A lovely work. I adore Maria Callas. Well written, and entertaining. I am so glad that his novel was written, and others can fall in love with opera.

I couldn't put this book down and raced through it in 3 days (hey, I work 2 jobs)! I loved this novel about Maria Callas - the world famous opera singer - and her love affair with Aristotle Onassis, until his marriage to Jackie Kennedy. The inside look into Callas' life and famous friends and acquaintances was intoxicating. Daisy Goodwin's writing can really pull you in, and keep you in.

I loved this book about Maria Callas, a legit diva of the opera world. Maria is just a smidge before my time so I hadn’t heard of her before but did recognize many of the famous names she associated with. I found myself googling for pictures of her with Marilyn Monroe and Aristotle Onassis. Despite her greatness as a singer, she had a lot of sadness in her life.

This book took me right back in time. Loved every minute of it! The characters were so dynamic and found myself rooting for them all.

Historical fiction dealing with the life of Maria Callas and of course her relationship with Aristotle Onassis. I really didn't know much about Ms. Callas besides the fact she was a famous opera singer and she had an affair with Mr Onassis. I found the book informative. Mr. Onassis came off as manipulative, seducing woman for his own pleasure. I did find the book to be a bit repetitive and slow going at times.

This book has been remarkably candid, and thought provoking. It's as though I'm driving into someone's personal diary and uncovering intimate details of their life. It has so many layers and depicts the complicated nature of a human. The story is a roller coster ride through and through. Absolutely enjoyed this.

I found this book an entertaining and breezy read. The fictional aspects of it meshed well with the historical facts. However, the descriptive erotic sections were unexpected and made it a tad salacious at the level of a romance novel rather than humanize these larger than life 20th century figures. This story doesn’t need that and it’ll be better to leave some to the imagination rather than provide graphic detail. Also, this needs another run of proofreading and editing before it’s published as I found quite a few typos and grammatical errors. Also inconsistencies like calling Grace Kelly and her prince The Rainiers in some instances rather than their proper name of Grimaldi. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this.

I probably ought not to have chosen this one, as I am not at all interested in celebrities who are famous for being celebrities, nor am I much interested in fiction set during my own lifetime, unless written by someone my own age as they fall down on the tiny details that keep me from immersing.

But I was curious to see what someone would do with a complex, talented figure like Maria Callas. I know very little about her life, but I've heard recordings of her singing, and I guess I hoped the author would be imagining what it would be like to create such extraordinary music from the inside.

I thought Goodwin did an okay job there, though not enough for me--there was so much less singing than there was her star-struck mother mistreating her. I also really disliked the hopping back and forth in time. Another thing that disturbed me was Goodwin's treatment of Elsa Maxwell, who was an unusual figure--a woman of no looks whose talent was putting together parties. She had to hide her lesbian side her entire life, though otherwise she lived life on her own terms, as did Maria Callas--but here the relationship between the two is superficial, with far too many descriptions of Maxwell's "thick" fingers and other non-attractive aspects. Ick.

Though I have zero interest in Aristotle Onassis, I did appreciate the scene in which Godwin has him admit to being a street kid, which perhaps explains (too facilely?) his rapaciousness, otherwise, their relationship left me shrugging my way through the pages in hopes of more singing. But that wasn't the story Godwin wanted to tell.

I loved this book! I was sucked in from the start. Despite it being a fictionalization of Maria Callas' life, it was accurate, compelling, and fully engaging. I loved how Ms. Goodwin took us through the years of the relationship with Ari Onassis, but included La Divina's own personal history and tragedies.

I thoroughly enjoyed Diva and look forward to reading whatever Daisy Goodwin puts out next.

This historical novel about a recent diva was enlightening. I was aware of Maria Callas, the opera singer, and aware that she had the reputation of being difficult, but this book bought her life more into perspective. I really enjoyed this. Well written and well researched.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the advance copy of this book.

Diva derives from Latin for goddess, but usually refers to a temperamental female performer of immense talent. One cannot separate the word diva from Maria Callas - who defined the word by both talent and reputation. Gail Goodwin's novel Diva covers the life of Maria Callas, opera's most celebrated soprano. Diva gives details of Callas's life: her nearsightedness and refusal to publicly wear glasses, her difficult relationship with her mother, and blends them with opinions about Callas' behavior, and Callas' own insecurities.



Known for her talent and temper, Callas grew up poor in both New York City and Athens. She began singing opera at a young age and eventually became the definition of the term opera singer. Known for her affair with shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis as much as her talent, she and Onassis were involved until he left her for Jacqueline Kennedy. Goodwin's novel explores the complicated life of a complex woman. Maria Callas will always be considered the goddess of opera and Goodwin's novel makes readers understand why.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was such a fascinating story to read, the story of a gracious and elegant opera singer named Maria Callas and her intense affair with one of the richest men at that time. It is a perfect book for any fans of Evelyn Hugo. 4 stars.

