I enjoyed this book but I felt like it was a bit slow to read. I wanted to hear more about the affair but that part felt a bit rushed.

Although I knew the story of Maria Callas, her magnificent voice and opera career, as well as her affair with Aristotle Onassis, I was fascinated by this portrayal of her life. You don't need to know about opera to enjoy this novel. Ms. Goodwin does not disappoint.

Of course, I’ve heard of Maria Callas. But, I knew nothing about her other than that she was a famous opera singer, so, when I saw this book, I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn about a completely different subject.

However, the book certainly didn’t do her any justice. She came across as a very selfish, obsessed, jealous, woman who let herself be derailed by an undeserving man. If this book was set in contemporary times, people would be aghast. The idea of a hugely talented artist, neglecting her talent, giving up her career, leaving her husband, all for a man who clearly was sleeping with other women, offered her no future, and never led her to believe that he would marry her (which is seems is the only thing she wanted from him) is appalling.

It’s not just Callas who is maligned. All women in the book are portrayed as vile creatures: Grace Kelly, Elsa Maxwell, Jackie Kennedy, Lee Radziwell, the Duchess of Windsor, Clementine Churchill, and of course Callas’s own mother and sister are but a few of the women skewered in the story. Only Marilyn Monroe (and strangely) Tina Onassis are slightly sympathetically drawn.

The men are equally horrible. Except Zeffirelli?

Outside of all the chaos (or is she completely inside?) is Bruna , Maria’s loyal lady-in-waiting, but she is so unwavering loyal it almost felt like Stockholm syndrome. What’s her reward, what was her motivation?

Because of the sex (albeit unoriginal in description and unsexy) it’s not a book I would include in my class library, nor recommend to students, but I don’t think I would anyway. It was a bit too long, repetitive, and dragged at points.

All of this said, it’s not a terrible book. It’s just not an homage to the diva of the title but instead, a sad story. I read to the end but it took me a while to get through. I did learn about a new topic, and I was inspired to listen to some opera and learn more about some of the people, places, and events in the story, so I guess something positive came out of my time commitment.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

A wow of a histfic novel about the life of famed opera star Maria Callas, and her tumultuous love affair with Aristotle Onassis, who became Jackie Kennedy's second husband. Captivating!

Bravo! A beautiful book, a fictionalized account, of the life of the great diva, Maria Callas. We know the bones of her story but Goodwin takes us to the intimate details of her life.

Born in Brooklyn, she was brought by her cruel and grasping mother to study voice in Greece. Despite myriad issues of poverty, sadness and weight, she becomes the great Callas. Her marriage to the manipulative Italian Tita has brought her little happiness.

The heart of this book is her relationship with Aristotle Onassis. Of course, we associate his name with Jackie O, his trophy wife. This is all explored in this book. Maria is so totally sympathetic in this that it’s hard not to become emotionally involved.

I highly recommend this to reading groups who will enjoy discussing the relationships of Ari and Maria, as well as his connection to both Jackie and her sister Lee (cringeworthy and a bit shocking).

Thank you Netgalley for the privilege of reading and reviewing this compelling book.

This was so well written I was pulled in immediately. I have heard her songs before but I loved reading about her and understanding her story. This was a really good read. I highly recommend.

I've enjoyed everything I've read by Daisy Goodwin, Diva included. Maria Callas has been vilified by pro-Jackie fans for decades. How lovely to read something from her perspective! The truth is likely somewhere in the middle, but this gives the story a little balance.

(Kindly note I posted this review on my Goodreads and Instagram accounts)

BOOK REVIEW ALERT! 📚📚📚📚📚

"Diva" by Daisy Goodwin

Anticipated Release Date: Jan 23, 2023

BOOK REVIEW:

Oh "Diva"... you found your way into my heart and wrapped yourself around it until you made it your very own. Thank you to Daisy Goodwin for an advanced copy of this book which is anticipated to be released on January 23, 2024. It is important to note: I don't think I could have waited that long to acquire a copy.

Goodwin humanized the larger-than-life, Maria Callas, in such a way that her heartaches, and trials and tribulations, were rendered relatable. Her life was not an easy one despite the outward appearance of chic coolness she masterfully conveyed to the world that watched her every move. She was under a microscope, floating in sea of big names such as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Her larger than life romance with the infamous Aristotle Onassis raised her to epic heights and then smashed her mercilessly when he chose to wed Jacqueline Kennedy over her. That human element I previously mentioned is the driving force of this book. The true "diva" is stripped down to her core emotions, and we get a glimpse of this in this book, generating awareness and appreciation on the reader's part.

