Shylock's Daughter

by Mirjam Pressler, Richard M. Jones, Brian Murdoch (Translator)

Jessica, the daughter of a wealthy merchant who lives in the Jewish Ghetto, must choose between her family and aristocrat Lorenzo, the man that she loves, when he states that he will only marry her if she converts to Christianity, in an intricately woven tapestry of life in sixteenth-century Venice that is drawn from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Italy, Shakespeare, Fiction, Retellings, Historical

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

German writer Mirjam Pressler is the author of several novels that have won awards in her native Germany and also received high praise from critics after being translated into English. In Malka and Halinka Pressler focuses on young Jewish protagonists who have been forced by fate to endure the Holocaust, while in Shylock's Daughter she returns readers to fifteenth-century Italy as she attempts to answer haunting questions surrounding the motivations of characters in a popular play by William Shakespeare. While receiving notice for her novels, Pressler is most well known for her work revising the diaries of Jewish Holocaust victim Anne Frank, and she is considered an expert on Franks's life and writings. In addition to translating Frank's famous diary from Dutch into German, Pressler has edited The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition and has also authored Anne Frank: A Hidden Life for younger readers. Winner of the 1994 German Youth Literature Prize for her work, Pressler divided her time between homes in Bavaria and Israel.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must apologise (even though I admit rather grudgingly) to those who would consider everything from German author Mirjam Pressler's pen as something automatically wonderful and delightful to read (or to consider reading), because and if truth be told, this has definitely NOT AT ALL been the case for me (as I have found some of Pressler's novels absolutely wonderful but others not enjoyable, even massively unappealing and horrid). And sorry, with Mirjam Pressler's reimagining and adaptation of William Shakespeare's 1596 play The Merchant of Venice as a historical fiction novel, yes, my personal reading experience with Shylock's Daughter has truly been nothing but a majorly dragging reading experience, with me finding Pressler (and also by extension of course also her translator Brian Murdoch) totally and utterly boring, boring, boring.

Sure, I do know that Shylock's Daughter (which is titled Shylocks Tochter in the original German text, and which I still kind of want to read as a comparison to Murdoch's translation) is an adaptation of The Merchant of Venice (and as such of a rather controversial William Shakespeare play) und I do appreciate that Shylock's Daughter has not been transported by Mirjam Pressler into the future, into contemporary times, that it still takes place and is set in 16th century Venice (just like the original play). But sadly, there is so much textual tedium encountered in Shaylock's Daughter (and silly, superfluously strange chapters that meander on and on and really do nothing at all regarding moving the story of Shylock and his family along) that for much of my reading time, I was not only struggling not to fall asleep, I often had to skim over and sometimes even skip entire chapters of Shylock's Daughter in order not to fall asleep, in order to actually keep myself awake (and well, that is not saying anything positive, as I doubt Mirjam Pressler envisioned Shylock's Daughter to be used as textual sleeping pill, but sadly, for me, this was definitely the result and not what I want when I am reading).

But while both my adult reading self and my inner teenager (the intended audience for Shylock's Daughter) have found Mirjam Pressler's incredibly detailed historical background as well as the relentless information and name dropping encountered in Shylock's Daughter textbook-like, pedantic and as a result hugely tedious (see above) and also do quite consider the character of Jessica (the daughter of the book title) basically a spoiled rotten and nastily horrid brat who quite willingly betrays her father (and is seemingly majorly cleared of this by Mirjam Pressler putting everything down to anti-Semitism and never really casting all that much if any blame at either Jessica herself or at her coddled upbringing), yes, I also to a point t kind of agree with and appreciate what Mirjam Pressler is trying to textually achieve with Shylock's Daughter. For Pressler indeed manages to clearly demonstrate the insidious and all encompassing anti-Semitism of 16th century Venice, that Shylock only has the option of being a moneylender and that his anger and his frustration regarding his lot in life, that Shylock and his family are automatically despised and considered lesser simply due to their Judaism, this is in my opinion more realistically and also more believably portrayed and accurately depicted in Shylock's Daughter than in The Merchant of Venice.

However, albeit there most definitely is textual appreciation for Mirjam Pressler's intentions from me regarding Shylock's Daughter, it does not at all change the fact that I am leaving Shylock's Daughter feeling bored and annoyingly, frustratingly being preached at, being instructed by a "teacher" with obvious many axes to proverbially grind, and thus, and therefore I can and will only consider a two star rating for Shylock's Daughter and to not recommend this novel either (and in particular not at all for pleasure, for entertainment reading).

