Uvi’s Comments (group member since Apr 09, 2012)

Uvi’s comments from the The Creative Spark with Uvi Poznansky group.

Just finished reading The Lonely Tree and here is my review:

Tonia is a teenage girl whose family immigrates to British Mandate Palestine to escape the danger of extermination in Nazi-occupied Poland, only to be faced with the hardships of adjusting to a new language, a harsh land, and the constant threat of war and destruction. It is against this backdrop that she starts to doubt the ideology of her father, Joseph Shulman, who wishes to take root in this place. And as befits a young woman with a rebellious twist of mind, she goes against his wishes and finds herself drawn to Amos Amrani, a young man of Yemenite background, with “Large heavily lashed green eyes above hollow cheeks.” The contrasts between them are undeniable in more ways than one. She is fair, he is dark. Their political views and cultural upbringing are vastly different. Yet despite—or maybe because—of all this, they are destined to fall in love.

The plot resonates so well with me, because it brings back to me the place I grew up and because it reminds me of similar stories I have heard from my parents about this era. The descriptions and the references to historical events are authentic, and Tonia is a fascinating character. I find it particularly interesting that her path in the story traces the steps the author has taken in life—but in some places, in reverse. The paths of Ms. Politis and her character have crossed, reality and fiction have been brought together, which makes for a vivid and accurate historical detail. It also yields an intimate familiarity with the turmoil during this time, both politically and personally. Torn between love and the need for a safe place, Tonia must make tough decisions. She leaves Kfar Etzion in Israel, hoping to find the security she longs for in Michigan.

The title is deceptively simple. Named by the first settlers, the Lonely Tree stands for a large oak tree that in their minds, has become a symbol of the Etzion Bloc. Perhaps, to reflect the title more accurately, the cover should have featured a single, lonely tree instead of five in a row. The author describes the siege and fall of Kfar Etzion to the Arab Legion during hostilities, just before Israel’s War of Independence. Tonia’s father, Joseph Shulman is one of the fallen during the massacre that ensues. It is his voice, expressing faith in the future of the nation, that comes back from beyond the grave years later, when she goes back to visit the site. “Would you believe that we are too weak, too unworthy, to seise for ourselves a common destiny?”

Five stars.

"I am here with her, yet this chill is meant for me alone.
I hold my breath until she lulls herself back to sleep. Faint shadows start dancing on the wall. I read the shapes, trying to invent someone, a listener.
You.
I whisper, Come in... Call me insane, who cares? Who the hell cares if you refuse to trust me, if you insist on clinging to your kind of reality, which is as dull as it is solid... Mine, I insist, is not a dream.
But even if it is... Even so, it is true! How can you deny it? Here is my story. I am opening it up to you.
I can see why at first glance what you see here—these letters which I jotted here, on these papyrus rolls—may seem scattered, even scary. I understand why you step back from my door, why you look over your shoulder to find the guard...
Come in! Will you? Will you read these scribblings? Can you see my sword, which I have drawn here, look! Can you see it the way I do, lifting out of the ink and into the air, turning magically over, around and around, right here in the center of the space?
If you can, then—by the flash of it—I shall take you along, to leap with me into the surface of the steely thing. Down into its depths. Into my reflection."

David in Rise to Power

Take a listen to the last part of this excerpt, read by the my voice artist, the prolific David George: Come in, will you?

I have just gone off the air after a lovely chat with co-hosts Vanney-Vanessa Thompson and author LJ Jamela Thomas.

Check it out: a lovely chat on radio

I am in awe!
Wanda "Panda" Hartzenberg is a top rated reviewer, and the author of a new book, The Struggle of Me. She ranks #2 top readers, #11 best reviewers , #1 top reviewers on Goodreads. So I am deeply honored that she posted this review, on Amazon and Goodreads, for my novel Apart From Love:

★★★★★ I am in awe!, January 22, 2014
By Wanda "Wandah Panda" (Pretoria, South Africa) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Apart From Love (Paperback)
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.

