BRILLIANTLY TOLD STORY

Ms. Poznansky’s novel Rise to Power, swept me into David’s battle from a shepherd boy more interested in adventure, music, & performing, into a battle hardened man. When he played at the palace of King Saul, he was both loved and hated by the King, for in him, Saul saw himself as a young man, & knew his own frailty. David could sense both the love and the hate in Saul, and yet, found he yearned for glory.

It is a story of battle, madness, glory, and mastery over self.

It is David’s story, yet, more, it is the story of each of those who ache for dreams to come true, and sense the changes to come as they age. Ms. Poznansky has taken an old story, lifted it into a new realm of an honesty and understanding of human fragility. I loved the flow of her words, and the way they drew me into the story deeper and deeper. Sometimes I was living in David’s thoughts, and sometimes watching him as he went from a boy full of gaiety to a hardened man, but one that still had some compassion in him.

As a lover of history, the use of more modern language to tell the story, was fitting, for each generation does tell a story in the language of the times. I loved this novel, and how the characters drew me into their lives, and took on very real human characteristics. As the story unfolded one could see and feel it as if you were living in the days when the twelve tribes were scattered, and fought each other for supremacy, and the Philistines waited in the wings to ravage them.

It is a vividly written novel, that will stay with me for a long time, and I will look back to see my how my younger self, created the woman I am today, as David and Saul did. Did they like what they saw or was the glory not enough?

A brilliantly told story.

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