben and Anita, as told in their two voices, this tale becomes instead the story of Ben’s father, enduring love, and the haunting music of past misdeeds, misunderstandings and loss. Anita’s voice, initially jarring in its somehow false California-girl “like”s, becomes a metaphor for nothing being quite what it seems. A mirror reflects truth and falsehood. A cultural veneer might be added by the speaker or subtracted by one who renders her words after secretly listening. And memory, even when captured on tape, might never be quite what it seems.
Apart from Love has a feel of modern art, inviting readers in to enjoy, explore and eventually wrap themselves in the mystery of lives and loves drawn together and thrown apart. An intriguing tale, it’s not an easy read but it’s certainly an involving one that doesn’t necessarily go where the reader expects.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this novel from the author in exchange for my honest review.
September 13, 2013
I didn’t need to read the author’s bio to know she was a poet. The writing is lyrical, eloquent and yes, poetic. And, I could have guessed Poznansky is also an artist, as each scene is painted with lovely sentences and paragraphs that seem to be created out of a vision delivered by a muse. Apart From Love, by Uvi Poznansky is an emotional story told with care. It deals with love and secrets (and all that they entail) and finally, a quest for understanding. We hear this story from Ben, “Here is my latest revelation: I have been in hiding for so long that at this point, by some strange twist, my mind starts rebelling against me. I know it, because – in spite of my efforts to disguise myself, to alter my looks and behavior – I find myself wishing to be found out.” And from Anita, “I open the bedroom window, and feel warm spring air coming in, blowing gently into my face, which feels like a promise.” But I might have enjoyed the cleverly named Mr. Bliss the most. Apart From Love is a beautiful thing to read. Highly recommended.
July 17, 2012
This novel starts out S-L-O-W, and never quite reaches that phase where you just want to tear through the pages. The basic premise is intersting and well done, but there were things that kept me from all out enjoying the story. First and foremost it was very difficult to figure out the setting. I believe the story was supposed to take place in modern times, but the style of speech, the actions of the characters, etc made it seem as though it was set back in the early 1900's or late 1800's. The location was supposed to be in California, but again the characters style of speaking and customs led me to believe that it was all taking place in a foreign country until I was told otherwise. This disconnect between what I was reading and what the story told me made it hard for me to get into the story the way I would have liked to.
January 22, 2014
Apart From Love by Uvi Poznansky
Literary fiction at it's best.
This is not an easy read, nor a fast one. The reader is immersed in the life and love of a complicated family. The plot is complicated. The theme is one of perspective and in this lies part of the beauty of this novel. The readers perception is formed from multiple point of views. As soon as one perception is formed another take on the reality that is displayed is introduced.
The above is nice extra topping on literally poetry in motion. The authors ability to economically use words in a fluid descriptive manner is akin to see a master painter start a work of genius on a blank canvas. By the end of the process the observer is left stunned and awed.
I know this for this is the effect this book had on me. With almost every known emotion exploited and turned topsy- turvy, I stand in awe.
WaAr
Literary fiction at it's best.
This is not an easy read, nor a fast one. The reader is immersed in the life and love of a complicated family. The plot is complicated. The theme is one of perspective and in this lies part of the beauty of this novel. The readers perception is formed from multiple point of views. As soon as one perception is formed another take on the reality that is displayed is introduced.
The above is nice extra topping on literally poetry in motion. The authors ability to economically use words in a fluid descriptive manner is akin to see a master painter start a work of genius on a blank canvas. By the end of the process the observer is left stunned and awed.
I know this for this is the effect this book had on me. With almost every known emotion exploited and turned topsy- turvy, I stand in awe.
WaAr
February 8, 2015
Here is an astounding book from Uvi Poznansky with her work of literary fiction, Apart from Love. Ms. Poznansky is a multi-talented author and artist, and with this novel, she creates a multi-faceted and multi-layered work of art.
The story is told through the first person narrations of Anita, the new wife of Lenny and step-mother to the other narrator, Ben. The point of view is unique because the story is more about the love between Ben's parents, Lenny and Natasha, than the other two, who form another sort of love story. Ben's separation from his home for ten years only shows the level of dysfunction in this family. I use the word "dysfunction" with disdain sometimes because it is overused to the point where it sometimes means very little. But if any family is dysfunctional, it is this one.
During Ben's absence, the lack of communication with his mother and father is evident when he comes home. For a decade, he assumed his talented pianist mother is out on tour, when in fact, his father is hiding something quite important from his son about Natasha.
In the meantime, Lenny has remarried Anita who is one year younger than Ben. She's a beauty--a younger version of Natasha. It's complicated and completely dysfunctional in the true meaning of that word.
Literary techniques abound in Apart from Love. The author skillfully creates symbols and metaphors with the white piano in the living room, the antique mirror in the bedroom, and the tape recorder on the balcony. The point of view represents the author's skill in writing dialogue that characterizes both Ben and Anita. It's obvious when switching between chapters who is the narrator, even though Ms. Poznansky tells the reader if it's Ben or Anita in each chapter title. That's helpful, but with her paintbrush, she paints prose that is distinct for each one.
Alzheimers rears its horrifying head in parts of the story, as does the family's inability to know how to deal with it. Insanity hovers at the edges of all the characters as well, presenting the reader with that fine line between genius and the alternative.
If that's not enough, Lenny is a writer who uses the words of others to create his stories. The blurred lines between reality and fiction are explored in this intimate look at how authors sometimes steal identities from others to draw portraits of real life. It's haunting in its honesty of how an author works. The "record, rewind, record" element of the story reminds me that all reality is really the fiction of our imaginations.
Uvi Poznansky is a talented author who says in her bio, "I paint with my pen, and write with my paintbrush." The cover of Apart from Love and the content in between are assurances that this is true.
The story is told through the first person narrations of Anita, the new wife of Lenny and step-mother to the other narrator, Ben. The point of view is unique because the story is more about the love between Ben's parents, Lenny and Natasha, than the other two, who form another sort of love story. Ben's separation from his home for ten years only shows the level of dysfunction in this family. I use the word "dysfunction" with disdain sometimes because it is overused to the point where it sometimes means very little. But if any family is dysfunctional, it is this one.
During Ben's absence, the lack of communication with his mother and father is evident when he comes home. For a decade, he assumed his talented pianist mother is out on tour, when in fact, his father is hiding something quite important from his son about Natasha.
In the meantime, Lenny has remarried Anita who is one year younger than Ben. She's a beauty--a younger version of Natasha. It's complicated and completely dysfunctional in the true meaning of that word.