Get ★★★★★ APART FROM LOVE
♥ Ebook ♥ http://BookShow.me/B006WPITP0
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Finished reading The Day Miriam Hirsch Disappeared and here is my review:

Like a musical score that goes back at the conclusion to its first note, this story is perfectly played out between its opening note, "The day Miriam Hirsch disappeared was so hot your could almost see the sidewalk blister," and its ending note, "Other things were fast taking precedence. Hitler annexed Austria, and the news coming out of Europe was grim. No one seemed to remember the day Miriam Hirsch disappeared." Inspired by photographs from a book called, The Jews of Chicago, here is a return to the city of Chicago during the 1930s. This short read is the prequel to four Ellie Foreman novels, which became a prequel to the Georgia Davis series. For me, this turn of events gives us insight into the creative process, where each project is a stepping stone to the next one.

The story is a snapshot of two teenage boys--the narrator and Barney--growing up in two very different families. "We were cultured, assimilated. They were rabble... We were merchants, doctors, lawyers. They worked in factories, sweat shops, and, well, restaurants." Told in a conversational tone in the first narrative, the story vividly captures the locale and the feel of the era, in a way that is integral to the story. "The first time I saw Miriam, Barney and I were wolfing down brisket sandwiches in the restaurant; I could feel gravy dribbling past my chin." Not long after that, her body is found. "The cops identified her by her purse."

What more can you ask for, when faced with a beautiful girl and a crime to be solved? Highly recommended.

Five stars.

Just finished reading Five stars.Maid for the Billionaire and here is my review:

The story starts out with Dominic expressing a note of bitterness towards his father. “By dying now, his father has won again. That old bastard.” This sentence at once identifies him as a rebellious son, a man bent on hating the idea of family, which explains his rigid ideal in a relationship. No promises. No complications. Just sex.

Given this starting point, will his budding attraction to Abby bring about a change in him? Will he mature into a man who embraces not only her, but the very idea of a family? And will Abby become more resilient by daring to take risks in their new relationship?

Beyond being an enjoyable romance, this book presents a clash of personalities and the ways they compliment each other, and help each other mature and become stronger through the twists and turns of the plot.

Still seething with disappointment over losing Merav, I go on to moan, “He hates me, and so does Michelle! For her, any price is too much, but what her father demands of me is simply ridiculous.”
“Let me guess,” Joav narrows his eyes.”Are you to hunt a lion and tear it apart with your bare hands?”
“No—”
“Drag a leviathan to shore and cut open its belly?”
“No—”
“Slay a dragon?”
“I wish!”
“What, then?” Joav asks, but by the sly smile hiding under his mustache I suspect he already knows the answer.
“You playing with me?” I say. “I am to come up with a hundred Philistine foreskins.”
“Ha! Is that what a princess goes for these days?”
I answer by asking, “Can you believe it?”
Out of nowhere he pulls up a third knife, and without missing a beat throws it up. “Question is, how hard can it be to get it?”
I shrug. “At the time I still entertained the hope of reaching out to the enemy, obtaining what I need by diplomatic means.”
“Ha!” He catches the other two knives behind his back. “That doesn’t sound like fun to me, not at all.”
“I tried, really, I tried to talk sense to those infidels.”
“Let me guess: you told them all about the joys of converting to our faith.”
“How did you know?”
“Then you overstated the medical benefits of circumcision, and understated the pain.”
“I did.”
“No takers, ha?”
“None. Naturally I had no choice but to resort to military means.”
“By which you mean, slaughter.”
“Yes.”
Joav aims a knife at a target carved in the bark of the olive tree.
“I hope,” he shoots, “that the princess would love you for it.”
“She wouldn’t.”
“Forgive me for saying so, but her father is entitled to drive a stiff bargain, especially when he’s dealing with a commoner like you.”
I must admit, “Stiff it is.”