[Histolicious Histolicious · Rating 3 out of 5]

Retellings.
Normalerweise nicht meine Sache, aber bei Shakespeare mache ich immer gern eine Ausnahme. Vorallem, wenn es um mein Lieblingsstück, der Kaufmann von Venedig, geht. Vor zwei Jahren habe ich "The tourquise Ring" gelesen und fand das Buch, mit ein paar Abstrichen, sehr gut. Seitdem stand auch Shylocks Tochter auf meiner WULI. Um so glücklicher war ich, als ich es bei Skoobe in der Bibliothek entdeckt habe!

Meine Erinnerung an die Lagunenstadt ist ja noch frisch, also nichts wie rein ins Buch und zurück nach Venedig!

Nach den ersten 50 Seiten, in denen auch Nichtkenner des Stoffs an das Thema herangeführt werden, wurde mir klar, dass das ein harter Kampf wird. Mirjam Pressler begeht sozusagen die Ursünde aller Autoren ... sie langweilt mich. Ja, es ist die Nacherzählung eines Shakespearestoffes und nein, ich erwarte keine Verfolgungsjagden, Explosionen und dergleichen. Aber die Handlung tritt einfach so dermaßen auf der Stelle, dass man ganze Kapitel hätte einfach rausstreichen können. Ein Kapitel (ich glaube es war das Dritte) wird aus der Sicht einer Nebenfigur erzählt. Es sind 20 endlose Seiten darüber, wie diese Figur zwei Hühner ausnimmt und was sie über Jessica und ihre eigene Lebenssituation denkt. Selbstreflexion und Infodump. 20 endlose Seiten lang.

Der nächste Punkt ist auch nicht einfach. Mirjam Pressler hat recherchiert. Sie hat gut recherchiert, sie hat gründlich recherchiert. Sie weiß praktisch alles, über das jüdische Leben im venezianischen Ghetto. Und wenn ich sage alles, dann meine ich alles. Alles mit Ausrufezeichen.
Historische Romane haben per se, die schwierige Aufgabe, einem Leser (der vielleicht nichts über die Epoche weiß) eine vergangene Zeit näher zu bringen. Es gibt Bücher, die das gut hinbekommen und es gibt Bücher die das nicht so gut hinbekommen und es gibt ... wie ich sie nenne ... die Recherchepornos.

Recherchepornos sind solche Bücher, in denen man einfach merkt, ja der Autor hat recherchiert und er hat das so gut und so gründlich gemacht und so viel Zeit reingesteckt ... es soll sich richtig lohnen! Recherche kostet Zeit. Recherche nervt. Recherche ist aufwendig.
Also soll der Leser verdammt nochmal merken, dass ich recherchiert habe und deshalb bekommt er jetzt die geballte Ladung von mir.

Ich bin kein großer Freund solcher Bücher.
Ich bevorzuge Werke, in denen Fachbegrifflichkeiten, historische Ereignisse und Begebenheiten durch das Verhalten und die Aktion des jeweiligen Protagonisten erklärt werden. Show dont tell in Reinformat.
Frau Pressler arbeitet mit einem Glossar.
Gerade bei einem Jugendbuch wichtig. Allerdings ist es hier einfach ausgeartet.
Fast auf jeder Seite steht mindestens ein jüdischer Fachbegriff, mit Sternchen versehen ... zum nachschlagen. Manchmal ist es ein wahrer Sternenregen. In einem Satz hintereinander vier Fachbegriffe, die erst mühsam nachgeschlagen werden müssen. Bei einem E-Book ist das praktisch gar nicht umsetzbar, ohne viel Zeit zu verschwenden.

Entweder man hat bereits ein fundiertes Fachwissen über die jüdische Kultur oder es bleiben einem nur zwei weitere Möglichkeiten: a) mindestens viermal pro Kapitel abbrechen und nachschlagen oder b) drüberlesen und vieles einfach nicht verstehen.
Für ein Jugendbuch ... ist das schon sehr kompliziert.
Manche Fachbegriffe werden auch einfach gar nicht erklärt. Ich bezweifle stark, dass der Otto-normal Jugendliche weiß, dass mit Serenissima Venedig gemeint ist.

