THE SONS OF ISAAC BY ROBERTA KELLS DORR

The Sons Of Isaac is about love, greed, jealousy, hope, manipulation, faith in one God.
Love: Abraham and Sarah’s love that produced Isaac. Jacob and Rachel’s love that produced Joseph and Benjamin.
Greed: Laban and Bethuel’s greed to marry Rebekah off to a man much older than her, but is rich. Laban’s marriage to a woman for her father’s riches. Laban’s working Jacob too long to marry Rachel.
Jealousy: The jealousy between the wives. The jealousy between the sons.
Hope: Isaac’s hope for a better future.
Manipulation:Laban’s manipulation of Jacob into marrying Leah.
Faith in one God: Isaac’s faith in one God and eventually Jacob.
Rebekah is of marrying age and finds out that she has had marriage offers that her father and brother refused because the men were not rich. Laban plans for Rebekah to marry his bride’s father, Nazzim, because he was rich. Learning of this, Rebekah decides to ask the Elohim of her uncle Abraham to find her a husband. When the Elohim answers her and she is married to Isaac and gives birth to twins who are at conflict from the womb. The sons of Isaac are Esau and Jacob. Joining Rebekah, Isaac, Esau and Jacob as they struggle to live up to their forefathers and to avoid serving idols and keep the faith of the one God. This is a page turner. Roberta Kells Dorr has another winner. I read another of her books, Abraham and Sarah. Keep up the good work. Good Reading.
I received a complimentary copy from Mpnewsroom for this review. ( )

"With only the two sons, he still believed his descendants would be as the stars in number and as the grains of sand. Of course both Abraham and Isaac had envisioned these descendants being perfect."

And yet, human beings consistently tend to be imperfect, as is the case with the descendants of Abraham in The Sons of Isaac by author Roberta Kells Dorr.

This novel continues the story begun in Abraham and Sarah, now focusing on the families of Abraham's promised son Isaac, and Isaac's twin sons, Jacob and Esau. What I enjoyed most in this novel is the look it takes at the significance and possible complications arising from the traditional birthright and blessing within the family lines and particularly the effect they have on Jacob--and on his mother, Rebekah. I also found it especially interesting to see Isaac's reaction to another people's practice of human sacrifice, considering Isaac's history.

I'd say that retelling the biblical saga of the generations directly after Abraham in novel form, and specifically in one novel, is no simple task. While several parts gave me meaningful pause, I thought others to be dragging or redundant, and still other parts are rushed, leaving little chance for the reader to get to know or care much about the various characters introduced. Some scenes relay the biblical material without really unpacking or developing it for the novel's sake. Also, the events toward the end don't lend themselves to the natural flow of a culminating climax, so it's as if the story eventually stops mainly because it has to stop somewhere.

Still, I enjoyed the read overall, and as with the book before it, other fans of Biblical Fiction should find this story worth checking out.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Moody Publishers for an honest review. ( )

The Sons of Isaac by Roberta Kells Dorr takes you back to another time and place. It is an old story that can be found in the Bible (found in Genesis, starting book 24), one the author has brought to life with her telling of it. Starting with how Isaac and Rebekah met , with her traveling miles to marry a man she had never met. Then on to the birth of twin sons, Jacob and Esau. Through the lives of these two boys and into Jacob's marriages to Leah and Rachel. Even though the story is an old one it could very well have taken place in today's world. With a family that has love, jealousy, greed, hope, manipulation, stubbornness, and faith in God. Roberta Dorr has done a remarkable job of bringing all of the characters back to life in her telling of their story and the way things might have been.

I highly recommend this book.
I received an ARC (advanced readers copy) from Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest review rather it be good or bad. Thank you. ( )