An absolute delight to read! I wished it was longer because I couldn't get enough of Daisy Goodwin's beautiful writing. The way she captured Maria's emotions as her rollercoaster of a relationship with Onasis unfolded was beyond spectacular. I can't recommend this enough.

GoodReads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5994414891

At once, both a striking and a humanizing account of one of the most celebrated opera singers of all time, Maria Callas. Known as "la divina" because of her golden voice, she was a gem in society, attracting fame, status, and legions of fans around the world. However, despite her extraordinary talent, she had a deep-seeded yearning to be seen as more than just an artistic commodity for those around her to exploit, she wanted to be revered, to be loved as a woman. And it wasn't until she met Aristotle Onassis, embarking on a tumultuous nine-year affair with him, that she finally experienced the opulence and devastation of true connection.

I thought this was a fair tribute to Maria Callas. The author succeeded in drawing out her indomitable struggle for love and acceptance, not just as a singer, but as a daughter, singer, and eventual jilted lover. It was a testament to the writing that readers were able to feel the highest highs and lowest lows right alongside her. Engaging all around!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Like the other readers, I was looking forward to reading this book. I love what I call semi-fiction (not a biography, but with enough truth to sustain it). But this book really rubbed me the wrong way. I know nothing about Maria Callas since I was a toddler when she was at her peak. I didn't even know anything about her time with Aristotle. However, I did know that he married Jackie Kennedy.

Half of the way through this book, I just knew that I was going to have to force myself to finish it. The characters are unlikeable, and I do mean all of them, even Maria. What a diva she was. But I suspect not so unlike any of the female musicians nowadays. Wow, Elsa Maxwell, what a pip! It seems as if she was sabotaging Maria from the start. Nowadays, we do know that she had a major thing for Maria, so who knows? Maybe Elsa really was sabotaging her.

The more I read this book, the more disgusted I got with all the characters. However, I must keep reminding myself that this (Maria') generation is totally different from this one and even the Boomer generation. I was disgusted at how easily Maria could give up on her career for a party or a man.

You already know how the book is going to end because of the beginning of the book. However, it's interesting to see Onassis try to keep his affairs from Maria, and Maria does have to deal with him just a few months after his marriage.

If you don't know anything about opera before you read this book, you sure will be an expert once you finish it. I was fairly bored and annoyed throughout this novel, but I did manage to finish it.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher St. Martin's Press, the author, and NetGalley.

This historical fiction story brings us the famous opera singer and diva, Maria Callas. Maria began singing at a young age. Her longtime affair with Aristotle Onassis is a large focus in this book. Unfortunately, Onassis married another woman, Jackie Kennedy. Unfortunately, I thought the story was rather slow, and it wasn’t one of those stories that I couldn’t put down. All in all, though, it was an interesting read!

I absolutely loved this book. I read it in 3 days and can’t wait to read more about her life and that of Onassis

I knew so little about Maria Callas, but while reading this incredible book, I played several of her arias. Her voice was breathtaking and it was easy to see why she's considered the best soprano in history. This book was hard to put down; I wanted to continue reading so much more about her life, which, despite her incredible fame, was so obsessed with Onassis that she suffered greatly from his indiscretions.
This was the best book I've read this year.

Maria Callas was a world-renowned opera singer and actor. She had one of the most unique voices that caused goosebumps in listeners who appreciate opera music. Callas was strikingly beautiful with dark eyes and hair and was elegantly fashioned in beautiful clothing and jewelry. But there is more to Maria Callas than her outward appearance. Callas came from humble beginnings and had a contentious relationship with her mother and sister. She married a much older man, nearly thirty years her senior, who managed her career. Her relationship with Tito was described in the book as more of a professional relationship as opposed to marital. The author added that Tito was only interested in the earnings brought in by his wife. Still, I wish it would have elaborated on how he received her estate after her death, despite their divorce, and how he took advantage of her career. Goodwin also included a little on her early education, but I wish the book had more on her training with Elvira de Hidalgo than mere glimpses at her early life. Most of the book was not about her performances but her relationship with Aristotle Onassis. The book became repetitive with the Callas/Onassis relationship descriptions. There was jealousy, abuse, and heartache riddled throughout Maria's relationship with Aristotle. The conclusion wasn't about Maria's life after Onassis. The book ended with the "end of their romance" when he married Jackie Kennedy. This was a disappointment. Much of Callas' substance abuse was omitted from the novel, which I think would have illustrated how destructive her relationship was with Onassis. Overall, Diva needed to tell me more about Maria Callas's life, not only her relationship with Aristotle Onassis.
I read this book for an honest review of Net Galley.

Diva by Daisy Goodwin is a historical fiction novel about Maria Callas and her life and love story with Aristotle Onassis. It's a very readable story and the author provides insight into what might have been going on in Maria Callas' mind throughout her story. I struggled a bit with her characterization of Jackie Kennedy Onassis but of course the story is written from Maria's viewpoint.

The challenge of course is the same as with all historical fiction, how much is history and how much is fiction? If taken as a novel this is a fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Diva in exchange for an honest review.