From my upcoming book, The David Chronicles, Vol. I





This is a quick paper cutout of a dragon, which I made yesterday,
and let loose in my library...
Who knows how high it will soar!

Still, his lips are moving. “Now that you are back,” he lets out, “things will go back the way they ought to go. I want you to know it.”
I see him forming words, but his voice is too weak to carry them. So I bend over, putting my ear to his mouth.
He breathes, “Here—now—I could not have written it any better.”
And a moment later, “This is the most important day, the most important hour of my entire life. I can see things clearly, more than ever before, as if from a distance. You,” he takes a pause, “you have made your share of mistakes—but the whole thing started with mine.”
“Sorry, dad,” I say.
And he says, “It is my fault, and we both know it. Both of us have been paying the price. Don’t—don’t worry, son. I am going to fix it.”
These few words between us do me good, and my lungs expand and suddenly I can breathe so much easier than before—even though I am left wondering what he means by the whole thing and how exactly can it be fixed.

Get ★★★★★ APART FROM LOVE
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Audio http://tinyurl.com/aprtl-a
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✿(•̃̃‿•̃̃ ♡ ◦°˚ Looking for a gift for the special child in your life?
Here are my two children’s books, written in rhyme, featuring colorful illustrations based on my art! Check them out:

♥ Now I Am Paper ♥ http://bookshow.me/1494919427
♥ Jess and Wiggle ♥ http://bookshow.me/1494920964

Yael Politis is an author and translator. Her three historical novels The Way the World Is, Olivia, Mourning and The Lonely Tree are exquisitely written. So I am deeply honored that she posted this review for my story, A Favorite Son:

★★★★★ Re-reading the Bible, January 13, 2014
By Yael Politis (Pardes Hanna, Israel) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase

Ms. Poznansky provides a new interpretation of the rivalry between Jacob and Esau - or Ya’acov and Esav as pronounced in Hebrew. In fact, she focuses on this story more as a power struggle between Rebecca and Isaac than between their twin sons, as well as a cautionary tale about the consequences of parental favoritism.

As Ya’acov muses: “But I think, it is one thing for me to cheat my brother. It is another thing altogether for her to do it to her son.”

And after stealing his father’s blessing and fleeing his camp Ya’acov finds himself alone in the desert, thinking, “Well, if that was a blessing, I wonder what a curse might look like; because here I am, lost, hungry, empty-handed, and stranded in the middle of nowhere.”

Ms. Poznansky has added to the story several elements that - to the best of my recollection - do not exist in the Biblical tale, one of them being a meeting in the desert between Rebecca and her two sons, after which: “Beware, my son!” said the voice. “Being the favorite son is as much of a curse as being the one rejected.”

This curse is bequeathed to the next generation - to Ya’acov and Yosef - and the author provides a novel idea for how Yosef came by his beautiful striped coat of many colors. Read A Favorite Son to find out how.

I keep telling myself, Listen, just hear me out: this is foolish! It is utter lunacy on your part, and can result in nothing but disaster. You would end up lying there, a barely recognizable prostrate figure on the ground, separated limb from limb.
Oh, you would not know the first thing to do when the time comes, when you set foot on that battlefield, and feel the dirt under your tows sinking, drenched with urine, because other fools before you have lost their nerve right there, in that spot. And so would you, only to find out—by the heavy, pungent stink of it—what it means to be a coward.
On and on I go, pleading with myself. I say, Stop! Consider who you are: a child, who above all enjoys strumming a lyre, not only because it inspires you—but because it brings everyone else around you so close to tears. They cannot help but worship your innocent look, and the heavenly sound of your voice. Yes, they think you an angel! But of course, you know better...
Now, wipe that smirk off your face. Admit it: their adoration is something you need. You must have it in much the same way you need air. It fills a void inside.
So why turn into a fighter, all of a sudden? Beware of yourself. Beware of hasty moves in the wrong direction. War is a bloody game. Not for you!
But the more I try to reason with myself, the more I know: it is all talk, talk, talk—to no avail. I cannot listen, cannot heed any warning whatsoever, because I despise that voice, the meek, cautious voice in me. What is the value of life and limb, when a larger purpose is here, calling me? Oh Lord, how can I resist this pull, this incredible temptation, when thoughts of facing an enemy—the stronger, the better!—have been swelling inside my head for several weeks now?
What challenge could be more thrilling than finding a way to come out of this fight not only alive—but victorious? What better way to define who I am, than defining who my foe is—and having done so, defeating him?
I am lost... I am obsessed. Fame, grandeur, glory!

