Falling in love with Lenny should have been the end to all her troubles. For Anita, it’s only the beginning, when family secrets start unravelling. His ex-wife, Natasha, is succumbing to a mysterious disease. How can Anita compete with her shadow? How can she 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 … balance between the two men, whose desire for her is marred by guilt and blame?
Dealing with the challenging prospects of the marriage of opposites, this book can be read as a standalone novel as well as part of one of family sagas best sellers. Still Life with Memories is a family saga series tinged with family saga romance, fraught with marital issues, and riddled with the difficulty of connecting fathers and sons.
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I had a feeling I’d enjoy Uvi Poznansky and My Own Voice, but by about halfway through it, I was tugging on my husband’s sleeve. “This woman can flat-out tell a story!” (imagine that said in my surprised voice–because I don’t say that very often). I found My Own Voice to be very original—think of it as women’s fiction, family drama—and I will definitely pick up another one of Uvi’s novels.
Bonus: I’ve recently met Uvi “online” and I really like her. Ah, the perks of being an author–making friends with super talented people!
Uvi Poznanski’s lyrical writing continually paints exquisite works of art. My latest read is book one of her Still Life with Memories series, My Own Voice. As a growing fan of this author’s style, I’ve come to expect a beautifully-written story with richly drawn characters and a poignant theme. My Own Voice does not disappoint.
Listening to the audio version, I felt Poznanski’s craft come alive, which lured me deeper into the heroine’s story. The rich southern accent added to Anita’s character, drive, and angst in this first person narrative, making it so easy to identify with this heroine.
Having read Lenny and Natasha’s story in a previous book, I was drawn into Anita‘s situation and felt her challenges loving an older man while fighting the shadow of his ex-wife. But she learned at an early age how to use her looks to manipulate men to get her own way and, despite their age difference, she marries the man she wants and has his baby.
The family saga, so enriched by this author’s style and the voice actor’s narrative, touches the soul. If you love beautifully written lyrical literature, I highly recommend this story and author.
I knew Uvi Poznansky’s story My Own Voice (Still Life With Memories – Book One), was going to get to me, from the moment Anita tells Lenny, “Say anything apart from love.” As an avid fan of this author and, having read much of her work over the years, I was correct – this story is yet another captivating treasure.
Anita is a naïve, child-like woman who strives to measure up to her lover Lenny’s expectations, while the memory of his first wife Natasha remains a continuous interference between them as a soon to be married couple – Natasha’s musical genius, her style and grace, and the love Lenny had for her doesn’t seem to dissipate over time – according to Anita.
There are so many emotions tugging each character’s heart strings, including Ben’s, Lenny’s son, that this reader’s compassion for Anita’s intense predicament inspired me to read the book aloud, at times, to comprehend Anita’s mind-set of never feeling cherished, understood, or even appreciated as a person in her own right, while the other characters fight their internal battles – Especially when the secrets of this dysfunctional three-some continue to unfold…
My Own Voice is a brilliant beginning for the Still Life With Memories Series. Further, I find when Lenny, the seemingly, uncaring husband and writer who can’t seem to finish his work, states, “Every word gets me closer to the end,” conveys a sentiment that rings true for all concerned, including the reader.
Being said, luckily for Ms. Poznansky’s many fans, the series continues onward to several other installments, which you won’t want to miss. My Own Voice is a highly recommended read, and five glorious stars are awarded for tight literary prose, a highly imaginative storyline, and unique characterization. Bravo, Ms. Poznanski!
This is the first book I have read (well listened) by Uvi Poznansky. I enjoyed the narrator and the way she was able to portray Anita and everything she was going through and had gone through growing up. We follow Anita and her trails she has had to overcome as a child and still battling as an adult. I found My Own Voice to be original and I’m looking forward to continuing the series.
Uvi Poznansky is a literary tour de force in a contemporary age when the quality of writing often takes a back seat to the quick thrill, or to be more precise, the quick buck. She writes as she paints, with careful, vibrant strokes of amazing clarity and color. Whether you are a reader or writer, teacher or student, you owe it to yourself read her work. You will be transported to a world where life is examined from a poet’s point of view, where you live in vignettes so real that you can’t help but love and care for the characters.
The main character of In My Own Voice, Anita, tells her story in a genuine and true-to-life fashion, taking us from her teenage years to present day, sharing details about her traumatic past and difficult present day. The title resonates in many ways within this deeply felt work, and in truth, the voice used for Anita is absolutely believable. Her dialect is consistent within the story, her observations about her husband Lenny and his son Ben come through as authentic, and frankly, Anita’s characters leaps off the page.
This is a literary work. It will take you through the suffering and joys of an unforgettable character, and you’ll be sure to want to read the other stories in the Still Life With Memories series.
I listened to this book, and must say the narrator was outstanding. Her choice of voice for Anita—that Southern drawl with colloquialisms galore—was perfect. I found myself thinking of Anita as a real person, which is the testimony of a very good read.
Thank you, Ms. Poznansky, for another stellar story!
I seem to be reading this series in reverse order. It is ok to do that. But, I first read about Lenny when he met and married Natasha. I fell in love with him then. In this read, though, he is not so lovable. He, too, is struggling. And poor Anita. This is another great read from Ms. Poznansky. Just know if you read any of this series, you’ll be reading them all! Her writing style is unique and awesome.
I listened to this book on Audible. The narrator did an excellent job with Anita’s improper, southern speech. She put all the emotion and feels in to it. Great job!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from Story Origin.
Don’t know why I continued to read … kept thinking it would get better… it didn’t.