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The Sons of Isaac
A story so timeless, it could have been taken from today’s headlines.
This grand account of love, greed, jealousy, hope, manipulation, and faith is pulled from the pages of biblical history—yet this is fresh, new, and never before published. The Sons of Isaac is the capstone work of a master of biblical fiction, Roberta Kells Dorr. When God tells Rebekah that she will bear Isaac twin sons and the youngest will serve the older, Isaac is skeptical. But that revelation will forever mark the lives of his family.
The sweeping landscape of this saga ends much as it began and will influence the generations to come.
This grand account of love, greed, jealousy, hope, manipulation, and faith is pulled from the pages of biblical history—yet this is fresh, new, and never before published. The Sons of Isaac is the capstone work of a master of biblical fiction, Roberta Kells Dorr. When God tells Rebekah that she will bear Isaac twin sons and the youngest will serve the older, Isaac is skeptical. But that revelation will forever mark the lives of his family.
The sweeping landscape of this saga ends much as it began and will influence the generations to come.
272 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2014
10 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
Roberta Kells Dorr
22 books22 followersRoberta Kells Dorr, born in the roaring twenties, survived the depression on a farm in Minnesota. She earned her Masters at Louisville's Southern Seminary and spent the next seventeen years with her surgeon husband and five children, serving as missionaries in the Gaza Strip & Jibla, Yemen. Here she had opportunity to extensively research and intimately explore the larger-than-life characters of her historical-biblical novels.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 30, 2023
Isaac knew that a son would receive the blessing and he assumed it would be the older of his twin boys. Esau was his Dad's favourite and Jacob was his mom's favourite. God told her that it would be Jacob who would receive the blessing even though he was the youngest. She did not wait for God to carry out his promise in his own way and had Jacob trick his father into giving him the blessing and the promise to build a great nation from him. Esau hates his brother and Jacob runs off to find his mother's family and find a suitable wife. He marries two of them which leads to trouble and angst. Between them they have twelve boys before he finally returns to his father's home. The story is filled with trickery, dishonesty and even murder. Jacob continues to trust God to fulfill his promise.
April 28, 2014
The Sons of Isaac is a vivid account of the biblical story of Isaac, Rebekah and their sons. It starts off explaining how Rebekah and Isaac met and married. The story continues with their son Jacob and his marriages and his 12 sons and 1 daughter.
I think this was a good read. If you want to imagine a much detailed story of Isaac and his descendants, then this is a book for you. Recommended. 5 stars
I think this was a good read. If you want to imagine a much detailed story of Isaac and his descendants, then this is a book for you. Recommended. 5 stars
February 4, 2019
I have mixed feelings about how to review this book. While there were certainly moments I enjoyed, I felt the book as a whole suffered from various point of view issues.
First, here are a few things I liked:
I enjoyed the way the narrative provided plausible explanations for certain parts of the biblical story. For example, God told Rebekah that the older of the twins would serve the younger. In this novel, Rebekah relays the information to Isaac, but he ignores her—almost doesn't hear her. In that culture, the oldest male inherited the birthright, and the absurdity of Rebekah's claim is clear—even though it's true.
I enjoyed the comparison between the trickery of Jacob (in deceiving his father in order to receive his brother's blessing) and that of his uncle Laban (in giving him Leah and not Rachel, as promised). When Jacob sees what it's like to be on the receiving end of the deceit, he considered how Esau must've felt after Jacob's own trickery—which was a nice touch, I thought.
I also thought the novel showed fairly well why this family ended up in so much trouble. It's true that Laban himself constructed their family through deception, but Jacob and his wives made the situation worse because of their own sins. Both Leah and Rachel seemed to value their children only for the notoriety they brought, while Jacob's intense favoritism fueled his son's bitter jealousy. The fact that Reuben slept with his father's concubine can't be condoned, but Reuben and Bilhah surely had this in common: They had no assurance of Jacob's love. Perhaps what happened to Dinah, too, was an indirect result of failing to win her father's love. And then there's the story of Joseph. What Leah's sons did to him is unconscionable. But didn't Jacob provoke this action in failing to show love to each of his children? Sin begets sin; that much is clear from this story. If only each person had looked to God to fulfill their needs instead of pushing forward in their own strength (like Jacob trying to gain the birthright or Leah and Rachel trying to gain their husband's favor).