Literary techniques abound in Apart from Love. The author skillfully creates symbols and metaphors with the white piano in the living room, the antique mirror in the bedroom, and the tape recorder on the balcony. The point of view represents the author's skill in writing dialogue that characterizes both Ben and Anita. It's obvious when switching between chapters who is the narrator, even though Ms. Poznansky tells the reader if it's Ben or Anita in each chapter title. That's helpful, but with her paintbrush, she paints prose that is distinct for each one.
Alzheimers rears its horrifying head in parts of the story, as does the family's inability to know how to deal with it. Insanity hovers at the edges of all the characters as well, presenting the reader with that fine line between genius and the alternative.
If that's not enough, Lenny is a writer who uses the words of others to create his stories. The blurred lines between reality and fiction are explored in this intimate look at how authors sometimes steal identities from others to draw portraits of real life. It's haunting in its honesty of how an author works. The "record, rewind, record" element of the story reminds me that all reality is really the fiction of our imaginations.
Uvi Poznansky is a talented author who says in her bio, "I paint with my pen, and write with my paintbrush." The cover of Apart from Love and the content in between are assurances that this is true.
April 29, 2015
Adult children of divorce, estrangement, and guilt. This story of a dysfunctional family will resound in every heart.
Ben, aged 28, returns home after many years, still bitter about the divorce of his parents, Lenny and Natasha. He meets Lenny's new young bride, Anita, and is troubled to find himself attracted to her. His dismay deepens when he learns that his mother Natasha, once a brilliant pianist who he'd thought was on a world concert tour, is instead in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimers.
The story is told alternately through two points of view, Ben's and Anita's. Though uneducated, Anita is a diamond in the rough character who's had a tough life. She's likeable, and feels alone because Lenny, a writer, is self-centered and distant. Lenny has encouraged Ben and Anita to record their thoughts on a tape recorder, which is how we hear their two points of view. Too late, the pair discover that Lenny is listening to their tapes and putting them into his own writing - likely fabricating his own novel from the thoughts of his unhappy son and equally unhappy new wife. How to deal with this heartbreaking, tangled web?
This eloquently written tale provides a look into the long-term emotional scars a broken home leaves on everyone involved. The author's skill shows in her depiction of the three alternating voices of Lenny, Ben and Anita. They are all very different voices, yet each conveys the complex love that both binds them and tears them apart. Highly recommended!
Ben, aged 28, returns home after many years, still bitter about the divorce of his parents, Lenny and Natasha. He meets Lenny's new young bride, Anita, and is troubled to find himself attracted to her. His dismay deepens when he learns that his mother Natasha, once a brilliant pianist who he'd thought was on a world concert tour, is instead in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimers.
The story is told alternately through two points of view, Ben's and Anita's. Though uneducated, Anita is a diamond in the rough character who's had a tough life. She's likeable, and feels alone because Lenny, a writer, is self-centered and distant. Lenny has encouraged Ben and Anita to record their thoughts on a tape recorder, which is how we hear their two points of view. Too late, the pair discover that Lenny is listening to their tapes and putting them into his own writing - likely fabricating his own novel from the thoughts of his unhappy son and equally unhappy new wife. How to deal with this heartbreaking, tangled web?
This eloquently written tale provides a look into the long-term emotional scars a broken home leaves on everyone involved. The author's skill shows in her depiction of the three alternating voices of Lenny, Ben and Anita. They are all very different voices, yet each conveys the complex love that both binds them and tears them apart. Highly recommended!
May 4, 2012
This is a touching, inspiring story that is a breath of fresh air. Very well written, characters are engaging and draw you into the story. Very well done. Uvi is a talented writer and I look forward to reading more of her books.
May 3, 2012
This is a must read! Don't pass it up- it won't disappoint!
April 25, 2019
A diary of memories
A dark family drama. Very deep in content and form this is a story of memories and pain. Extremely well written and will leave the reader with darkness and light soulful thoughts.
A dark family drama. Very deep in content and form this is a story of memories and pain. Extremely well written and will leave the reader with darkness and light soulful thoughts.
March 9, 2012
A `novel' Novel that succeeds exceptionally well: `Say anything apart from love'
Uvi Poznansky wears a coat of many colors. Originally from Israel where she studied Architecture and Town Planning then moving to the US where she studied Computer Science and became an expert in Software Engineering, Poznansky managed to combine the design elements of two studies into unique formats. And she has accomplished the same with the other side of her brain - making visual her ideas (she is an accomplished painter, drawer, and sculptor who has enjoyed exhibitions both in Israel and in California, her present base) and making words in poetry and in short stories and children's books. APART FROM LOVE is her first novel and is adorned on the cover with an image of her own painting!
But her history of diversity does not end there. The story of this elegantly designed novel is a dissection of a family life and the alterations that occur with the family framework both by intent and by happenstance. It weaves themes of disparate parents - an accomplished pianist Natasha married to the elderly Lenny who cares for Natasha as she descends into the darkness of Alzheimer's Disease and compensates by taking on a very young and uneducated, somewhat socially coarse redhead vixen named Anita - and the manner in which the couple's 27-year-old bright son Ben copes with the situation.
Poznansky's unique way of unraveling this complex story is by making the `chapters' vary as told by Ben, as told by Anita, and as told by Lenny. She understands fully how to bring Ben's confusion about both his past life with his parents and the current situation with his mother's decline and his father's reactive compensation by bonding with a beautiful young, if raw, companion. Few authors would be able to pull off the manner in which the apparent polar opposites of Ben and Anita begin to bond and how Lenny integrates into their apparent clandestine relationship, but Poznansky has the visual and verbal and architectural skills to create this maze and guide us through it.
She capitalizes on the use of the chapters being related in the voices of the characters: Ben relates the situation as he remembers and experiences it in eloquent finely honed grammar while Anita speaks to us with the slang that at first can be grating but morphs into communication that allows the reader to experience the change that develops in her relationship to Ben. In other's hands this could become cloying as a technique, but with Poznansky's skill she uses it as an interface between evolving personalities that makes her story ring true.
So much more could be said about the manner in which the author brings understanding to the hierarchies of relationships - parental, couple, aging, developing, and ones influenced by disease, but that would be robbing the reader of the joy of discoveries that Poznanasky accomplishes in this profound novel. The title is so well chosen: the phrase of the title is the key that unlocks much of the fragile mystery that hovers here. Highly recommended.
