Dolls Kill - Shop now
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
$2.99 with 77 percent savings
Print List Price: $12.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.
Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Uvi Poznansky
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

A Favorite Son Kindle Edition

by Uvi Poznansky (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 out of 5 stars 114 ratings

In this plot of mistaken identity, Becky instructs her son to cheat his elderly father Isaac, who is lying on his deathbed. Will Jacob pretend to be that which he is not? Is he ready for the last moment he is going to have with his father?

This is a modern twist on a very old story of greed, love, and regrets. It is so much more than a morality tale. Do you find sibling rivalry in adults intriguing? Are you troubled by the notion that the sins of the fathers will be visited upon the children? If so, you will find this story utterly captivating

★★★★★ "A lively psychological study of family and of greed and longing for paternal love and more. It works spectacularly well."

Scroll up and get it now!
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    84 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    January 14, 2014
  5. File size
    3.3 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details

Editorial Reviews

Review

  • "She opens the old story to be instead a lively psychological study of family and of greed and longing for paternal love and more. It works spectacularly well." - Grady Harp, Hall of Fame Reviewer
  • "The author, by a masterful use of shifting tenses, creates an illusion that the story has happened both long time ago and in the present at the same time; which gives this story a new definition of "Timeless." - Oleg Medvedkov, Top 500 reviewer
  • "Author Uvi Poznansky adds a sense of immediacy to the tale as Yankle looks back on his past with a curious mix of modern and ancient perspectives." - Sheila Deeth, Top Amazon Reviewer, Vine Voice
  • "A Favorite Son sets brother against brother in an age-old quest for power. With each of them vying for their parents' love and respect, the winner comes to discover his victory is hollow... that sometimes it is better to lose the battle and thereby perhaps win the war. A well-written story that will hold your attention to the end. Highly recommended!" - Dan Glover, Author
  • "With masterful storytelling and rich, poetic prose that feeds all of the senses, she has breathed life into an old tale, giving it layers and depth which gives the reader a thought to pause and think." - Michelle Bellon, Author
  • "There is so much I enjoyed about this book, that I do not quite know where to begin. I read somewhere that Uvi Poznansky "paints with her words" and that she has a background in architecture. FAVORITE SON shows these with a strong building technique in her story and the colorful play with her words." - Maria Catalina Egan, Author
  • "Author Poznansky masterfully characterizes Jacob as an intelligent and self-reflective man who deeply regrets tricking his older twin, Esau, into exchanging his inheritance for a savory stew." - Linnea Tanner, Author

From the Author

The perils of biblical inspiration
Would you believe that writing biblically inspired books is a risky proposition? Let me suggest to you that it is. Why?
Because some of your readers may have only a vague recollection of the reference material, back from their days in Sunday school. Others may be totally unfamiliar with it, because they may come from a different culture altogether. So you have to introduce enough of the original story to the readers, and you better do it in a fresh way, one that highlights the immediacy of its meaning. Here, for example, is the voice of Yankle (based on the biblical Jacob) in my book A Favorite Son:
"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 lipsmacking, 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!"
By design, his voice is a direct and intimate one, letting you get close enough to taste, or at least to smell the aroma of his lentil soup. Not only that, but the 'you' in this passage is not just the preverbial you. Rather (as is revealed later) it is a character with a complex emotional relationship to the main character: his firstborn, who at the conclusion of the story is just about to fool Yankle in a most devastating way, by letting him believe that Joseph, his favorite son, has been devoured by a wild beast.
No wonder Yankle has a dark side. Here he is, pondering the bitterness of sibling rivalry, and the abuse of an elderly father by his son, which perpetuate themselves here from one generation to the next:
"It is an odd feeling. Have you ever faced it? Being dead to someone you envy; someone you miss, too; someone who knows you intimately and, even worse, has the chutzpa to occupy your thoughts day in, day out. It grinds down on your nerves; doesn't it? Trust me, being dead to your brother is not all that it is cracked up to be, but it does set you free--oh, don't act so surprised! It frees you from any lingering sense of obligation. Brother, you say to yourself. What does it mean, Brother? Nothing more than a pang, a dull pang in your heart.
You have betrayed him. Accept his hate. You need not talk to him ever again. For the rest of your life, you are free! A stranger-- that is what you are. A stranger, visited from time to time by dreams: Dreams about the mother you will never see again, and the father you left behind, on his deathbed. Dreams of waiting, waiting so eagerly for the next day, to meet your brother at the end of an endless exile. Dreams of grappling with him all night long, until the crack of dawn. Until your ankles give way. Until you lose your footing on the ground.
Then, rising up to take you is the darkness of the earth; which is where you wake up at sunrise to find yourself alone."
Some of your readers may be well versed with the reference material, and for them, you better offer an extra layer of meaning. For example, in the passage above, the sentence "Dreams of grappling with him all night long, until the crack of dawn. Until your ankles give way" is an allusion to Jacob grappling with the angel, the night before he meets his brother after years of estrangement. In the biblical story, this is symbolic of Jacob struggling with God. But in my modern interpretation, this is symbolic of Yankle struggling with his curse, the loneliness in which is he is stranded, now that his brother is his enemy.
A Favorite Son does not amplify what the bible says. In fact, it offers a secular point of view, and a mirror to our souls. To me, the bible is rife with drama, sex, and violence, which makes it a rich source, a place to explore the truth about ourselves, about our struggle between the angels and demons inside all of us. My Yankle is no hero, no one you might want to revere. Instead, he is a rebellious teenager, a sly smart-ass about to cheat his father. Which may well offend some readers, especially those who make the mistake to expect nothing more that an expansion of the original story. To such readers, my book may be seen as nothing less than blasphemy.
So? What do you think? Is writing biblically inspired books is a risky proposition?