As I mentioned above, this story might've been better with a little more attention to the point of view. Certain portions of the novel read much like the biblical narrative with little addition of insight and emotion. (Emotion should be felt through the POV.) It’s true readers are told Jacob fears this or that (a reunion with Esau, for example), but an abundance of telling (rather than showing via deeper POV) resulted (for me) in a disconnect between what was said and how I felt about it—especially nearing the end. Part of the issue, perhaps, was a weak POV due to the somewhat omniscient perspective. The author hops from head to head making it unclear with whom we're meant to sympathize. Another issue (for me) stemmed from inconsistencies in the POV. For example, Jacob was angry with Leah for naming her sons (instead of letting him name them), but he wasn't angry with Rachel for the same apparent transgression. Another example comes from Abraham's perspective: In one instance, the narrative reads, “He had always noticed Esau, and this was the first time he had ever seriously considered Jacob.” But earlier in the story, his thoughts go on about how Abraham notices Jacob being overlooked by his father.
The bottom line is that I wanted to see more of a constancy of character—to see misunderstandings and deep struggle, and how those internal conflicts could result in the various outward reactions… rather than to be told what the characters' reactions were without knowing how they came about (often without making sense to me, though they might've made sense with less telling, more showing, and a little more setup). Perhaps that’s the root of why I had trouble accepting these seemingly minor yet not insignificant character inconsistencies: I wanted internal conflict, motivation, and depth to enable me to follow along with understanding where each character was coming from.
Overall, it was a pleasant, fast-paced read—if a bit shallow in terms of character development. That pace continued for me until about the last quarter of the book which seemed to drag (perhaps due to an increasing frequency of the issues mentioned above). It's an ambitious novel, covering a lot of ground from Rebekah and Isaac's marriage, to Jacob's flight from home, his troubles with Laban, his two marriages, and his eventual return home and reconciliation with Esau. I would rank the first part of the novel between three and four stars and the ending more like two.
First, here are a few things I liked:
I enjoyed the way the narrative provided plausible explanations for certain parts of the biblical story. For example, God told Rebekah that the older of the twins would serve the younger. In this novel, Rebekah relays the information to Isaac, but he ignores her—almost doesn't hear her. In that culture, the oldest male inherited the birthright, and the absurdity of Rebekah's claim is clear—even though it's true.
I enjoyed the comparison between the trickery of Jacob (in deceiving his father in order to receive his brother's blessing) and that of his uncle Laban (in giving him Leah and not Rachel, as promised). When Jacob sees what it's like to be on the receiving end of the deceit, he considered how Esau must've felt after Jacob's own trickery—which was a nice touch, I thought.
I also thought the novel showed fairly well why this family ended up in so much trouble. It's true that Laban himself constructed their family through deception, but Jacob and his wives made the situation worse because of their own sins. Both Leah and Rachel seemed to value their children only for the notoriety they brought, while Jacob's intense favoritism fueled his son's bitter jealousy. The fact that Reuben slept with his father's concubine can't be condoned, but Reuben and Bilhah surely had this in common: They had no assurance of Jacob's love. Perhaps what happened to Dinah, too, was an indirect result of failing to win her father's love. And then there's the story of Joseph. What Leah's sons did to him is unconscionable. But didn't Jacob provoke this action in failing to show love to each of his children? Sin begets sin; that much is clear from this story. If only each person had looked to God to fulfill their needs instead of pushing forward in their own strength (like Jacob trying to gain the birthright or Leah and Rachel trying to gain their husband's favor).
As I mentioned above, this story might've been better with a little more attention to the point of view. Certain portions of the novel read much like the biblical narrative with little addition of insight and emotion. (Emotion should be felt through the POV.) It’s true readers are told Jacob fears this or that (a reunion with Esau, for example), but an abundance of telling (rather than showing via deeper POV) resulted (for me) in a disconnect between what was said and how I felt about it—especially nearing the end. Part of the issue, perhaps, was a weak POV due to the somewhat omniscient perspective. The author hops from head to head making it unclear with whom we're meant to sympathize. Another issue (for me) stemmed from inconsistencies in the POV. For example, Jacob was angry with Leah for naming her sons (instead of letting him name them), but he wasn't angry with Rachel for the same apparent transgression. Another example comes from Abraham's perspective: In one instance, the narrative reads, “He had always noticed Esau, and this was the first time he had ever seriously considered Jacob.” But earlier in the story, his thoughts go on about how Abraham notices Jacob being overlooked by his father.