This book is wonderfully written, and I was deeply engaged with each turn of the page.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

5/5

This is a fictional story about the greatest operatic soprano, Maria Callas. It details her very strained relationship with her mother Litsa. Born in the United States to Greek parents Maria grew up believing she was the unwanted ugly duckling of the family. She was fat and unpopular while her sister was slim and beautiful. Maria was forced by her mother to sing in order to make money denying her the normal childhood she longed for. Early in Maria’s career she realized her weight was an issue and transformed herself into a slim and beautiful woman. When Maria meets the world’s richest Greek businessman Aristotle Onassis she at first seems disinterested. But Ari always gets what he wants and Maria eventually falls deeply in love with him. There is plenty of celebrity gossip and an abundance of very notable people to dislike. The author says at the outset that she has taken many liberties with the facts. I’ve reluctantly given this four stars because it did make me curious enough about the life of Maria Callas to do a bit of research. This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Diva, by Daisy Goodwin, is a well-written historical fiction novel about a topic I had not previously known about.
Maria Callas is a world-renowned opera singer, who was in love with Aristotle Onassis. She was shocked to learn
Jacqueline Kennedy was to become his bride. Being the Diva she was, she regrouped and came back better than ever. Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook to read and review.

It's a rarity for someone to capture the essence of someone who has long passed and yet the author has managed to do exactly that. It was a pleasure reading this book and besides some small inaccuracies or errors in greek cuisine this proved to be one of the best portrayals of Maria Callas and her relationship with mr. Onassis but above all herself.

Diva weaves the story of Maria Callas, the most celebrated opera singer of her time, and her relationship with Aristotle Onassis, Greek tycoon.

The story begins in 1968 with Maria trying to get over what has just happened. After a nine-year romance with Onassis, she learns about his newly announced marriage to Jackie Kennedy. The world she built around her and tried to protect for so long is crumbling now.

The novel interestingly weaves the backstories. Maria was born in New York, but was taken back to the country of her parents and raised there during the Nazi-occupied Greece by her mother who exploited her miraculous voice. Later, Maria marries a man who just sees her voice which makes good money, but he doesn’t see her as a woman. When she meets Onassis, she feels seen for the first time as a woman.

They meet in Italy in 1957. Onassis doesn’t like opera, but he likes Maria. She is offended by his arrogance and doesn’t accept an invitation to his yacht. But Onassis doesn’t give up and continues to pursue her. He showers her with expensive jewelry and holidays, introducing her to the most famous celebrities of the time.

The story ends with Onassis marrying Jackie and quickly realizing that Maria was probably the love of his life. I hoped the story would continue after their split, but it ends sharply after the split.

This story is authentically presented, vividly painting a portrait of a strong woman, who at the same time is ready to give up her career for a man she deeply loves. I enjoy stories of real people told in the first person, but there are some explicit scenes that feel invasive.

The characters are well-fleshed-out, making the experience, for most part, feel very real. Also, there is a realistic presentation of Maria’s preparations and her worries of knowing that it’s a matter of time when her singing career will end.

The story changes time and place flawlessly, and with engaging prose weaves a fascinating story.

Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Goodwin's writing style is very comfortable for me. I could focus on the characters, the interactions and let the story unfold without getting bogged down in self-aware writing. I look forward to reading more of her work. This is more of a commentary on myself than it is on the book, but I love historical fiction, but am conflicted when it aligns so closely to an actual person. Did an event really happen? Was that a conversation that actually took place? My guess is - knowing what I know of Callas - the essence of it is quite accurate. But still, I struggle with not knowing for sure.

I am not an opera fan, but Goodwin's writing has made me curious and at least somewhat interested (which is farther than my best friend has gotten in trying to convince me for over a decade.

Finally, the story arc really worked for me. Yes, I would recommend this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an eGalley of Diva.

I knew that Maria Callas was an opera singer but I'd never listened to her songs, or had heard about her personal life. Daisy Goodwin's story describes some of Callas' lavish lifestyle and troubled relationships. The focus was on her time as the mistress of Aristotle Onassis,

I listened to some of Callas' performances as I read the book and can appreciate her talent. But it was frustrating that she was used by so many people in her life .

This isn't an in-depth biography, but is an interesting glimpse into Calls' life.

Inspired by the life and history of Diva Maria Callas, this novel reveals the inner life of the most famous opera singer of her time. Her tempestuous love affair with Aristotle Onassis drives her life second only to her music career. It feels like you know her intimately, as few did in her lifetime. You are enthralled from the very beginning and appalled at times. Her life was her greatest performance and dwarfed her music, but she, as always, is the great Maria Callas.