Grady Harp
Uvi Poznansky wears a coat of many colors. Originally from Israel where she studied Architecture and Town Planning then moving to the US where she studied Computer Science and became an expert in Software Engineering, Poznansky managed to combine the design elements of two studies into unique formats. And she has accomplished the same with the other side of her brain - making visual her ideas (she is an accomplished painter, drawer, and sculptor who has enjoyed exhibitions both in Israel and in California, her present base) and making words in poetry and in short stories and children's books. APART FROM LOVE is her first novel and is adorned on the cover with an image of her own painting!
But her history of diversity does not end there. The story of this elegantly designed novel is a dissection of a family life and the alterations that occur with the family framework both by intent and by happenstance. It weaves themes of disparate parents - an accomplished pianist Natasha married to the elderly Lenny who cares for Natasha as she descends into the darkness of Alzheimer's Disease and compensates by taking on a very young and uneducated, somewhat socially coarse redhead vixen named Anita - and the manner in which the couple's 27-year-old bright son Ben copes with the situation.
Poznansky's unique way of unraveling this complex story is by making the `chapters' vary as told by Ben, as told by Anita, and as told by Lenny. She understands fully how to bring Ben's confusion about both his past life with his parents and the current situation with his mother's decline and his father's reactive compensation by bonding with a beautiful young, if raw, companion. Few authors would be able to pull off the manner in which the apparent polar opposites of Ben and Anita begin to bond and how Lenny integrates into their apparent clandestine relationship, but Poznansky has the visual and verbal and architectural skills to create this maze and guide us through it.
She capitalizes on the use of the chapters being related in the voices of the characters: Ben relates the situation as he remembers and experiences it in eloquent finely honed grammar while Anita speaks to us with the slang that at first can be grating but morphs into communication that allows the reader to experience the change that develops in her relationship to Ben. In other's hands this could become cloying as a technique, but with Poznansky's skill she uses it as an interface between evolving personalities that makes her story ring true.
So much more could be said about the manner in which the author brings understanding to the hierarchies of relationships - parental, couple, aging, developing, and ones influenced by disease, but that would be robbing the reader of the joy of discoveries that Poznanasky accomplishes in this profound novel. The title is so well chosen: the phrase of the title is the key that unlocks much of the fragile mystery that hovers here. Highly recommended.
Grady Harp
September 15, 2014
And again, Uvi Poznansky uses her words as she uses the stroke of her brush to create art. Apart From Love is a journey through the complex relationships of a son, his father and his young stepmother when desires overrule propriety and create a triangle filled with emotion, past deeds and untold regrets and untruths. Told through the voices of Ben and his young stepmother, Anita, their voices resonate at such a different pitch, there is no doubt who is speaking as they record their thoughts to each other. What has drawn them toward each other? Is it Ben’s need to reconnect with his mother that he sees Anita as a younger version?
When one enjoys anything from Uvi Poznansky, they can expect art on the pages, told from her heart and soul. She treats every work as a treasured piece, imparting her own manner of living a tale. Ms. Poznansky’s work cannot be rushed through; there are too many layers, too many complex thoughts that must be pondered and a tale that does not follow the expected formula. I found myself searching between her words to find a deeper meaning to her tale. When an author pulls you so far into their tale that you must struggle to leave after that last page, they truly have a gift that is to be admired. Forget high action, fast-paced drama, which is not Ms. Poznansky’s style. Savor this read, with a glass of wine and a warm fire, reality and the world will wait for you later.
Publication Date: December 25, 2013
Publisher: Uvi Poznansky
ISBN: 0984993207
Genre: Literary Fiction
Print Length: 352 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
When one enjoys anything from Uvi Poznansky, they can expect art on the pages, told from her heart and soul. She treats every work as a treasured piece, imparting her own manner of living a tale. Ms. Poznansky’s work cannot be rushed through; there are too many layers, too many complex thoughts that must be pondered and a tale that does not follow the expected formula. I found myself searching between her words to find a deeper meaning to her tale. When an author pulls you so far into their tale that you must struggle to leave after that last page, they truly have a gift that is to be admired. Forget high action, fast-paced drama, which is not Ms. Poznansky’s style. Savor this read, with a glass of wine and a warm fire, reality and the world will wait for you later.
Publication Date: December 25, 2013
Publisher: Uvi Poznansky
ISBN: 0984993207
Genre: Literary Fiction
Print Length: 352 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
September 6, 2012
Apart From Love
By Uvi Poznansky
Reviewed by R. Murry
The family dynamic has been written about since the beginning of time: the Biblical story of Joseph, Macbeth, and in the 1930s, William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury. Like Faulkner, Ms. Poznansky uses more than one person to tell the story of “Apart From Love.” Faulkner used four. Ms. Poznansky uses two: Ben and Anita. Their voices are orchestrated close to perfection in a loving way.
Each chapter is told by one or the other, explaining their understanding of the events which leads to conflict within the family circle: Ben’s father and Anita’s twice her age husband, Lenny; Lenny’s first wife and Ben’s mother, Natasha; Anita’s mom; and three aunts round out the family Kaminsky.
Interwoven into the main character’s discourses are the normal family emotions: greed, sex, hatred, control, loneliness, procreation, legacy, and everything you may think of “Apart From Love.” No one ever uses the love word as in the phrase “I love you.”
Anita and Ben are young and are thinking about each other. Lenny is old and is thinking about Natasha and what could have been had she not gone into a vegetable state. Lenny is recording his fictional novel as to what he believes is happening between his son and second wife. The novel turns out to be his memoir.
There are family mishaps, joyous times, secrets, and torments. Each narrator full fills their duty by translating their opinion of the events based on their background: Ben, a worldly educated one and Anita with her street smarts’ schooling. They each speak a different language, although are of the same generation. The reader will enjoy their terminologies.
Ms. Poznansky pulls off a well written story of dependency. Every one of the characters are dependent on one another and are looking for support right up to the end of this skillfully developed novel. A very good read if you’re looking for something “Apart From Love.”
By Uvi Poznansky
Reviewed by R. Murry
The family dynamic has been written about since the beginning of time: the Biblical story of Joseph, Macbeth, and in the 1930s, William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury. Like Faulkner, Ms. Poznansky uses more than one person to tell the story of “Apart From Love.” Faulkner used four. Ms. Poznansky uses two: Ben and Anita. Their voices are orchestrated close to perfection in a loving way.
Each chapter is told by one or the other, explaining their understanding of the events which leads to conflict within the family circle: Ben’s father and Anita’s twice her age husband, Lenny; Lenny’s first wife and Ben’s mother, Natasha; Anita’s mom; and three aunts round out the family Kaminsky.
