I liked this fictional rendering of a small glimpse into Maria Callas's life. I didn't know much about her, just that she was a renowned opera singer & had a long time affair with Aristotle Onassis.
I would rate this as a 3.5 star book but rounded it to 4 stars.

Obviously this is fiction & the author states it is not a biography, but there's quite a bit of conjecture & back & forth conversation/dialogue. It does give a most likely accurate portrayal of Maria, her stardom, her talent & her being a "diva". The story did drag on for me in parts, but I continued.

I would recommend this to people, as I am sure others will love it more than I did, & now I would like to look into a factual version of her life.

Diva gives the reader a vivid picture of the life of Maria Callas. Despite her troubled childhood and complicated adult relationships, she had the discipline to become and maintain her status as one of the world's greatest opera singers. I enjoyed the behind the scenes glimpses of an opera performers life and most delicious, her life with Aristotle Onassis. The writing was a bit clunky for me, so giving the book 3 stars, but one doesn't have to be an opera lover to find Diva an entertaining read.

“Diva” by Daisy Goodwin is a historical fiction of the life of the great soprano, Maria Callas.
The novel jumps back and forth narratively in her life and is thrilling to read. I enjoyed learning about this fascinating woman.

I learned so much of what I thought that I already knew about Maria Callas. A compelling story of the love affair between the most celebrated opera singer of all time and one of the richest men in the world and it's betrayals Daisy Goodwin brings to life a woman wuth amazing talent, greatly driven and always stylish made her a legend. I recommend this great historical novel to all who like reading about strong women who endure.

Fantastic!! I’ve always been a fan of Maria Callas, and I love Daisy Goodwins style of writing. This book was the best of both worlds. I enjoyed the way Maria was portrayed. Usually, she is the spoilt diva, but this Maria was warm and human. I loved this book and already preordered a copy of it. 5 stars!!

Diva by Daisy Goodwin is the sweeping story of Maria Callas‘ scandalous and dramatic (how could it not be? She‘s the world‘s most celebrated/infamous opera singer!) From her humble beginnings in the US and Greece to her final triumphs on stage, her journey twists and turns and winds around her great love of one man, Aristotle Onassis. Diva reads less like a stodgy biography and more like a tragic romance. Which Callas‘ life was a tragic romance. There is a loveless marriage, a sweeping, all-consuming affair, a pregnancy loss, betrayal, and public scandals. But there is also the story of a triumphant, driven, unbelievably talented woman, who is not going to lie down and wilt under her intense public scrutiny. Maria Callas was a DIVA in the truest sense of the word- she wasn’t going to let anyone dictate how she lived her life. Goodwin lets the story unfold naturally and doesn’t linger or become maudlin; much like Callas herself, Goodwin gets on with the journey. Telling Callas’ life story could have gotten bogged down by technical talk of opera, arias, and scales (which would also have been interesting to a certain set of fans), but instead Diva is lively, moving, and celebratory- all the things Maria Callas embraced in her life. I highly recommend this one. Random rating 4/5 stars- only because I would have liked to know more about how her earlier life with her mother (that seems like it could be a whole other novel). Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in return for an honest review.

Diva is about well known and renowned opera singer, Maria Callas, and primarily centers around her life during the time of her infamous affair with Aristotle Onassis, prior to his marriage to Jackie Kennedy.

Prior to reading this book, I didn't know anything about Maria, and while I could tell this book was likely well researched, it felt clinical and one dimensional. The dialogue was stilted and Maria never seemed to grow or develop as a character, and while I know it was based on truth, her relationship with Onassis was extremely flawed and borderline toxic.

The book opens with Maria putting on a brave face for the press on the day of Onassis' wedding to Jackie and closes shortly after their wedding, but never actually delved into how Onassis and Maria dealt with the years leading up to his marriage. It just felt like this was obviously an important point in their relationship, and it was completely skipped over.

Even though I did read this book in its entirety and didn't exactly hate it, it just wasn't a book I really enjoyed either. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

A fascinating and well-told tale about America's greatest opera singer. Beautifully organized with telling insights, this novel keeps the pages turning as we enter into a world of struggle and wealth. The author's interweaving of Callas' life and how it mirrored the plots of the opera's she sang onstage is brilliantly executed with telling affect. Jackie Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Elsa Maxwell, and so many others are presented as, I imagine, they really were. The author gives us an all too human woman who was a great artist but bstill a woamn with needs that sadly were never realized. While this is a novel and not a biography it has the ring of truth that goes far deeper than mere facts. Higly reccomended.

Diva tells the fascinating story of the life of one of the most celebrated opera singers, Maria Callas. Daisy Goodwin portrays Maria’s successes and disappointments both professionally and personally.

As a child, Maria was shunned by her mother who favored her older sister. Her mother used Maria’s talent for money and in later years, often spoke ill of her daughter to the press. Maria eventually discovered love and married Batista Meneghini, a man 30 years her senior. She wanted someone that she could rely on and make her feel secure. Batista managed her career and her finances. She later finds out her husband had been stealing money from her and giving it to his family. Maria then finds love with Aristotle Onassis only to be devasted when he left her for another woman.

Goodwin brings us from the beginning of Maria Callas’ first performance to end of her career. Throughout the novel, you can feel her determination, incredible talent, passion for music, and her love for the audience. She believed her voice was a gift from God and shared it with others.