Get ★★★★★‬ RISE TO POWER
Ebook ★ http://bookShow.me/B00H6PMZ0U
Print ★ http://bookShow.me/098499324X

Just finished Olivia, Mourning.

Played out against an explosive backdrop of slavery, racism, women's right, and the struggle for freedom, here is an unconventional title with a cleverly thought-out dual meaning. It suggests grief, but goes beyond that to offer an unusual pairing between two fascinating characters: Olivia Killion, a white teenage girl determined to run her father’s farm but cannot make it a success on her own, and Mourning Free, a black orphan who knows how to fix a wagon wheel, raise a barn, put on a roof, clear a field, and shoe a horse. “Won’t expect to be paid as much as a white man either.”

The overlay of sadness and hope in the name Mourning Free is amazing to me. It enriches the text every time it appears. The writing is exquisitely crafted. “The first thing the Jacksons did was change their name to Free. The anti-slavery people tried to talk them into choosing something else, saying it was far too obvious, but Wilis and Rosie were set on being called Free. Sadly they enjoyed only a few months of liberty before Willis succumbed to influenza. Then a few weeks later Rosie died giving birth to Mourning.”

When Mourning was four he began working alongside his foster father. Olivia knew him all her life. She was the one who taught him to read and write. Because of the prevalent racism, Olivia must now disguise the connection between them, and pretend that their partnership is nothing more than a relationship between master and servant—until, in the final twist of the story, she knows she can no longer hide it.

The dialog imparts the natural rhythms of speech. It also reflects the historical period with great ease when describing clothing, laws, and attitudes. I love the little details: for example, when Olivia hands two five dollar coins to Mourning, she tells him, “Safest thing would be to keep one in each boot. No matter what, you’ve always got some money.”

This is a story about survival against all odds. Out of suffering, comes the possibility of a new beginning, one without the need for pretense. Out of grief, hope.

Five stars.

Let me give you the dearest gift that I can
Do not refuse me, for my story began
With passion at heart, guilt down at the gut
And sentences that I weave, then turn and cut
Now I give it to you, and this is my plea
Hold my book in your hand, it is yours, it is for thee!

♥  Rise to Power ♥ http://bookShow.me/B00H6PMZ0U
♥ Apart From Love ♥ http://BookShow.me/B006WPITP0
♥ A Favorite Son ♥ http://bookShow.me/B00AUZ3LGU
♥ Twisted ♥ http://bookShow.me/B00D7Q3IY4

The moment I have dreaded for quite some time is upon me... My new release Rise to Power has been charged, and with words none too kind: "Not Kosher." And my book A Favorite Son has been named 'the worst story ever read' based on an accusation of blasphemy. So I invite you to make your own judgement:

Is it blasphemy? "Not Kosher"? You Decide!

Brenda Perlin is the author of Reality Bites, Shattered Reality, and Burnt promises. I am thrilled that she posted this review for my novel, Apart From Love:

★★★★★ Lovely!, January 6, 2014
By brendaperlin - See all my reviews
This review is from: Apart From Love (Kindle Edition)
Apart From Love has a way of seducing you and pulling the reader in. This was an intriguing story that shared more than one point of view which I really enjoyed. It was a nice touch. I found this to be a very entertaining compelling read. Hearing about these dysfunctional families caught my interest. This is a very passionate story that was done in a creative way. The writing was sharp without being complicated. There were some unusual moments in this well written, somewhat poetic story that really captured my attention and kept me intrigued and entertained all the way though.

