A Favorite Son in The Creative Spark with Uvi Poznansky

Mar 13, 2013 Eleonore Caron rated it it was amazing

Shelves: pdf-gifted-to-me

I very much admire Uvi Poznansky! She is a great writer and artist. The art work on the cover of A Favourite Son is stunning. I have been following Uvi's activities from her blog to her art gallery to her internet radio interview. I also entered her writing contest. This lady is very educated and sophisticated. She was kind to me and supportive of me too. I enjoyed her book , the characters came to life as she described the deception against the father. I think it was like the bible story and co ...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Dolores Ayotte rated it it was amazing

I am an author. Once again, after reading a book penned by gifted Author Uvi Poznansky, I am able to dream of my possible potential should I follow in her footsteps and continue in my endeavors to stretch my talents like she so adeptly manages to do. Her astonishing knack of expertly drawing from her creative and artistic abilities never ceases to amaze me.

Most of us are familiar with the well-known Bible story of Jacob and Esau. Twin sons born to Rebecca and Isaac in their later years, are at o I am an author. Once again, after reading a book penned by gifted Author Uvi Poznansky, I am able to dream of my possible potential should I follow in her footsteps and continue in my endeavors to stretch my talents like she so adeptly manages to do. Her astonishing knack of expertly drawing from her creative and artistic abilities never ceases to amaze me.

Most of us are familiar with the well-known Bible story of Jacob and Esau. Twin sons born to Rebecca and Isaac in their later years, are at odds and in competition to inherit the much coveted blessing from their father on his deathbed. The collaboration that takes place between mother and her favorite son, Yankle, in order to dupe Isaac effectively demonstrates the length some parents will go to in their unfairness, or what I refer to as, the "division" of their love. According to the main thread skillfully woven into this novel, the phenomenon of favoring one child over another may be a curse not only for the favored child but for the rejected one as well. I purposely use the word "division" of love to describe the favoritism both Rebecca and Isaac displayed for opposite sons in this story in order to stress what I consider to be a poignant point.

In my opinion, neither parent expresses true love. True love does not divide families nor does it create ugly competitiveness, sibling rivalry, jealously, hatred, anger and all the other undesirable, negative traits expressed between these two sons. Neither parent shows love for their offspring nor toward each other. It has been said that true love multiplies...it never divides. When one discovers this definition of love and fully embraces this concept, the negative emotions experienced by this family and many others, will no longer exist. To me, that is the true moral to this Bible story.

Ms. Poznansky takes an age old story and gives it a modern twist. The reader is invited into the tortured psyche of Yankle and the grief, guilt, and full knowledge of the consequence of his deception in order to demonstrate what a living hell is all about. Yankle is haunted by his choice, that of manipulating his father's deteriorating physical condition along with his mother, in order to steal his brother, Esav's birthright. He does not want to repeat history in his own life and continue with this kind of favoritism in his relationship with his own sons. This author shows not only by the cover she has so beautifully painted, but also by the words she has so carefully chosen to depict the results of such a past and present dilemma...the consequences of such a devious act.

To quote Ms. Poznansky when describing her book cover, she states, "To me, this is what this image means: looking directly at yourself, facing the pain and the ugly imperfections within, without any attempt to mask who you are--even if you find yourself on the verge of a meltdown." I think each of us will eventually reach this point in life, and regardless of what path we take to get there, we must face ourselves, our actions, our lives and learn what true love is all about...I think this is the genuine motive and goal behind the work of this talented artist and author. Her writing is meant to provoke, prod, persuade, and push us to the limits of our inner selves in order to tie it all together. In my opinion, she is not only showing us a part of herself, her every desire is for us to see our own reflection in her work and see what personal message it holds. She has certainly succeeded with me... ...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Sheila rated it it was amazing

Shelves: coming-of-age, cultural, spiritual, short-stories, historical, lunchtime-read

Dysfunctional families aren’t reserved just for the modern day, and this story retells what must be one of the most classic cases in history. The fact that it’s Biblical history just adds to the mystique.

It’s the gentle twists of difference that bring this tale of Jacob and Esau to life and give it power. Yankle, the younger son, grows up resenting his bigger, stronger, marginally older brother. Parental favorites wound. Meanwhile the beloved mother appears as a foreigner, carried away from home ...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Oleg rated it it was amazing

"A Favorite Son" is a retelling of a well-known Biblical tale of Jacob and Esau, their mother Rebecca, and Isaac, son of Abraham.

Esav and Yankle, in this version, are twins who are born after their mother, Becky, has prayed to God for twenty years to have children. Esav is the first-born by just a "split second" and Yankle, no matter how close he feels to his brother, is always envious of his brother. Yankle tricks his brother into selling his birthright for a pot a stew; Becky tricks her blind ...more

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Jul 04, 2013 Christoph Fischer rated it it was amazing

"A Favorite Son" by Uvi Poznansky is a well crafted and superbly written re-telling of a Biblical story. The rivalry between Jacob and Esav about who is the favorite son. The competition between the two is an old theme and Poznansky does a brilliant job at bringing it into modern day experience and sensitivity. It is a tale of greed, betrayal and twisted family relations.
Told from the perspective of the second born twin brother Yankle (Jacob) it shows his hate, insecurities, envy and desperation ...more

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Aug 15, 2013 Julia rated it it was amazing

One of the most unforgettable images in "A Favorite Son" is the long-sleeved goatskin coat of the narrator's mother. At the beginning, the coat is described as "kept safely in her chest, hidden from the eyes of the world." As the story unfolds, in an effort to protect, conceal, and betray, this treasured coat is ripped to shreds, becoming a vivid symbol of the power struggle tearing this family apart.

In "A Favorite Son," Uvi Poznansky engages the readers with the eternal themes that have occupie ...more

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