Interwoven into the main character’s discourses are the normal family emotions: greed, sex, hatred, control, loneliness, procreation, legacy, and everything you may think of “Apart From Love.” No one ever uses the love word as in the phrase “I love you.”
Anita and Ben are young and are thinking about each other. Lenny is old and is thinking about Natasha and what could have been had she not gone into a vegetable state. Lenny is recording his fictional novel as to what he believes is happening between his son and second wife. The novel turns out to be his memoir.
There are family mishaps, joyous times, secrets, and torments. Each narrator full fills their duty by translating their opinion of the events based on their background: Ben, a worldly educated one and Anita with her street smarts’ schooling. They each speak a different language, although are of the same generation. The reader will enjoy their terminologies.
Ms. Poznansky pulls off a well written story of dependency. Every one of the characters are dependent on one another and are looking for support right up to the end of this skillfully developed novel. A very good read if you’re looking for something “Apart From Love.”
April 26, 2014
Although ‘Apart from Love’ is a tale about love it is no romance-novel. More a chronicle of desire. An introspective read that covers, from the view-point of multiple characters some of life’s issues.
Now I won’t go into plot details - They are in the book-blurb. I’m also not going to attempt to bosh out a review in a wordy intellectual way either. I don’t consider myself ‘well-read’ enough. Besides I prefer to speak from an emotional viewpoint. So here goes.
I first read samples of Uvi Poznansky’s work in way of her self-promoted advertisements posted on social media. Initially I was attracted by the richness of her book-cover artwork and then drawn in by the caress of her verse. I found her words possessed a special kind of tenderness. Something I felt my own writing lacked.
I decided I could use a lesson in regard to her rhythmic delivery of contemplative prose. The way she captures subtle nuances in glimpses and reflections. Or teases out emotions with a pause in her dialogue. She fashions both fleshly desire and clean naughtiness so adeptly.
It wasn’t long before I was reading and liking every post.
I particularly like this line from the book...
The waves roll in, threatening to swallow us whole. With a roar in their widening mouth, they are leaping ahead, then lapping the sand angrily, foam on their lip.
‘Apart from Love’ is a leisurely read that allows you to enjoy the moment of actually reading. This is what I get from Uvi Poznansky, what I admire mostly in her work.
When women are romantically depicted, enjoying a piece of chocolate whilst engrossed in a novel. This is exactly the type of stuff they are reading.
Paul Douglas Lovell.
Now I won’t go into plot details - They are in the book-blurb. I’m also not going to attempt to bosh out a review in a wordy intellectual way either. I don’t consider myself ‘well-read’ enough. Besides I prefer to speak from an emotional viewpoint. So here goes.
I first read samples of Uvi Poznansky’s work in way of her self-promoted advertisements posted on social media. Initially I was attracted by the richness of her book-cover artwork and then drawn in by the caress of her verse. I found her words possessed a special kind of tenderness. Something I felt my own writing lacked.
I decided I could use a lesson in regard to her rhythmic delivery of contemplative prose. The way she captures subtle nuances in glimpses and reflections. Or teases out emotions with a pause in her dialogue. She fashions both fleshly desire and clean naughtiness so adeptly.
It wasn’t long before I was reading and liking every post.
I particularly like this line from the book...
The waves roll in, threatening to swallow us whole. With a roar in their widening mouth, they are leaping ahead, then lapping the sand angrily, foam on their lip.
‘Apart from Love’ is a leisurely read that allows you to enjoy the moment of actually reading. This is what I get from Uvi Poznansky, what I admire mostly in her work.
When women are romantically depicted, enjoying a piece of chocolate whilst engrossed in a novel. This is exactly the type of stuff they are reading.
Paul Douglas Lovell.
August 1, 2013
"Apart from Love" by Uvi Poznansky is yet another amazing novel by this very talented writer.
The book concerns Ben, a twenty-seven year old student, and his family at a time when the marriage of his parents breaks down due to the father's infidelity. The father, Len, marries Anita.
Told in two separate narratives we get to see Ben's and Anita's 'sides' of the story.
Poznansky gives a magnificent close-up of the family breakdown, exploring the themes of seduction, blame and love and a variety of conflicting emotions.
The characters are multidimensional and with their background stories and the use of changing perspectives the book makes for some intense and at times emotional reading.
The situation is uncomfortable for all involved but nobody is purely bad or reduced to klischee, everyone tries in their ways to find harmony and love.
We question why the divorce had to happen, there is still love between the divorced couple, admiration for the pianist mother and what she brought to the family, but now that she is here Anita has also valuable things to contribute. And Ben and Anita are becoming close, too.
Poznansky asks what love is and also who really does love and means it.
Conflict and contradiction never seem to go away completely and we are left with these questions.
One of Poznansky's biggest talents is to challenge and change our perspective with her sharp-minded observations and powerful prose and she does so very well.
The book concerns Ben, a twenty-seven year old student, and his family at a time when the marriage of his parents breaks down due to the father's infidelity. The father, Len, marries Anita.
Told in two separate narratives we get to see Ben's and Anita's 'sides' of the story.
Poznansky gives a magnificent close-up of the family breakdown, exploring the themes of seduction, blame and love and a variety of conflicting emotions.
The characters are multidimensional and with their background stories and the use of changing perspectives the book makes for some intense and at times emotional reading.
The situation is uncomfortable for all involved but nobody is purely bad or reduced to klischee, everyone tries in their ways to find harmony and love.
We question why the divorce had to happen, there is still love between the divorced couple, admiration for the pianist mother and what she brought to the family, but now that she is here Anita has also valuable things to contribute. And Ben and Anita are becoming close, too.
Poznansky asks what love is and also who really does love and means it.
Conflict and contradiction never seem to go away completely and we are left with these questions.
One of Poznansky's biggest talents is to challenge and change our perspective with her sharp-minded observations and powerful prose and she does so very well.
June 16, 2012
Here it is:
There are rare novels that complete capture you from the first sentence and leave you wanting to the very last word. Apart From love is that type of novel it has a central romantic plot between a son and his step-mother but yet still brings powerful themes into play and shows the battle of guilt one feels when one is forced into choosing the betrayal of another or the betrayal of oneself. The tone is light hearted in some and dark with a mist of the mysterious in others. Is Ben going to betray his dying father for the women he feels he deserves? Is Ben's father pulling the strings for an improbable romance flared in the air of infidelity and what about Ben's father's tapes?
