Shakespeare's Daughter by Peter W. Hassinger

He’s mocked for his name and nerdy interests at Chapel Hill High School in Portland, Oregon, and doesn’t speak enough Farsi to communicate with his Iranian relatives either.

Iranian on his mother’s side and white American on his father’s side, Darius never quite fits in. When Darius’ grandfather becomes terminally ill, Darius, along with his parents and younger sister, travels to Iran for the first time in his life. 10+)ĭarius Kellner suffers from depression, bullying by high school jocks, and a father who seems to always be disappointed in him. There’s spirited talk about language, theater, and most especially about music, and the plot elopes with ease. The musician William Byrd and the persecution of Catholics fuel a dénouement that finds Susanna and her Tom going off to Italy, where both can sing freely. Hassinger plays intriguingly with what is known about this time and place: Shakespeare is uneasy with his family and distracted the dark lady Emilia plays an important role Susanna’s mother Anne is a tightly wound woman tied to her home place. She is also captivated by Tom Cole, a chorister who practices his Catholic faith in secret. When her adorable small brother Hamnet dies, she resolves to go to London to experience her father’s life, and to find a place where her voice might be heard.

Blessed with her father’s wit and a pure soprano, 14-year-old Susanna longs to sing, and the choir at Stratford allows her little. A lively fictional account of Susanna, the eldest child of Will Shakespeare.

Shakespeare's Daughter by Peter W. Hassinger