Her talent brings many accolades and opens doors to high society. Maria dined with world leaders, social icons and movie stars. She lived an extraordinary life.
Goodwin vividly portrays Maria Callas as a complex woman, weaving together the success and fame brought on by her talent and the child then woman who yearned for someone to love her just as Maria.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Diva for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

4.5. I loved this historical fiction account of Maria Callas (who I had ignorantly never heard of prior to this book). Obviously I have heard about many of the other people in this book due to their famous status, but Maria Callas was not one of them. This book was so good. Maria Callas was arguably the best soprano opera singer of her time the Diva. The lives she touched were immeasurable, but her love affair with Aristotle Onassis was of course, the one most were interested in. Taking me all over the globe as Maria Callas sings her heart out all while her true heart lies with a man who can never be faithful was hard to read at times as the author really showed the love Callas had for Onassis. For me, this is historical fiction at its best - that when I finish the book I am immediately went down the rabbit hole of internet reading to find out more about the people involved. I wondered what happened to her next, did she ever marry again, was she a recluse, etc. Engaging readers to find out more information after the final page should be a goal of historical fiction - and this one succeeded.

The only reason I took half a star off is that I wish the prologue didn't exist. Because I didn't know the story of Maria Callas I felt like it gave too much away of what the book would hold - so I knew what was going to happen - I just didn't know when. I kept waiting for the inevitable event to occur which I think made me read the book a bit differently than if I didn't know that Maria was alive to witness the marriage and the devastation it caused her.

Thank you so much to Daisy Goodwin, St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC and for opening my eyes up to Maria Callas.

Gripping prose brings Maria’s life to light. Beautifully written.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars

Quite honestly, this is one of the saddest books I've read in a long time. Maria Callas, for all her talent, her fame, and her dedication to her art, never seemed to find true love. She came in second best in the eyes of both her mother and her most famous lover. Overall, this was a long and depressing read, about people with more money than humanity.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ From the publisher St. Martin's Press: In the glittering and ruthlessly competitive world of opera, Maria Callas was known simply as la divina: the divine one. With her glorious voice, instinctive flair for the dramatic and striking beauty, she was the toast of the grandest opera houses in the world. But her fame was hard won: raised in Nazi-occupied Greece by a mother who mercilessly exploited her golden voice, she learned early in life to protect herself from those who would use her for their own ends.

When she met the fabulously rich Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, for the first time in her life, she believed she’d found someone who saw the woman within the legendary soprano. She fell desperately in love. He introduced her to a life of unbelievable luxury, showering her with jewels and sojourns in the most fashionable international watering holes with celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

And then suddenly, it was over. The international press announced that Aristotle Onassis would marry the most famous woman in the world, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, leaving Maria to pick up the pieces.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: I have read other fictionalized accounts of Maria Callas' life and enjoyed them all. They all tell the story of a life of fame, money, celebrity, success, longing, and disappointment. To be THE Diva and still not have everything you want makes for an interesting book.

Maria's husband wavers between weakness, greed, and oblivion. As the reader waits for him to be cast aside he seems just annoying. It took a long while in this book for Maria and Onassis to end up together but while waiting I learned a lot about opera.

My true tell of how much I like a historical fiction novel is how much I have to stop and look up for accuracy. Envisioning Churchill, Onassis, Maria, Jackie and Lee etc...all vacationing together is certainly fun!

Great book, lots of accuracy and of course all the fictionalized dialogue and details just enhance the journey. What a life Maria Callas led...a shining example of not being able to have everything no matter your fame, money or power. I would have liked to have more in depth information about Maria and Jackie and Onassis after he chose Jackie. The book winds down once Onassis throws over Maria for the President's widow.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

This was an interesting book filled with lots of drama and heartbreak. I did not know much about Maria prior to reading this book and found her life, while sad, very captivating.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, I can’t believe I have never heard of Maria Callas! This story gave me lots of outside research to do!
Poor Maria - what a sad but also amazing life she lived. This book gave me a lot without anything much happening but the emotional impact of it all was not lost on me as the reader.
I enjoyed the plot and timeline overall but found the ending to be unsatisfying and felt like it came to a sudden halt.

Diva by Daisy Goodwin is a captivating tale of passion, fame, and heartbreak, centered around the legendary opera singer, Maria Callas. This novel transports readers into the glittering world of opera, where Maria Callas, known as "la divina," reigns as a celebrated icon. The novel delves deep into the life of a woman whose remarkable talent and indomitable spirit led her to success, despite a tumultuous upbringing. Diva is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant novel that immerses readers in the complexities of love, fame, and the enduring spirit of a legendary artist.

I read this book in a day and I never looked back! The twist and the plot were pretty easy to identify but the different POV's kept me intrigued to see how everything was going to unfold. A couple of the characters were so unlikable that it made it hard to feel bad or connect with them in any way. I do wish that the ending would've given a little more, I wanted to know how the characters dealt with the aftermath.


*I received a copy of this eARC via NetGalley*

Maria Callas has been an enigma in many ways and through this fictional retelling of Callas' life we are drawn into the drama and heartbreaking reality of what she went through. A wonderful singer from young, Daisy Goodwin captivates us by embodying Ms. Callas with warmth, humor and even a little sarcasm. Sprinkled with real life characters that are known to many this is a fantastic read and is highly recommended.

Thanks Net Galley for this ARC. Before reading, I had no idea who Maria Callas was, but this story, while a fictional dramatization of Callas’s life, dazzled as it told of this larger than life character. The intrigue and glamour, as well as the romantic entanglements really amplified the appeal of this novel. It gave Evelyn Hugo vibes, and for me that’s an absolute plus. I really did not know what to expect going into this novel, but it certainly hit harder than I anticipated!

i loved this book so so much- the storyline was great and so were the characters. i will definitely be reading this book again when it comes out