Uvi clearly has what it takes to make a name for herself with novels that reflect deep and not shallow issues you have to go beneath the surface to capture the true beauty of this novel which is a rarity among new indie writers I applaud her sincerely and wish her the very best, she has a fan in me and i'm delighted and honoured to be given the chance to read such sterling work BRAVO and definitely worth 5-stars.
There are rare novels that complete capture you from the first sentence and leave you wanting to the very last word. Apart From love is that type of novel it has a central romantic plot between a son and his step-mother but yet still brings powerful themes into play and shows the battle of guilt one feels when one is forced into choosing the betrayal of another or the betrayal of oneself. The tone is light hearted in some and dark with a mist of the mysterious in others. Is Ben going to betray his dying father for the women he feels he deserves? Is Ben's father pulling the strings for an improbable romance flared in the air of infidelity and what about Ben's father's tapes?
Uvi clearly has what it takes to make a name for herself with novels that reflect deep and not shallow issues you have to go beneath the surface to capture the true beauty of this novel which is a rarity among new indie writers I applaud her sincerely and wish her the very best, she has a fan in me and i'm delighted and honoured to be given the chance to read such sterling work BRAVO and definitely worth 5-stars.
March 11, 2014
A beautifully written book, Apart From Love is the story of three people thrown together by unusual circumstances. An attractive middle aged man meets an uneducated teenage girl in an ice cream parlor. He is seduced by her and ends up marrying her much to the distress of his sisters and his son who returns home after a stint in Europe to find not only a step mother his own age, but that his mother, a concert pianist who his father led him to believe was always on tour, is instead in a nursing home in the last stages of a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.
Uvi Poznansky's words are like brushstrokes, painting a picture of these three tormented people and their environment in exquisite detail. She opens their hearts, their innermost thoughts to her reader, and shows the horror of Alzheimer's when father and son visit Natasha, his now ex-wife, in the nursing home. Despite the fact that she is completely incapacitated, Natasha hangs like a dark shadow over the new wife who feels she can never measure up to her.
Told by Ben the son and Anita the young wife, Apart From Love is a touching and unforgettable story of family conflict. I highly recommend it to readers of this genre.
Uvi Poznansky's words are like brushstrokes, painting a picture of these three tormented people and their environment in exquisite detail. She opens their hearts, their innermost thoughts to her reader, and shows the horror of Alzheimer's when father and son visit Natasha, his now ex-wife, in the nursing home. Despite the fact that she is completely incapacitated, Natasha hangs like a dark shadow over the new wife who feels she can never measure up to her.
Told by Ben the son and Anita the young wife, Apart From Love is a touching and unforgettable story of family conflict. I highly recommend it to readers of this genre.
December 13, 2012
To me, this novel is reminiscent of a Chinese mystery from Ming Dynasty. Allow me to elaborate - we know WHAT crime was committed; we know HOW it was done; we know WHO committed the crime. Now we need to find answers to the following questions - WHY the crime was committed and what PUNISHMENT the criminal would or deserve to receive.
Take it from there and we spend a lot of time inside main characters' heads unraveling these mysteries all through the story which makes for a fascinating and twisted reading.
Surprisingly enough, my favorite part was the back story of the Aunts, which has only remote connection to the main plot. Somehow, it resonated with me the most.
Not being an artist, I can only say what I think of the book's cover with a haiku:
The chest tightens,
Shift your foot slightly
To see her lipstick on the glass.
One more thing of note - this is by far the BEST formatted and arranged Kindle book I've ever seen. If you've seen better or even approaching this level of quality, do let me know, I'd like to see it for myself.
Take it from there and we spend a lot of time inside main characters' heads unraveling these mysteries all through the story which makes for a fascinating and twisted reading.
Surprisingly enough, my favorite part was the back story of the Aunts, which has only remote connection to the main plot. Somehow, it resonated with me the most.
Not being an artist, I can only say what I think of the book's cover with a haiku:
The chest tightens,
Shift your foot slightly
To see her lipstick on the glass.
One more thing of note - this is by far the BEST formatted and arranged Kindle book I've ever seen. If you've seen better or even approaching this level of quality, do let me know, I'd like to see it for myself.
January 14, 2013
I truly enjoyed this unique book!
"Apart From Love" is a truly unique story. It's written as a narrative and I found The characters to be very interesting and well developed. As a result of this effective style of writing, I found myself thinking about Anita, Ben and Lenny for hours after reading each chapter. I especially enjoyed how the Author was able to convey the personalities of Ben and Anita as they told their stories throughout the book. I had the sense that these characters were actually giving me a credible first hand account of their own personal perceptions and feelings for each specified situation. This book touches on several very difficult topics such as family dysfunction, infidelity, jealousy and even Alzheimer's disease. However, they are all tactfully dealt with in a well woven tapestry that fits seamlessly together. This is the first book I've read by Uvi Poznansky and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work in the future!
"Apart From Love" is a truly unique story. It's written as a narrative and I found The characters to be very interesting and well developed. As a result of this effective style of writing, I found myself thinking about Anita, Ben and Lenny for hours after reading each chapter. I especially enjoyed how the Author was able to convey the personalities of Ben and Anita as they told their stories throughout the book. I had the sense that these characters were actually giving me a credible first hand account of their own personal perceptions and feelings for each specified situation. This book touches on several very difficult topics such as family dysfunction, infidelity, jealousy and even Alzheimer's disease. However, they are all tactfully dealt with in a well woven tapestry that fits seamlessly together. This is the first book I've read by Uvi Poznansky and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work in the future!
May 10, 2015
*****A Fine, Modern Shakespearean Tragedy
Using a lovely, lyrical prose, Uvi Poznansky gently guides the reader into the deep cavern of a dysfunctional family playing out their own form of a Shakespearean tragedy. The protagonists are four-fold: an emotionally detached father and in his wake, his emotionally bereft son; an ex-wife experiencing a serious illness, and a very young second wife, mopping up the messy pieces while struggling with her own past.
Not an easy scenario, yet Poznansky, along with beautiful descriptions, manages to portray each character with great depth and authenticity. Personally, my favorite leading figure was the second wife, Anita, who grew up with so little, yet in the midst of this highly educated and intimidating family, slowly displays her innate intelligence and ends up outshining them all. If you’re looking for a book that will make you think and offers you an in-depth study into human behavior, this is for you! Highly recommended.
