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Shylock Is My Name
- The Merchant of Venice Retold (Hogarth Shakespeare)
- Narrated by: Michael Kitchen
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
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Shylock Is My Name
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Summary
'Who is this guy, Dad? What is he doing here?'
With an absent wife and a daughter going off the rails, wealthy art collector and philanthropist Simon Strulovitch is in need of someone to talk to. So when he meets Shylock at a cemetery in Cheshire's Golden Triangle, he invites him back to his house. It's the beginning of a remarkable friendship.
Elsewhere in the Golden Triangle, the rich, manipulative Plurabelle (aka Anna Livia Plurabelle Cleopatra a Thing of Beauty Is a Joy Forever Christine) is the face of her own TV series, existing in a bubble of plastic surgery and lavish parties. She shares prejudices and a barbed sense of humour with her loyal friend, D'Anton, whose attempts to play Cupid involve Strulovitch's daughter - and put a pound of flesh on the line.
Howard Jacobson's version of The Merchant of Venice bends time to its own advantage as it asks what it means to be a father, a Jew and a merciful human being in the modern world.
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What listeners say about Shylock Is My Name
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kate Fitzroy
- 06-10-17
Powerful
A gripping and clever retelling of the well known play. Read at a great and intelligent pace.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- bookylady
- 14-04-16
Great Story, Average Narration
Any additional comments?
I opted to listen to this book because I had really enjoyed the previous title in the 'Shakespeare Reimagined' series,which forms part of the Shakespeare 400 commemorations.
This particular book is a retelling of The Merchant of Venice, set in the modern-day 'Golden Triangle' area of Cheshire.
Two Jewish men, Shylock and Simon Strulovitch (a rich philanthropist and art collector) meet in a cemetery and strike up a friendship. Both have troublesome daughters and are mourning their wives for different reasons- Shylock's has died and Strulovitch's is bed-ridden and uncommunicative through illness.
Various situations, some comic, some serious, lead the men to examine the nature of fatherhood, what it means to be Jewish and how/when to be merciful. The author uses Shakespeare's device of a 'pound of flesh' in an unexpected way, and creates a cast of minor characters who are colourful, engaging and more likeable than either of the main protagonists.The story starts quite slowly and is not helped by the style of narration; but it builds up to a well-plotted and absorbing novel, full of humour and insights into the Jewish world and psyche. The second half is definitely better than the first.
I really could not warm to the narrator. His style really irritated me at times - he sounded sarcastic, even bored at some points. It was a shame as I really love Howard Jacobsen's writing.
I do not know much about The Merchant of Venice so I am unsure as to whether this version is close to the original or not. But it is definitely worth listening to, just as a stand-alone piece of literature.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Kirstine
- 14-09-19
Didn't grab me
I greatly enjoyed Margaret Atwood's re-working of The Tempest (Hagseed) and Jeannette Winterson's version of the Winters Tale (The Gap of Time ) in this series. Both cleverly re-tell the plays such that I could get the allusions to the original material. I found Shylock is my Name a tedious re-working that strayed far from the original and didn't hold my attention. It wasn't helped by the narration. I usually like Michael Kitchen's style, particularly for Robert Goddard books, but here he gabbled the text as if he wanted to get the whole thing over as fast as possible.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- NJ
- 02-07-20
Superb
This is a really enjoyable listen. Michael Kitchen's delivery suits the story and character of Shylock to a tee.
The setting helped me a great deal because I used to live in the area and know it well. I enjoy Shakespeare done well and had been concerned about this series when I began with Jo Nesbo's MacBeth, despite loving the author. So far, I am really pleased that I took the plunge.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Peter Longden
- 22-12-23
Excellent.
Marvellous retelling of the Merchant of Venice. I really enjoy the Hogarth Shakespeare Project and this is no exception.
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