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A review by andrew61
Shylock Is My Name by Howard Jacobson
3.0
There was so much to love in this book as Howard Jacobson entered the stage with the reimagination of Shakespeare's classics.
The plot follows the merchant of Venice as two Jewish men meet in a cemetery as they mourn their wives.Both are preoccupied with their daughters and the book then explores the modern day society of wealthy nouveaux riche society.
The brilliance of the book is the Jewish humour and the analysis of jewishness . I loved this feature and the authors writing is brilliant. I was lucky enough to see him at the wonderful John Rylands library in 2016 discuss the book and he was incredibly literate ,humorous and engaging . The weakness of the book is as it strays into the Cheshire set thus the book in parts was 5*, in others less, hence the compromise.
The plot follows the merchant of Venice as two Jewish men meet in a cemetery as they mourn their wives.Both are preoccupied with their daughters and the book then explores the modern day society of wealthy nouveaux riche society.
The brilliance of the book is the Jewish humour and the analysis of jewishness . I loved this feature and the authors writing is brilliant. I was lucky enough to see him at the wonderful John Rylands library in 2016 discuss the book and he was incredibly literate ,humorous and engaging . The weakness of the book is as it strays into the Cheshire set thus the book in parts was 5*, in others less, hence the compromise.