The bottom line is that I wanted to see more of a constancy of character—to see misunderstandings and deep struggle, and how those internal conflicts could result in the various outward reactions… rather than to be told what the characters' reactions were without knowing how they came about (often without making sense to me, though they might've made sense with less telling, more showing, and a little more setup). Perhaps that’s the root of why I had trouble accepting these seemingly minor yet not insignificant character inconsistencies: I wanted internal conflict, motivation, and depth to enable me to follow along with understanding where each character was coming from.
Overall, it was a pleasant, fast-paced read—if a bit shallow in terms of character development. That pace continued for me until about the last quarter of the book which seemed to drag (perhaps due to an increasing frequency of the issues mentioned above). It's an ambitious novel, covering a lot of ground from Rebekah and Isaac's marriage, to Jacob's flight from home, his troubles with Laban, his two marriages, and his eventual return home and reconciliation with Esau. I would rank the first part of the novel between three and four stars and the ending more like two.
January 3, 2019
For some reason,I am always interested in stories that retellings of Bible stories/Biblical characters. I will pick up anything I see that is one, especially if it's a character that is my favorite or really interesting. I won't say Isaac is one of my favorite characters or anything, but seeing how differently each author can interpret the stories fascinate me.
The stories are nothing knew, and can only be changed so much in keeping with history, which has always been a hard part for anyone who wants to attempt this kind of story. The writing in this story was very well done. It captured your interest from the beginning, and was almost enough to make you feel like you were reading an entirely new story.
I liked the differing perspectives, and how we got to hear from characters we normally wouldn't, such as Laban, Laban's wife, and Rachel's maidservant Bilhah. I think adding these new and interesting perspectives is what set this apart from different retellings. I also liked how the author chose to include less talked about characters or instances, such as Abraham's concubine Keturah, and the part in the Bible that says Reuben slept with one of this father's wives (well, concubines).
This story does seem to be written for those who already have a basic understanding of the Bible story, which is why I haven't really talked about the story itself. It starts with Abraham wanting a wife for Isaac, how Rebekah was chosen, and then keeps going, from the twins being born to Jacob marrying Rachel and Leah, etc. Pretty much the whole story
While this maybe wasn't the best Biblical re-imagining I've ever read, this was very well done, and well-researched. The author was able to keep the story interesting and engaging, and it seemed very well-researched. Whether you are interested in a more deeper understanding of Isaac, or just love a good historical novel from that time period, this book would be one to read.
I received a copy from the publisher, this did affect my honest opinion.
This review first appears on The NerdHerd Reads
The stories are nothing knew, and can only be changed so much in keeping with history, which has always been a hard part for anyone who wants to attempt this kind of story. The writing in this story was very well done. It captured your interest from the beginning, and was almost enough to make you feel like you were reading an entirely new story.
I liked the differing perspectives, and how we got to hear from characters we normally wouldn't, such as Laban, Laban's wife, and Rachel's maidservant Bilhah. I think adding these new and interesting perspectives is what set this apart from different retellings. I also liked how the author chose to include less talked about characters or instances, such as Abraham's concubine Keturah, and the part in the Bible that says Reuben slept with one of this father's wives (well, concubines).
This story does seem to be written for those who already have a basic understanding of the Bible story, which is why I haven't really talked about the story itself. It starts with Abraham wanting a wife for Isaac, how Rebekah was chosen, and then keeps going, from the twins being born to Jacob marrying Rachel and Leah, etc. Pretty much the whole story
While this maybe wasn't the best Biblical re-imagining I've ever read, this was very well done, and well-researched. The author was able to keep the story interesting and engaging, and it seemed very well-researched. Whether you are interested in a more deeper understanding of Isaac, or just love a good historical novel from that time period, this book would be one to read.
I received a copy from the publisher, this did affect my honest opinion.
This review first appears on The NerdHerd Reads
July 8, 2023
This was as good as Abraham and Sarah. In this one, we are following the story of Issac, Abraham and Sarah's son.
These books are following the origional stories from the Bible quite well. It seems like the author really did her research for these books.
What I liked was how we saw more of how Esau was feeling about his twin brother, Jacob. We really got to see how frustrated he got about not getting the birthright.