Christian Ashley is an author of Historical Romance, Paranormal Fiction, and Erotic Fantasy. I am truly honored that she posted this review for Rise to Power:

★★★★★ Rise to Power (The David Chronicles) is Fabulous – Absolutely Brilliant, January 5, 2014
By Christian Ashley
Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rise to Power (The David Chronicles) (Kindle Edition)
Uvi Poznansky combined her superb knowledge of Biblical history and her amazing sense of humor to create David’s story. In Rise to Power, David is looking back on his life and telling not only his story, but how he thought and felt at the time. It is told in first person and from his perspective, which has a modern flair similar to some of the author’s other work – A Favorite Son and Twisted for example.
With David at the center during a time of war and constant upheaval for the people, his story, as told through Poznansky, made me laugh out loud more times than I could count. Rise to Power in many ways, makes sense of some of the difficult to understand and nonlinear parts of the Bible, and it was so enjoyable to read that I am reading it again (aloud to my husband) and anxiously awaiting the next book of this series. I really loved it – Five Stars!

✿(•̃̃‿•̃̃ ♡ ◦°˚ 

Get ★★★★★ RISE TO POWER:
♡ Ebook ♡ http://bookShow.me/B00H6PMZ0U
♡ Print ♡ http://bookShow.me/098499324X

You may recall the play-in-a-play, performed by the rude mechanics at the end of Midsummer Night's Dream, aptly described in their own words as 'The most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby.' These would-be actors, whose ability to express themselves is unabashedly mocked by their audience, are used by Shakespeare mainly for comic relief. The play they perform is merely a farce of the Romeo and Juliet love story. Why, you may ask? Because like most artists and playwrights of that era, the bard knew only too well that he ought to entertain and complement his patrons, the most important of which where members of the royal court. This is the reason that characters who speak in slang were nearly never placed center-stage, as the hero of the story. Such characters were portrayed as simpletons, and by no means were they given any depth of feeling.

It was only later in the history of literature that characters of the lower class were taken seriously, and their point of view began to resonate, despite much controversy, with readers and theatre goers. For example, Between 1961 and 1982, The Catcher in the Rye was the most censored book in high schools and libraries in the United States. And yet today, it is recognized as an American classic, giving voice to teenage confusion, angst, alienation and rebellion. I suggest to you that in even today, there are two clashing views about the use of slang-talking characters, one from those who see themselves as 'upscale, educated nobility'--and the other, the more 'democratic' one, from the rest of us.

Recently I was reminded of this clash, when I posted an excerpt from Apart From Love in Anita's voice. You would be hard-pressed to find a three-syllable word in anything she says. The lack of long words is compensated by descriptive sequence of short words (see the replacement for ‘magnifying glass’ below.) You can spot a liberal use of the dreaded double-negative, and of the word ‘like’. In the excerpt she describes the memory of her first kiss with Lenny. Some readers told me, tongue-in-cheek, that the would need a cold shower by the time she completes her story. But one reader found the style of the excerpt incosistent. He complained that at times Anita is lyrical, and at other times her thoughts are expressed in slang.

As a side note, let me share a little secret with you: even though that reader rejected the excerpt on intellectual grounds (which he is entitled to do) he did get it on an intuitive level. How do I know this? Because the very same day I got a 'romantic' invitation from him to join a social network for setting up dates. So, Anita's hot description did its charm on him, and for some reason, he must have combined to two of us in his mind. I had a little chuckle about this, as did my loved one...