The story of Maria Callas starts with her response to hearing Ari is marrying Jackie. Despite the crazy chronology where it skips randomly from year to year, the character of Maria is well-developed. Her voice has propelled her to fame and also caused her to be used by both her mother and husband for money. The gossip Elsa introduces her to Ari–the two most famous Greeks in the world–and they start an affair although he’s married to Tina and she is divorcing Tito. Her voice is compared to a box of coins that will eventually run out. The characters are well drawn–Maria is passionate, a perfectionist, and in love with Ari. He is a horrible womanizer-using the same lines and bracelets for all his women. He refuses to marry Maria even when she gets pregnant and he seems glad when the baby dies. He spends on huge pieces of jewelry–one of which he throws in the ocean. What I didn’t like was the ending. Maria says she won’t see him after he marries Jackie but he says he’ll be back-and he probably will. There’s no comment on her loss of voice, end of career, death of Aril etc. I wish it had provided some closure.

What a wonderful book on an absolutely fascinating and talented woman! I knew little about opera before I delved into this book, but I definitely remembered the famous Maria Callas. Daisy Goodwin has brought her to life! Maria was a complex woman with an amazing voice, who constantly worried she would awake one day to find it gone. The author writes of her early life, her career, marriage, love, and the myriad of famous people who surrounded her. It is a beautifully written book in which the author has captured the essence of Maria, her fame, struggles and the one true love of her life. I thoroughly enjoyed the book! Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my advanced copy of the book. The opinions of the review are my own.

In Goodwin's competent hands, this fictionalized life of operatic sensation Maria Callas is framed, and punctuated, by her relationship with the richest man on the planet, Ari Onassis. It drops us into her public space and private thoughts on the day she learns Ari has abandoned her and their long-standing affair to marry a woman of better pedigree, namely Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

After that emotionally tense opening, we skip back-and-forth through her early desperate years in New York City, the ignored younger sister, until she demonstrates her singing talent to her grasping mother. Sent back to Italy when her parents separate, she supports her mother by singing in the streets and bars through some troubled times before finally making her way to a teacher and opera company. When she returns to New York City, it is as a world renowned diva, and the rest of the book is pretty much headlines with some yearning over forbidden food and arrogant comments about her own brilliance.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. But although it gives possible plausible insights into fictionalized Maria, it fails to make her engaging or sympathetic, and does not elevate the rather humdrum elements of her celebrated life either on or off stage. If there was a search for meaning in her life it seems to have gone no further than a quest to be allowed to eat pasta again as opposed to eating only salad to preserve her figure for the stage. With so much rich opera to draw on, there were many parallels that could have been made, some tragedies underpinned by the operas in which she performed, but the book stays in the lighter and easier fare, resulting in an operetta of middling competence rather than an opera-quality life and death.

What a beautiful story about about a beautiful woman! This portrayal of the career and life of world famous soprano Maria Callas was fascinating… the glamour and big emotions made this a book to get lost in. The relationship between Callas and Aristotle Onassis develops and evolves and is central to the story for certain. However, all of the characters are well developed and the relationships between them are described perfectly. I felt like I was on the deck of Onassis’ yacht and in the opera house and on the shore of Skorpios. Dinner parties and cruises with guests like Grace Kelly, Winston Churchill, Jackie Kennedy, Marylyn Monroe just add to the glitz and enjoyment of this novel. As soon as I read the last page, I was down an internet rabbit hole looking at photos of Callas and listening to her recordings.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The facts of Maria Callas’ life, the stories of her determination and discipline, the extraordinary performances she achieved as an operatic soprano, and the rumors and innuendoes of her failings and flaws have been covered in previous biographies, but Goodwin makes the life and drama of this performer come together in a new spell-binding story. In the last 100 years since her birth in 1922 (and death in 1977) there have been few artistic performers who achieved the worldwide fame across generations, which we would now call “superstardom,” that Maria Callas did. For those not familiar with her, short clips of her magnetic star-power performances are available online. Her personal life intersected with many of the 20th century’s most famous figures, including royalty, politicians, business leaders and publicity seekers, and her performances were scrutinized by critics. She was frequently followed by a pack of journalists, especially during her affair with Aristotle Onassis, and lived in constant fear that the press, her behavior, or a wavering voice might cause her adoring fans to turn against her. It is not necessary to know anything about music, opera, or Maria Callas herself, to be captivated by the new novel Diva by Daisy Goodwin.

Goodwin states in the preface that although she remained close to the facts, this is a novel and not a biography because she made some adjustments for purposes of the narrative. The result reflects judicious selection of the most relevant personal events, inclusion of only necessary operatic references, compassionate editing of unsubstantiated or unsavory stories, and inclusion of actual quotes plus Goodwin’s own imagined private conversations. Her novel is the story of a magnetic personality who overcame an awkward and abusive early life to become a world-recognized Diva, who pushed herself relentlessly to overcome insecurities which often made her difficult to work with, and who struggled to control her own destiny despite efforts of manipulative and misogynistic men. This well written and gripping novel is filled with drama and emotion. Character descriptions and dialogue seem completely realistic, totally relevant and true to character. From beginning to end, Diva is a page-turner with no slow sections.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martins Press for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.