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00AUZ3LGU
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Uviart
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 14, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.3 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 84 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 out of 5 stars 114 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Uvi Poznansky

Uvi Poznansky

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Uvi 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, made the USA TODAY bestselling list, as did her medical thriller box set, Do No Harm; and 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.

Still Life with Memories Bundle series includes volume I, Apart from Love (My Own Voice+The White Piano); and volume II: Apart from War (The Music of Us+Dancing with Air+Marriage before Death.)

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.)

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
114 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers appreciate how the book weaves a masterfully retold Biblical story in the modern age, with beautiful flowing writing and powerful emotions. They find it a remarkable read with pleasing humor, and one customer notes how the author skillfully characterizes Jacob.

Select to learn more

StorylineReadabilityWriting styleEmotional contentHumorArtist quality
36 customers mention "Storyline"32 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the storyline of this book, noting how it weaves a masterfully retold Biblical tale into the modern age.

"Sometimes it is helpful to hear a familiar story from a different perspective in order to understand more of what the story says and doesn’t say...." Read more

"Not impressed; it followed the biblical account but the time period was confusing, it wasn't clear; the story seemed to flip flop between the..." Read more

"...The underlying story holds very strongly to the conflict of Jacob and Esau, the twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca as described in the book of Genesis...." Read more

"I adore the way Uvi Poznansky is able to retell an ancient Bible tale in such a way as to draw the reader not only back into the past, but show how..." Read more

25 customers mention "Readability"25 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable and enjoyable to read, with one customer describing it as a literary feast.

"...I was pleasantly surprised to find this so well done. I would like to read more by this author." Read more

"...twin sons of Rebecca and Isaac of the old testament is done with a masterful pen...." Read more

"...Good read." Read more

"...A masterful retelling. Disclosure: I was lucky enough to buy this when it was free." Read more

19 customers mention "Writing style"19 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, describing it as beautifully written with a descriptive and flowing way with words, and an honest voice.

"...Beautifully written, A FAVORITE SON tells the story behind the legend. This book was a free Amazon download." Read more

"This is a retelling of a couple of themes from the Bible. Retold in more modern language, visual artist and author Poznansky tells a story of greed..." Read more

"...Ms. Poznansky, has a smooth voice packed with the delicacy of a fine prose, all the while pulling you deeper into an age-old tale told with a bit of..." Read more

"...the story mesmerizes the readers with his authentic, sincere, and honest voice. Honest despite the ultimate act of deceit he is about to commit...." Read more

9 customers mention "Emotional content"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's emotional depth, describing it as layered with powerful emotions, and one customer notes its mastery in portraying various feelings.

"...Uvi Poznansky's Biblical tales are always surprising, always lyrical, yet always modern and fresh...." Read more

"...first person narrator of the story mesmerizes the readers with his authentic, sincere, and honest voice...." Read more

"...The array of emotions is so palpable, the reader feels the hate, the jealousy as surely as the characters do...." Read more

"...This is a moral tale of the consequences of a parent favoring one child over another and pitting one against another to gain the father's blessing..." Read more

5 customers mention "Humor"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book, with one mentioning that Jacob is particularly humorous.

"...While the book is very funny, the underlying story of family dysfunction and the consequences of envy, favoritism, and deceit, as told in Genesis,..." Read more

"...There's a pleasing humor as he muses over religions born from his home or complains of "no bus ticket to be found; and... a plane ticket was out of..." Read more

"...Instead, the story plays out in a matter of fact, often humorous fashion...." Read more

"...The author appears to take turns respecting and mocking tradition, doing both in a delightful manner...." Read more

4 customers mention "Artist quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers praise the artist's skill, with one noting their intricate work and another highlighting how masterfully they characterize Jacob.