So I ask you: why can't a character combine both? Are we still bound to write for the Pyramus and Thisby audience? Even if your grammar is atrocious, even if your vocabulary is somewhat lacking, does that mean you can't feel the throes of pain, or the exhilaration of joy? Does it mean you can't paint what you see, feel and think? As you form your own answer, I invite you to sense the texture and the power of unrefined language, by listening to Anita's voice once more:

"What matters is only what’s here. I touch my skin right under my breasts, which is where the little one’s curled, and where he kicks, ‘cause he has to. Like, he don’t feel so cosy no more. Here, can you feel it? I reckon he wants me to talk to him. He can hear me inside, for sure. He can hear every note of this silvery music.
It ripples all around him, wave after wave. I can tell that it’s starting to sooth him. It’s so full of joy, of delight, even if to him, it’s coming across somewhat muffled. Like a dream in a dream, it’s floating inside, into his soft, tender ear.
I close my eyes and hold myself, wrapping my arms real soft—around me around him—and I rock ever so gently, back and forth, back and forth, with every note of this silvery marvel. You can barely hear me—but here I am, singing along. I’m whispering words into myself, into him."

Fall in love with Anita, "the diamond in the rough"
Treat yourself to a gift
Apart From Love
★ Audiobook ★ Ebook ★ Print ★



Detail from the cover of Apart From Love

It all started, innocently enough, with a meal. A real meal, I mean, made with a fresh kill over a roaring fire, under the open sky; not one that is made with stored, half-cooked cuts of meat and reheated, somehow, in a stuffy restaurant kitchen, the likes of which can be found down over there, along the inhabited, coastal regions of Canaan, near the city of Ashdod. Luckily none of those establishments can be found here, at the frontier of this desert, which is where our camp is set.
Don’t let them fool you: Anyone can barbecue a steak—but really, cooking a stew is another matter altogether. The pot must be simmering for several hours; and so, from time to time you must drizzle in some water, which in this wasteland is nearly impossible to come by. Most wells around here are bone-dry, or else fiercely guarded, and rarely shared by other tribes.
Next you must find a well-trained chef. So let me assure you, son: There is no soul in the entire world, or at least in these parts, in Canaan, with a better nose than mine. Yankle’s nose—no one comes close!
When I sprinkle my secret blend of spices; here, take a sniff, can you smell it? When I chop these mouthwatering sun-dried tomatoes, add a few cloves of garlic for good measure, and let it all sizzle with lentils and meat—it becomes so scrumptious, so lip-smacking, finger-licking, melt-in-your-mouth good!
There is a certain ratio of flavors, a balance that creates a feast for the tongue and a delight for the mind; and having mastered that balance, with a pinch of imported cumin from the north of Persia, a dash of Saffron from the south of Egypt, I can tell you one thing: When the pot comes to a full bubbling point, and the aroma of the stew rises up in the air—it would make you dribble! Drive you to madness! For a single bite, you would sell your brother, if only you had one!

Yankle in A Favorite Son

✿(•̃̃‿•̃̃ ♡ ◦°˚ Yay! What a lovely way to start the new year: a review of Apart From Love!

★★★★★ Uvi Poznansky Apart from Love, January 2, 2014
By debbiebrooks37 - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Apart From Love (Paperback)
Apart from Love, is a book that you can not put down...its full of passionate conviction, of forbidden love.. The lonesome faceless figures that the shadows can't see.. I love this book ... It is a must read.
Debbie Brooks

(•̃̃‿•̃̃

Get ★★★★★ APART FROM LOVE
Ebook http://BookShow.me/B006WPITP0
Audio http://tinyurl.com/aprtl-a
Print http://bookShow.me/0984993207

Pamela wrote: "Hello. My name is Pamela, and I'm an avid reader and feel so much at home on Goodreads. I have just begun reading "A Favorite Son" by Uvi and will post my review after I've completed it."

Hi Pamela! You've just made my day. So glad you're reading A Favorite Son. It's a special feeling to know that my characters are beginning to come to life in your mind.