Wenn man von dieser Sache einmal absieht, bleibt eine aufgeblähte Story, die man gut und gern um die Hälfte hätte kürzen können. Noch dazu ist Jessica einfach ein fürchterlicher Charakter. Natürlich glänzt in der Kaufmann von Venedig vorallem Shylock, denn seien wir ehrlich ... Jessica ist einfach ein dummes Ding. Zwar ist sie das Musterbeispiel für "falsche Freunde verleiten dich zu dummen Dingen, die du lieber lassen solltest" und "es kommt nicht darauf an, was für Klamotten du trägst" und sie kann schon ein Beispiel für Jugendliche sein ... aber eigentlich nervt sie nur.

Der Plot ist durch Shakespeare ja schon vorgegeben und da gibt es wenig Überraschungen.
Fast unfreiwillig komisch ist es, wenn die Autorin den Figuren Textzeilen aus dem Stück in den Mund legt. Zum Beispiel Shylocks berühmte Rede ... nur leider zu falscher Zeit und vor der falschen Person.

Fazit:

Shylocks Tochter interpretiert mein Lieblings-Shakespeare-Stück. Allerdings konnte es mich nicht fesseln, weil die Autoren zu sehr damit beschäftigt ist ihr Fachwissen unter die Leute zu streuen, anstatt eine ordentliche Geschichte aus dem Stoff zu machen.

So bleibt eigentlich nur zu sagen, dass ich das Buch nicht weiterempfehlen kann, was mich verdammt traurig macht, eben weil ich den Kaufmann von Venedig mit meinem ganzen Herzen liebe.

2.5/5 Sternen

[Debbie Tails Prower · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh Lord. At work I accidentally mentioned reading young adult books but also liking some classics like Fitzgerald, Oscar Wilde or ... Shakespeare. The somewhat noisy librarian at work (don't get your hopes up; I work at a court so it's a juristic library, not that interesting) to whom I mentioned this thought this was reason enough to lend me a book of hers: Shylock's Daughter. First of all, I just hate it when someone rather forces me to read something. I didn't even ask for the book, one morning it just laid on my desk. Sigh. Showing good spirits, I gave the book a try though. It didn't sound that horrible after all.

Sadly, it was that horrible. While I haven't even read The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare's original play on which this book is based, Shylock's Daughter was still just another perfect example of why authors should not try to create a story based on such a literary classic.

First of all, the writing was such a No. I just couldn't get into Mirjam Pressler's writing style at all. Worse than that, even if I haven't read The Merchant of Venice yet, I could still make out whenever an original dialogue by Shakespeare was being used. It was just so obvious? Like, Shakespeare's writing and Pressler's writing just don't match at all. This is exactly what I expect from this kind of book though.

What I disliked the most about Pressler's writing though was how the perspectives changed all the freaking time. Most of the book was written in third person. Quite normal, right? And usually, when written in third person but the centered thinks something, it's usually written in italic, right? Not for Miss Pressler. Let's just write it all in the same style so it's hard to see when suddenly a character just thinks of something and let's rather leave the reader confused as how and why the perspective suddenly changes to first person. No big deal, right? Weeeeeell. Big deal for me. I just hated this style. As well as I hated that for some reason, Dalilah's chapters were always written in first person but not the others. How does it make sense to keep changing the narrative perspectives all the time? I'm sure Pressler thought of something while writing this but it just annoyed the hell out of me.

That being said, the writing was honestly my by far biggest issue. The pacing also wasn't on point but it's such a minor failure in comparison. I just didn't feel the tension or anything. It all seemed so plain. I'm sure reading Shakespeare's original play feels a lot different.

Whew. I somehow made it through the book but more or less forced myself to finish it as I simply hate DNF'ing books. Only done that twice in my life and both times are over 10 years ago. Yet, I was still close to just stop reading this one.

TLDR: Don't recommend.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Shylock from the title is the Shylock from The Merchant of Venice. The book does not strictly follow the play but I don’t think it strays too far. Shylock makes his famous ‘do we not bleed’ speech at a different time and place, the pound of flesh comes about differently too as well as a few other things. The main story is there but the focus is different. You get to see a human side to Shylock. Him with his family, with his grief, with his hated for those who hate and humiliate him. He becomes a real person instead of just the villain. You get to see Jessica, Shylock’s daughter, much more closely too and the decisions that she makes have more background and further consequences. There are new characters too. One is Dalilah, Jessica’s adopted sister, and the book alternates between a third person account of Jessica and her father and a first person account by Dalilah. Dalilah’s life is mostly out of her control and it is interesting to hear her thoughts on the actions of those around her since they will have such an effect on her. The other familiar characters from the play also take on different qualities. They are not cast as the heroes of the piece. Although the trial is devastating for Shylock in the play, in the book it takes on a sinister, almost sickening feel as you see Shylock torn apart and it treated as fun and games to everyone else. You also get to see the effect the outcome has on Jessica and learn that maybe the ending wasn’t as happy for everyone as it seemed. It is a look at the other side. You get to see the whole story unfold from Shylock’s perspective. There are more shades of grey when you can see Shylock’s point of view and come to see him as more than an angry, spiteful monster. There is also a lot in the book about how the Jews were treated and how they lived and worked at the time. It is interesting to learn about the Ghettos and how certain jobs were forbidden to Jews. And the history was worked into the book well so it flowed with the story. I don’t think you have to have read the play to appreciate the book but at least a working knowledge of it will certainly help.