Using a lovely, lyrical prose, Uvi Poznansky gently guides the reader into the deep cavern of a dysfunctional family playing out their own form of a Shakespearean tragedy. The protagonists are four-fold: an emotionally detached father and in his wake, his emotionally bereft son; an ex-wife experiencing a serious illness, and a very young second wife, mopping up the messy pieces while struggling with her own past.
Not an easy scenario, yet Poznansky, along with beautiful descriptions, manages to portray each character with great depth and authenticity. Personally, my favorite leading figure was the second wife, Anita, who grew up with so little, yet in the midst of this highly educated and intimidating family, slowly displays her innate intelligence and ends up outshining them all. If you’re looking for a book that will make you think and offers you an in-depth study into human behavior, this is for you! Highly recommended.
May 4, 2012
Touchingly Warmhearted and Eloquently Written…..
I was drawn in quickly by the quiet articulacy in which the author introduces you to a world of love, mistrust, acceptance, anger as well as the full history of the characters within her novel. I enjoyed the way “Author Uvi Poznansky” patiently moves her readers through a wonderfully rich journey of a family full of secrets, full of a rich and even sometimes tragic history….. All the while bringing us the readers into an opulent cultural understanding, that will resonate within your very being for a long time to come….. I was truly captured within the quietly expressed strength in which “Author Uvi Poznansky’s” amazing insight to each and every detail was played out. Overwhelmingly I recommend this book to everyone, and especially if you love a treasure to cherish, this is definitely the novel to read, sonrisa….
I was drawn in quickly by the quiet articulacy in which the author introduces you to a world of love, mistrust, acceptance, anger as well as the full history of the characters within her novel. I enjoyed the way “Author Uvi Poznansky” patiently moves her readers through a wonderfully rich journey of a family full of secrets, full of a rich and even sometimes tragic history….. All the while bringing us the readers into an opulent cultural understanding, that will resonate within your very being for a long time to come….. I was truly captured within the quietly expressed strength in which “Author Uvi Poznansky’s” amazing insight to each and every detail was played out. Overwhelmingly I recommend this book to everyone, and especially if you love a treasure to cherish, this is definitely the novel to read, sonrisa….
December 3, 2014
Be drawn into this exceptional talent!
Apart From Love
Uvi Poznansky
A beautiful and unique work from Uvi Poznansky.
Apart From Love is a sensitive and sensuous work, which entangles the senses of the reader as one dances through the strings of words to reach an intense end.
The novel gives an emotional story throughout and gives a journey to the soul, encompassing the depths of dysfunction, beckoning prayers, hate and forgiveness.
A very well-written book with true-to-life and believable characters of Lenny and Natasha portraying an amazing story and crafting a great literary experience of this gripping read.
The highly descriptive and poetic artistry of the author is one of the best to date - wonderful work.
Poznansky is one of a kind - be drawn into this exceptional talent!
Superb 5*****
Apart From Love
Uvi Poznansky
A beautiful and unique work from Uvi Poznansky.
Apart From Love is a sensitive and sensuous work, which entangles the senses of the reader as one dances through the strings of words to reach an intense end.
The novel gives an emotional story throughout and gives a journey to the soul, encompassing the depths of dysfunction, beckoning prayers, hate and forgiveness.
A very well-written book with true-to-life and believable characters of Lenny and Natasha portraying an amazing story and crafting a great literary experience of this gripping read.
The highly descriptive and poetic artistry of the author is one of the best to date - wonderful work.
Poznansky is one of a kind - be drawn into this exceptional talent!
Superb 5*****
March 14, 2014
Lyrical best describes the writing in this introspective tale told through its two main characters, Ben and Anita. Their words and thoughts are vague and disturbing at times, and I felt I had to keep on reading to get to the truth or at least find a concrete explanation for them. Facts about their earlier years are exposed as Ben and Anita unload their emotional baggage, one layer at a time, but as in real life, the story ends in an unexpected way and leaves us with unanswered questions. An intriguing novel!
May 17, 2012
I discovered this book a few days ago when it was advertised on Twitter, and loaded it to my Kindle. To my surprize it was a profoundly deep story with many layers, love-hate father-son relationship, set against the mental deterioration of the mother, who suffers from alzheimers. For mother's day I loaded it on my mom's Kindle and she's loving it. We now have a mini 'bookclub' discussion about the book between us! Highly recommended.
June 14, 2015
Apart From Love tells the story from the three main character's own perception about an inherently dysfunctional family, Ben, Ben's father Lenny and Lenny's new wife Anita. It is a superbly written novel. From the characters' views you will know what is really going on and it's up to you to decide who is at fault or not at fault for the ripples. Uvi Pozansky skillfully develops the story through the voices of her characters and totally brings them to life. Highly recommend.
December 2, 2020
Ben And Anita Tell Their Stories! A Very Realistic Story Of Struggle Within A Family.
This is bundle one of two in the Still Life with Memories series. This bundle includes the first two of five books in total. Books one and two chronologically come last in the series. They tell the story of a family struggling with divorce, health issues, and forgiveness. Bundle two includes the last three books in the series. They tell the story of Lenny and Natasha, which chronologically precedes the books in this bundle. Each book in the series may be read as a standalone, but collectively they tell a very realistic story of struggle within a family – between husband and wife as well as between father and son.
FROM: MY OWN VOICE, BOOK 1
An Unusual Story Told By An Imperfect Young Woman. After Divorcing Natasha, Lenny Marries Youthful Anita.
This is book one of the five part Still Life with Memories series.
Anita, raised by a single mother in a Santa Monica rent-controlled apartment, learned about men at a very young age. She learned that her looks give her attention and power over men. But that attention has also brought problems, like the attention she gets from her mother’s boyfriends. Her mother resents her for that.
Lenny Kaminsky is in his forties when a sixteen year old Anita throws herself at him at the ice cream parlor in which she works, though his age is insignificant to her. Little does she fully comprehend what he means when he tells her she reminds him of someone he once knew. She loses her job as a result of her stunt, which guilts him into accompanying her home. When she makes a bold pass at him, Lenny is so lost to his memories that he doesn’t stop her. But Anita’s mother walks into the apartment only to throw her out for her behavior. Lenny, of course, feels responsible for his part in her predicament.
That day began a ten year period of ups and downs for Lenny and Anita. Whenever Lenny’s ex-wife, Natasha, returned to him, Lenny welcomed her back. Natasha had always been Anita’s competition. And after seeing the pictures of Natasha, there was no doubt about what Lenny saw in Anita. He saw Natasha. Anita could pass as a younger doppelganger.