"Writing a review on a book authored by a talented and skillful artist, writer, and poet - Uvi Poznansky, is in itself an honor and privilege for an..." Read more

"...The author's prose is simply beautiful; she paints intricate and emotionally resonant pictures with her words, drawing us into the Biblical/modern..." Read more

"...Author Poznansky masterfully characterizes Jacob as an intelligent and self-reflective man who deeply regrets tricking his older twin, Esau, into..." Read more

"...Uvi is a special Artist and she is leading the way into the art of thought. May her trail blaze ever more until the end of night is meet." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Judie amsel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Isaac, Rebecca, and Sons: A modernized, sometimes funny, psychological perspective
    Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Sometimes it is helpful to hear a familiar story from a different perspective in order to understand more of what the story says and doesn’t say. A FAVORITE SON does that with the biblical story of Jacob (Yanklel), his parents, Isaac and Rebecca, and his twin brother, Esau (Esav).
    Uvi Poznansky tells the story from both a biblical and modern perspective emphasizing the psychological aspects. Basically it is the story of sibling rivalry and parental favoritism and highlights a rather dysfunctional foursome who still manage to occupy a positive place in religious history. Yankle questions how that came to be. Most of the story is identical to the biblical version but there are a few changes, some to relate to modern times.
    The story, told from Yankle’s perspective, opens from him saying Esav pulled ahead of him to become the first born by a split second. That was very important because the first born child inherited everything from his father. But Yankle questions why his mother told him that (“Why would [a mother] pit one son against another?”) because of how that knowledge affected his life and made him feel “a burning desire to surpass my brother....I had to win it all–or be left with nothing.” He was her favorite, as Esav was his father’s. Poznansky does not mention the Biblical story which has God telling Rebecca before the twins were born that “the older would serve the younger.”
    There are hints of Yankle’s future relationship with his own sons. Rebecca gives him the sleeve of her goatskin coat to deceive Isaac (in the original version he wears Esav’s clothes and has the animal skin on his arm) and Yankle pledges he will never show favoritism to any of his own children. (I saw Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat the night before I read this novella. So much for his remembering his vow.) Yankle offers Esav lentil stew, Esav asks if it’s kosher. The laws of kashrut, in fact the entire Bible, were still in the future. He decides the Yankle-in-the-Box restaurant chain was established in honor of his stew.
    In the Bible, after sending Yankle away to escape his brother’s wrath, Rebecca is not mentioned again. A FAVORITE SON has him seeing her in the desert, telling him part of her story while her dress, her black veil, tells him his father had died.
    Yankle considered his father to be wimp–his father sent a servant to find a wife for him, but, until he fled Esav’s fury, Yankle had never ventured away from home, either. (Isaac realized that they were very similar but that angle is not explored.) Yankle blames Isaac as well himself for his own weaknesses and notes the name his father gave him means “follower:” “How can a follower become a leader?”
    As he plans to give parting advice to his sons before he dies, Isaac observed “I have come to the conclusion based on many, many years of experience, that I can expect with perfect certainty, that my advice will be utterly and immediately ignored.
    While the discrepancies between A FAVORITE SON and the Bible are the writer’s prerogative, there was at least one contradiction: When Rebecca visits Isaac as he is dying, she asks “What will I do without you?” On the next page she tell him, “You have a long life ahead of you.”
    Beautifully written, A FAVORITE SON tells the story behind the legend.
    This book was a free Amazon download.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Ron K
    3.0 out of 5 stars An Updated Bible Story
    Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This is a retelling of a couple of themes from the Bible. Retold in more modern language, visual artist and author Poznansky tells a story of greed and jealousy related to which son will get an inheritance from a soon to die father. The father favors one son; the mother favors the other. The son trying to acquire the inheritance, the mother,s favorite, is still on a journey of seeking his own identity which includes a seeking of clarification of his relationships with his mother and father.