[Catbrat101 · Rating 1 out of 5]

The daughters of the famous Merchant of Venice are the focus of this historical novel. Set in the Jewish Ghetto in the late 1500's, this book shows us the life of two young Jewish girls and how each has different lessons to learn and experience.

This was a book club choice so I had to read it. It was a little slow and had little going on to keep me interested. It was a drawn out story that could have been summed up in less pages even though there were under 300 pages! I had to force myself through it. This book is better in reflection than when you are actually reading it.

If you like learning about history and cultures that is one of the few charms this book has. It would likely be better suited for the young reader.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

For ENG 540.
A retelling of The Merchant of Venice, focusing on Jessica (Shylock's daughter, natch), Shylock himself, and other familiar and new characters who live in the Jewish ghetto of Venice. I am a sucker for retellings of classic stories, so this obviously drew my eye. It was interesting to have a glimpse into the life of the Jewish people of that time period. Pressler's original characters are more compelling than her interpretations of Shakespeare's. Jessica, in particular, comes off in a rather unflattering light. Fairly simple to read--it was nice to imagine this from the other side of the story.

[Endira77 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing uses authentic Jewish terms. At first, it is a bit distracting, but it helps create the culture and immerse you in the context. It shows the dichotomy of prejudice and protection within the ghetto. Shylock's daughter seeks escape from traditional expectations and yearns to explore the indulgent lifestyle of Christians. Her materialism and superficial (impulsive) youthful feelings limit her character's development. Her servant-sister, however, clearly emerges as the protagonist who matures. There is even a sense of pity for Shylock as he struggles inwardly with social rules and injustice. I was surprised in the end that this book was so rich with quality story-telling.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was kind of difficult to follow. I liked how the details about Jewish life were explained and described so beautifully.

It was an interesting view on Shylock and Jessica from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. Jessica, to me, is basically a greedy girl and she thinks her father is a miser. Her father is a bit tightfisted, but he deeply believes in his religion and wants his daughter to follow in his footsteps.

Lorenzo is a jerk who just wants Jessica's money. Jessica is stupid because she doesn't see this, she just wants to wear beautiful dresses.

[Renae · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting interpretation of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.

[Gabrielle G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book follows two young Jewish girls with very different experiences in the ghettos of Venice during a time of persecution towards Jews there. From the description, this book sounded like a forbidden romance between a young naive Jewish girl and a Christian man who "showed her what life was like" outside of the shelter that was the ghetto. I couldn't tell if it was going to end well or terribly, but 8 pages in I knew all hope was lost. I did not enjoy this book. It is obvious from the start that Lorenzo is after her father's money, and that the girl is too naive to see or believe it. The author did a terrible job at making us care in any capacity about the main character, Jessica. In fact, she seemed to do a better job at making me dislike her. For example, "Jessica went through the gateway to the palazzo. She felt... that she was going into... a wonderful, beautiful, happy world- one that suited her far more than the ghetto- a world where she really belonged." (Pressler 3) The reader is supposed to sympathize with her, as though she is a caged bird being set free. However, we have been given no evidence that she has any resemblance to a bad life in the ghetto. In fact, her father is a very rich man by all standards, and she seems to resent him for it!
I see Jessica as a greedy and naive young girl, and I see her father as a firm but loving dad who is very religious and wants his daughter to follow in his footsteps. Later on, she goes behind her father's back, using his money to buy herself a fancy, embellished, very not "modest-Jewish-girl"-like dress. Then when he returns it, she yells at him for essentially not letting her 1. steal from him and 2. tarnish his name/business and ruin her future marriage propositions/social standing in the Jewish community. We are supposed to sympathize with her, but she is so unappreciative and disrespectful. "If he doesn't marry me...I'll kill myself." (Pressler 31) This quote alone made me realize just how out of touch with reality Jessica really is since she feels it would be better to die than be ashamed if Lorenzo doesn't marry her. Because this is a reinterpretation/rewrite of a Shakespeare book, the intended audience is Shakespeare enthusiasts and YA readers who are interested in Shakespearean literature. However, I don't think either group will enjoy the book very much. Personally, this book was made enjoyable only by the complete shock and fun I had while ridiculing the choices of the characters and writer. Life's too short to read a book that doesn't draw you in.