But as the present story opens, Anita, twenty-six, has just become Lenny’s wife. She is about half his age and is pregnant. He married her despite the fact that everyone he knew advised him otherwise. She hardly compares to the beautiful and talented Natasha. Natasha had been a talented pianist, was cultured, and didn’t suffer from poor grammar, unlike Anita. Lenny looks at Anita, but she thinks he still sees his Natasha. Nevertheless, Anita is now married to Lenny and a member of his family, which includes his twenty-seven year old son Ben, who has just returned home and met her. Navigating her new situation, living in the home that Lenny and Natasha shared so many years, and living with two men is a challenge. Worse, Lenny still harbors secrets even after all these years.
This is an unusual story told by an imperfect young woman. Anita is far from innocent in her story. Her age cannot excuse everything, though her childhood sheds light on her actions. Lenny has his secrets and he lived a lifetime before Anita entered his life. Her eyes are open to this all along. She knew she would always come in second to Natasha, but she chose to stay, so it is difficult to have too much sympathy for her. As the story ends, there are gaps in time that remain explained and hints of what might come next. Stories remain untold and secrets remain hidden.
Newlywed Anita finds herself a stranger in her new home with her husband Lenny and his adult son Ben; between the tension in the home and Lenny’s devotion to his writing, married life is anything but simple. The story is well-written. The plot is complex but obscure and very slow to roll out. The characters are carefully crafted. The story is written in first person from Anita’s POV. I rate this book four stars.
FROM: THE WHITE PIANO, BOOK 2
Tensions Rise As Father And Son Search For Forgiveness While Also Becoming Rivals.
This is book two of the five part Still Life with Memories series. It is a story of struggle between and father and his son. Book one, My Own Voice, is told in Anita’s point of view. This is told in Ben’s point of view, covering roughly the same period of time (minus Anita and Lenny’s backstory). The story opens about one month after Lenny’s marriage to Anita. It helps to have first read book one, though this can be read as a standalone.
Ben Kaminsky left home ten years ago, at the age of seventeen. His parents’ marriage was imploding and the pain of living under the same roof would have killed him had he not packed a bag and headed from his California home to Europe. With his parents’ support he spent time in Firenze, Rome, and Tel Aviv. He had attended medical school for two years but dropped out, drifting aimlessly instead. He had never had a job in his decade abroad, and was fearful his family might discover his bumbling ways.
His parents, Lenny and Natasha, had fought about his father’s infidelity before Ben left home. His mother had been unable to forgive the single indiscretion and a divorce followed. The young girl that had been the source of the indiscretion – Anita, who had only been sixteen at the time – promptly moved in with his father, Ben learned from his gossiping aunts. Ten years later, his father had finally married Anita. That event had not gone off smoothly, however, because his father had been hospitalized due to an injury at the wedding, resulting in calls for Ben to return home.
One month later Ben, now twenty-seven, finds himself back in his childhood home. His father is now in his fifties, and though as handsome as ever, he is for now physically diminished as a result of his injury. Anita’s presence in the home causes all kinds of issues. To begin, she looks like a younger version of Ben’s mother, Natasha. She is beautiful and provocative. And she is a year younger than Ben. The youth that Ben and Anita share makes for an odd and uncomfortable living situation. But that just adds to the tension between Ben and his father. Ben returns home with the same hurts that sent him packing ten years ago. He is still damaged and emotional. His father, a would-be writer, is poor with words and struggles to explain what happened between him and Natasha to Ben’s satisfaction.
The distance between Ben and his parents had become more than just geography over the years. Ben has been isolated in many ways. He soon learns that his mother had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at age forty-six, four years after Ben left home. Ben is furious for having been kept in the dark. As if that were not enough, Anita lets out the news that she is expecting a baby. Ben struggles with his place in the world. He hopes to connect with his mother. He lays blame at his father’s feet for destroying their family, while he hopes desperately to feel accepted and loved by a father who has moved on and begun a new family in his absence. Ben is not happy with his father’s young wife, yet Anita’s presence tempts him, particularly as he observes that his father does not love her as he perhaps ought to. The atmosphere becomes tense as father and son veer towards becoming rivals.
Ben’s story is painful look into how families are impacted by infidelity, divorce, Alzheimer’s, and secrets. It is about the desperate need for forgiveness that drives the human heart. He leaves home as a hurt and confused teenager and returns home as a man unable to move forward in life and in need of answers. Lenny, Ben, and Anita each share blame in this story, but each is human and imperfect. It is in understanding where they come from, what their thoughts are, and where they go that the full tragedy is revealed. Here Ben’s point of view lends another perspective to this sad story. Ben finally earns a little closure in the end.
There is one issue that merits mention. There are two points in which the story skips ahead, but important bits have been left out, causing some confusion. For anyone hoping for a better explanation of the events, some details are found in Anita’s story, book one. To better explain what happens between chapters seventeen and eighteen in this book, reference the beginning of chapter thirteen and the tail end of chapter fifteen in My Own Voice. For anyone that wants to see more of Ben’s story, chapter sixteen of My Own Voice picks up after this book closes and gives a small peak into the near future from Anita’s perspective. This story serves a similar purpose, filling in a few unexplained gaps in the latter part of My Own Voice as well. Note that although there remain three more books in the series, they are Lenny and Natasha’s story – a look at the past. Chapter sixteen of My Own Voice is chronologically the furthest the collective story goes.
Ben struggles when he returns home to find his mother has Alzheimer’s and his father is newly remarried. Tensions rise as father and son search for forgiveness while also becoming rivals. The story is well-written. The plot is complex but obscure and very slow to roll out. The characters are carefully crafted. The story is written in first person from Ben’s POV. I rate this book four stars.
This is bundle one of two in the Still Life with Memories series. This bundle includes the first two of five books in total. Books one and two chronologically come last in the series. They tell the story of a family struggling with divorce, health issues, and forgiveness. Bundle two includes the last three books in the series. They tell the story of Lenny and Natasha, which chronologically precedes the books in this bundle. Each book in the series may be read as a standalone, but collectively they tell a very realistic story of struggle within a family – between husband and wife as well as between father and son.
FROM: MY OWN VOICE, BOOK 1
An Unusual Story Told By An Imperfect Young Woman. After Divorcing Natasha, Lenny Marries Youthful Anita.
This is book one of the five part Still Life with Memories series.
Anita, raised by a single mother in a Santa Monica rent-controlled apartment, learned about men at a very young age. She learned that her looks give her attention and power over men. But that attention has also brought problems, like the attention she gets from her mother’s boyfriends. Her mother resents her for that.