    I think this book would not be interesting unless the reader had previous knowledge of the original bible story. I do not feel this book can stand alone. I chose to read it because I wanted to give the story to my son to motivate him to read more history of the Bible. I read what I recommend him to read in order to have an informed discussion.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • sha sha
    2.0 out of 5 stars Quick read; not impressed
    Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Not impressed; it followed the biblical account but the time period was confusing, it wasn't clear; the story seemed to flip flop between the present and ancient time. The book, to me ended abruptly, then the author went into her timeline.
    8 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Susan Kaplan
    4.0 out of 5 stars Clever retelling of ancient story
    Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    A Favorite Son is a very clever retelling of the story of Jacob and Esau. The underlying story holds very strongly to the conflict of Jacob and Esau, the twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca as described in the book of Genesis. However, just as reading the Torah is a lot about reading between the lines and interpreting what is said, and not said, so, too, does A Favorite Son provide the "inside story" from the viewpoint of all the major characters in this tale. The story is set in modern times, with modern conveniences, such as the stiletto heels Rivkah wears, and the reference to a Rolls-Royce when she demands a quadruple-humped camel from Isaac. This is a tongue-in-cheek satire that also makes the reader think about the motivations of the characters in the story in the book of Genesis. The story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis is well - known: Jacob steals Esau's birthright by convincing the dying Isaac that he is Esau, Isaac's favorite, with help from his conniving mother Rebecca, whose favorite is Jacob. In this amusing re-telling, Jacob is Yankel (a Yiddish-ized version of Jacob), and he is a snide, lazy, whining, well, schmuck, but his parents and brother are no better. While the book is very funny, the underlying story of family dysfunction and the consequences of envy, favoritism, and deceit, as told in Genesis, is made even more obvious in this re-creation. I have read other attempts to re-tell Bible tales and have been sorely disappointed; and so approached this tale with a great deal of hesitation. I was pleasantly surprised to find this so well done. I would like to read more by this author.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • M. M. Bishop
    5.0 out of 5 stars AN ENTHRALLING STORY OF AN OLD TALE.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I adore the way Uvi Poznansky is able to retell an ancient Bible tale in such a way as to draw the reader not only back into the past, but show how little we as humans have changed. The sibling rivalry is sparked by the favoritism is of each parents favoring different twin.

    Her writing flows from her pen as if one was drawing fine silk through one’s fingers for the first time.

    Ms. Poznansky, has a smooth voice packed with the delicacy of a fine prose, all the while pulling you deeper into an age-old tale told with a bit of a modern twist.

    Few people can keep one enthralled throughout a story that dwells on so delicate of a subject, the greed, jealousy, and envy of family dynamics, and make you almost feel as if you were watching it unfold in front of your eyes. The tale of the rivalry of Yankle and Esav, the twin sons of Rebecca and Isaac of the old testament is done with a masterful pen. Ms. Poznansky’s description, and the retelling of this tale beautifully rendered. I love the way she put a modern twist on an old story.
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • DGKaye
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sibling Rivalry dating back to ancient times
    Reviewed in Canada on January 12, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A modern take on a biblical tale, in this story of two brothers, Jacob and Esau, the twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca and their power struggle in their desire to take over the family patriarch and inheritance as their father is dying.

    Only one minute in time separates the hierarchy for these brothers as Esau was born first, hence to take over tradition as the eldest son to inherit. But with the aid of his mother's deceit to betray his father, Jacob finds a way to betray his father and elder brother by tricking his father into believing Jacob is Esau in order to steal what rightfully belongs to Esau.

    In this world created by the author, combining ancient times and modern day times, Poznansky weaves timeless lessons of love, family, deceit and repercussions and demonstrates how family dysfunction exists not only today, but in ancient times.
    Report
  • Tracey
    5.0 out of 5 stars So glad I did
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 11, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    It was a free download, so I thought, why not? So glad I did. This is a novella, a reworking and updating of the story of Jacob and Esau, and a cautionary tale of the perils of parental favouritism. It is beautifully written- if you could read silk, this is how it would feel- with an attention to detail that brings the world of these rival sons to life. It is a subtle writing, where a seemingly innocuous comment or event becomes a key moment in the storytelling later on- the beautiful shirt that Jacob so loved as a boy, for example, becomes the ripped shirt that the elderly Jacob holds, as he waits anxiously for news of his own favourite, Joseph.

    It is, at the time of writing, free on Amazon. It's easily a 5 star story. All you've got to loose is a little bit of your time, and who needs to eat and drink anyway. Go on, give it a try. You won't regret it.
    Report
  • Eleonore Caron
    5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed her story about the brothers, a spin from a bible story!
    Reviewed in Canada on January 7, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I feel like Uvi is a personal friend of mine., she is very supportive of fellow writers. I enjoyed her story about the brothers and the spin from that bible story about the two brothers.I have other books written by Uvi Podnansky and I will get to reading all of them also and I'm sure I will enjoy them as Uvi is an excellent writer.
    Report
  • Judy M Ford
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting new take on an old story
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    It's an interesting read - and quite short, so good for busy people! It drew my attention to something that I'd not thought of before (but which is blindingly obvious!) namely that Jacob should have known better than to show favouritism to Joseph, because he'd experienced the same thing st the hands of his own father. The other thing that it brings out is the role of Rebecca in the plot to steal Esau's blessing - and what that says about the relationship between Isaac and Rebecca.
    Report
  • lynne johnston
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    excellent
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report