[East Chapel Hill High School Library]

Mirjam Pressler’s ‘Shylock’s Daughter’ is a historical novel set in 1568 Venice before the time of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. However the story is mainly based on this famous Shakespearean play. Pressler uses all the characters of the play such as Shylock the Jewish Pawnbroker, Antonio- the merchant of Venice, Lorenzo- the christian aristocrat, Jessica -the beautiful by vain daughter of Shylock who broke away from all Jewish ties to marry Christian nobleman Lorenzo and Portia - the beautiful wise wife of Bassanio, Lorenzo’s friend. The author has additionally introduced Delilah who plays the important role in her novel with many other character’s not in the Shakespearean play to build up her story around the core of Merchant of Venice. The author even brings up the ambiguity of the play by indicating it in the title ‘Shylock’s Daughter’ while it clearly refers to Jessica but Delilah the adopted girl who was taken into Shylock’s house in many ways is a better daughter to him.

[Bea Van den berg · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8

[Ginger Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but sad

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong and emotional. Deeper look into some characters from the play in a different perspective. Good YA novel

[Emmanuela V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jessica was a somewhat spoiled Jewish girl who fell out of the crystal bubble where she grew up to see reality and fell in love with a young Christian named Lorenzo, with whom she got married and ran away, leaving the people she loved, the misunderstanding father who tried to understand her, and her religion.
At first, this book did not seem interesting to me, but with the passage of the pages the conflict, the sadness, and the love told made me passionate, and continue to read with interest until I finished it. In fact, he also played a very important role in reading the fact that almost every chapter had the point of view of a character other than the main one.
Therefore, I recommend this book to all those who like or love history and do not want to stop at what they study at school, but they want to know what life was like in an appearance so distant era but that has many things in common with ours.

[Mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book like 5 years ago, and I remember falling in love with the story, about a Jewish girl falling in love with a Catholic guy, and her complicated, unexplainable relationship with her father. The whole story is about how she wanted to run away from her life, and to get married to her lover. The ending was a bit sad because although she did run away, but she never improved her relationship with her father and it sort of made her regret her plan about running away to get married in secret. You also get to read from the father's point of view, who just wanted the best for her daughter, but like her, never tried to understand her completely. A wonderful story with amazing detail and storytelling. Loved it:)

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! When I first picked it up, I had no idea that it was based on Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. I didn't find out until the end when I started really wondering how much of this story was based on history and decided to look it up.

So, not only is this book based on a good play, it also contains a lot of true history in it! I will definitely be reading this book again!!

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting YA book. Taken from The Merchant of Venice, this fiction imagines some of the characters and their lives, with other characters added. Jessica, the daughter who appears in the Shakespeare version, is elaborated upon in this tale, and we learn about life's choices, some wise and some not so.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this much better upon reread. Jessica is a spoiled brat, but in a realistic way and with a fair treatment. I liked the treatment of the other characters, but what I most appreciated was how this book put Shylock in context of a Jewish community. He's not just a money-lender -- he's a member of a community with traditions and reasoning all their own.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this so long ago that I barely remember it, but I do recall loving it at the time. The title at least has stayed in my head for nearly a decade, so that's the sign of a good impression! I'm going to have to reread this, and I never say that, but somehow I think this one would be worth it.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

way too many inconsistancies

[Rainie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of slow.

[Sarah Kitchel · Rating 1 out of 5]

really boring read one chapter and stopped

[Oriana]

Shylock's Daughter by Mirjam Pressler (2001)

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow and kind of boring. I couldn't like the characters and I really hated the ending.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

really liked this one, I must read it again sometime soon, although the character of Jessica was rather underdeveloped...but I did love Dinah.

[Joelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it was historical fiction, I wasn't used to the style and I finally got into it near the end! But it has a good plot line based on a story told by Shakespeare.

[Nicolette · Rating 1 out of 5]

i couldnt finish the boook!!! It just wasnt my book and very slow pace