Lenny Kaminsky is in his forties when a sixteen year old Anita throws herself at him at the ice cream parlor in which she works, though his age is insignificant to her. Little does she fully comprehend what he means when he tells her she reminds him of someone he once knew. She loses her job as a result of her stunt, which guilts him into accompanying her home. When she makes a bold pass at him, Lenny is so lost to his memories that he doesn’t stop her. But Anita’s mother walks into the apartment only to throw her out for her behavior. Lenny, of course, feels responsible for his part in her predicament.
That day began a ten year period of ups and downs for Lenny and Anita. Whenever Lenny’s ex-wife, Natasha, returned to him, Lenny welcomed her back. Natasha had always been Anita’s competition. And after seeing the pictures of Natasha, there was no doubt about what Lenny saw in Anita. He saw Natasha. Anita could pass as a younger doppelganger.
But as the present story opens, Anita, twenty-six, has just become Lenny’s wife. She is about half his age and is pregnant. He married her despite the fact that everyone he knew advised him otherwise. She hardly compares to the beautiful and talented Natasha. Natasha had been a talented pianist, was cultured, and didn’t suffer from poor grammar, unlike Anita. Lenny looks at Anita, but she thinks he still sees his Natasha. Nevertheless, Anita is now married to Lenny and a member of his family, which includes his twenty-seven year old son Ben, who has just returned home and met her. Navigating her new situation, living in the home that Lenny and Natasha shared so many years, and living with two men is a challenge. Worse, Lenny still harbors secrets even after all these years.
This is an unusual story told by an imperfect young woman. Anita is far from innocent in her story. Her age cannot excuse everything, though her childhood sheds light on her actions. Lenny has his secrets and he lived a lifetime before Anita entered his life. Her eyes are open to this all along. She knew she would always come in second to Natasha, but she chose to stay, so it is difficult to have too much sympathy for her. As the story ends, there are gaps in time that remain explained and hints of what might come next. Stories remain untold and secrets remain hidden.
Newlywed Anita finds herself a stranger in her new home with her husband Lenny and his adult son Ben; between the tension in the home and Lenny’s devotion to his writing, married life is anything but simple. The story is well-written. The plot is complex but obscure and very slow to roll out. The characters are carefully crafted. The story is written in first person from Anita’s POV. I rate this book four stars.
FROM: THE WHITE PIANO, BOOK 2
Tensions Rise As Father And Son Search For Forgiveness While Also Becoming Rivals.
This is book two of the five part Still Life with Memories series. It is a story of struggle between and father and his son. Book one, My Own Voice, is told in Anita’s point of view. This is told in Ben’s point of view, covering roughly the same period of time (minus Anita and Lenny’s backstory). The story opens about one month after Lenny’s marriage to Anita. It helps to have first read book one, though this can be read as a standalone.
Ben Kaminsky left home ten years ago, at the age of seventeen. His parents’ marriage was imploding and the pain of living under the same roof would have killed him had he not packed a bag and headed from his California home to Europe. With his parents’ support he spent time in Firenze, Rome, and Tel Aviv. He had attended medical school for two years but dropped out, drifting aimlessly instead. He had never had a job in his decade abroad, and was fearful his family might discover his bumbling ways.
His parents, Lenny and Natasha, had fought about his father’s infidelity before Ben left home. His mother had been unable to forgive the single indiscretion and a divorce followed. The young girl that had been the source of the indiscretion – Anita, who had only been sixteen at the time – promptly moved in with his father, Ben learned from his gossiping aunts. Ten years later, his father had finally married Anita. That event had not gone off smoothly, however, because his father had been hospitalized due to an injury at the wedding, resulting in calls for Ben to return home.
One month later Ben, now twenty-seven, finds himself back in his childhood home. His father is now in his fifties, and though as handsome as ever, he is for now physically diminished as a result of his injury. Anita’s presence in the home causes all kinds of issues. To begin, she looks like a younger version of Ben’s mother, Natasha. She is beautiful and provocative. And she is a year younger than Ben. The youth that Ben and Anita share makes for an odd and uncomfortable living situation. But that just adds to the tension between Ben and his father. Ben returns home with the same hurts that sent him packing ten years ago. He is still damaged and emotional. His father, a would-be writer, is poor with words and struggles to explain what happened between him and Natasha to Ben’s satisfaction.
The distance between Ben and his parents had become more than just geography over the years. Ben has been isolated in many ways. He soon learns that his mother had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at age forty-six, four years after Ben left home. Ben is furious for having been kept in the dark. As if that were not enough, Anita lets out the news that she is expecting a baby. Ben struggles with his place in the world. He hopes to connect with his mother. He lays blame at his father’s feet for destroying their family, while he hopes desperately to feel accepted and loved by a father who has moved on and begun a new family in his absence. Ben is not happy with his father’s young wife, yet Anita’s presence tempts him, particularly as he observes that his father does not love her as he perhaps ought to. The atmosphere becomes tense as father and son veer towards becoming rivals.
Ben’s story is painful look into how families are impacted by infidelity, divorce, Alzheimer’s, and secrets. It is about the desperate need for forgiveness that drives the human heart. He leaves home as a hurt and confused teenager and returns home as a man unable to move forward in life and in need of answers. Lenny, Ben, and Anita each share blame in this story, but each is human and imperfect. It is in understanding where they come from, what their thoughts are, and where they go that the full tragedy is revealed. Here Ben’s point of view lends another perspective to this sad story. Ben finally earns a little closure in the end.
There is one issue that merits mention. There are two points in which the story skips ahead, but important bits have been left out, causing some confusion. For anyone hoping for a better explanation of the events, some details are found in Anita’s story, book one. To better explain what happens between chapters seventeen and eighteen in this book, reference the beginning of chapter thirteen and the tail end of chapter fifteen in My Own Voice. For anyone that wants to see more of Ben’s story, chapter sixteen of My Own Voice picks up after this book closes and gives a small peak into the near future from Anita’s perspective. This story serves a similar purpose, filling in a few unexplained gaps in the latter part of My Own Voice as well. Note that although there remain three more books in the series, they are Lenny and Natasha’s story – a look at the past. Chapter sixteen of My Own Voice is chronologically the furthest the collective story goes.
Ben struggles when he returns home to find his mother has Alzheimer’s and his father is newly remarried. Tensions rise as father and son search for forgiveness while also becoming rivals. The story is well-written. The plot is complex but obscure and very slow to roll out. The characters are carefully crafted. The story is written in first person from Ben’s POV. I rate this book four stars.
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