I was happy that Jacob went home one final time to see his mom before she passed. Also, seeing the conflict between Rachel and Leah was quite interesting. Again, there aren't that many details of this in the Bible, so it was really interesting to read this author's imaginings on it all.
Another wonderful novel by ths author.
These books are following the origional stories from the Bible quite well. It seems like the author really did her research for these books.
What I liked was how we saw more of how Esau was feeling about his twin brother, Jacob. We really got to see how frustrated he got about not getting the birthright.
I was happy that Jacob went home one final time to see his mom before she passed. Also, seeing the conflict between Rachel and Leah was quite interesting. Again, there aren't that many details of this in the Bible, so it was really interesting to read this author's imaginings on it all.
Another wonderful novel by ths author.
December 4, 2020
The author begins by providing a back-story to Jacob's mother Rebekah. Her brother was all set to marry her off against her will to a rich old man, so Eliezer's arrival is greeted with relief as an escape. It ends (apart from a short epilogue) with Jacob after Isaac's funeral: "He said goodbye to Esau, knowing that he would not see him often but knowing that they were both at peace... Jacob ... treasured above all else the excitement of getting to know Elohim, even in a limited sense, and being part of his purpose." Here, and in some other places, a happy solution is presented which is a bit too facile for my taste.
August 21, 2018
Another book that I read to Diana. We can't do much anymore after her stroke, so I read to her to spend time together. Diana has always loved to have someone to read to her - and I like to do just that.
An interesting read. The book pretty well followed the Bible's account of Jacob, with some explanations of the details of the things that happened - maybe.
An interesting read. The book pretty well followed the Bible's account of Jacob, with some explanations of the details of the things that happened - maybe.
April 2, 2016
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.
_________________
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Moody Publishers for an honest review.
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.
_________________
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Moody Publishers for an honest review.
July 28, 2016
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.
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.
July 21, 2016
The Sons of Isaac, written by Roberts Kells Dorr, is a continuation of Abraham and Sarah. Isaac is Abraham and Sarah's only child. The story starts with Abraham wanting the perfect wife for Isaac, while Rebekah is praying to God for a husband. Rebekah has trouble conceiving a child and when she finally does, she has twin boys. Prior to their birth God tells her the youngest will have the birthright, but Isaac does not follow through on that. Isaac favors Esau, the first born, and Rebekah favors Jacob, the younger twin.
After he has lost his eye sight, Isaac tells Esau to make a special meal for him and Esau will receive his blessing. When Rebekah hears this she helps Jacob make a meal and dress as Esau and Jacob gets the blessing instead. When Esau finds out he threatens to kill Jacob, so Rebekah send Jacob to her brother's home to find a wife.
This is a great historical Biblical Fiction story. It is well researched and very easy to read. The book is very well written and gives a better understanding of what it could have been like at that time. I especially like the messages in the story. God does answer pray but not always when or how we want. The story also shows that when we try to take control of our life, we actually are going against God's wishes for us. Such as worshiping idols like Rebekah's family did. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction.
I received a copy of this book from Moody Publishing for an honest review.
After he has lost his eye sight, Isaac tells Esau to make a special meal for him and Esau will receive his blessing. When Rebekah hears this she helps Jacob make a meal and dress as Esau and Jacob gets the blessing instead. When Esau finds out he threatens to kill Jacob, so Rebekah send Jacob to her brother's home to find a wife.
This is a great historical Biblical Fiction story. It is well researched and very easy to read. The book is very well written and gives a better understanding of what it could have been like at that time. I especially like the messages in the story. God does answer pray but not always when or how we want. The story also shows that when we try to take control of our life, we actually are going against God's wishes for us. Such as worshiping idols like Rebekah's family did. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction.
I received a copy of this book from Moody Publishing for an honest review.
January 17, 2015
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.
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.
May 2, 2014
This is an old story (and can be found in Genesis of the Bible), so I will not expound on it, but I will say, it is the in-between the biblical lines that Dorr gives you a reflection of how it might have been. Dorr's interpretation makes the story come to life, awesome and delightful. The biblical story is so much more exciting, and it keeps one captivated to the point of not wanting to put the book down until the very last page has been turned. What is also really nice about this book is that it gives chapters from her other books. And, although her other characterizations are from a later time, I found that she ties the stories together beautifully, which is very nice, very nice indeed. Thank you, Ms. Dorr for sharing your version of this lovely biblical story and your gracious insights.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews