I found the book, Diva, well-researched, beautifully written and described the passions of Maria Callas in a very captivating way. The author also gave the reader a glimpse of a glamorous world that is long gone. From time to time, I couldn't help but look up some persons and instances that were mentioned and described in the book, which meant that I am fully engrossed and engaged in the story!

The biggest benefit of reading this novel was, for me, the discovery of the incredible Maria Callas. I have a whole playlist on my Spotify now dedicated to this woman's performances, and I am not even a casual fan of opera. She's that fantastic. Which is why I found this novel to be a bit of a disappointment — the facets of Maria's life Daisy Goodwin chose to focus on are entertaining, but as I went into my own research dive, I found there was so much more to her life than her ill-fated love affair with Aristotle Onassis.

Goodwin's choice to focus her novel on Maria and Ari's tumultuous affair isn't a bad choice, per se. Most people know who he is already, and he is a huge part of Maria's adult life. But when she would drop little interesting tidbits about Maria's life during the war — being forced by her mother to sing for Nazis, for example — I found myself thinking, wait, why don't those parts of her life receive more focus? Why don't we delve more into her rivalries with other opera greats, especially Renata Tebaldi? Maybe there was simply too much subject matter for Goodwin to choose from.

I will say this — just because I would rather glimpse more of Maria Callas' life outside her relationship with Onassis does not mean I think Goodwin's writing reduced her to a woman simply pining after a man. Maria does pine, but she also throws temper tantrums, sings her heart out, and ultimately rises above. She's a complicated woman who feared losing her voice more than losing any man, and I do think Goodwin framed her as such. In the end, maybe her life was just too much for one novel to contain. I can't really fault Goodwin for that.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Daisy Goodwin writes about one of the main events in the famous opera singer, Maria Callas's life: the lead up to her meeting with Aristotle Onassis and the ill-fated romance that followed. I thought Ms. Goodwin wrote with authority. She tells a lot of the story in dialogue, as if we're a fly on the wall. I enjoyed this style of storytelling, rather than just paragraphs of "this happened" then "that happened". It gave the story an immediacy an more authenticity, even though the dialogue is purely speculation, of course.

We do get glimpses of Maria's past, in particular, her fraught relationship with her mother, who she always though favored her sister. I personally liked that the story doesn't start at the beginning of her life and carry through to death, like a biography. It focused on a period of her life when her career was reaching its height, and she ended her marriage to start an affair with Onassis. She was doomed for disappointment, as she wanted to be Onassis's wife, not his mistress. The opening scene of the book, she hears he has married the widowed Jackie Kennedy, and we see her pain. Then we dive into the story to find out how she got to this point.

I really enjoyed this book. I admit it took me a little time at the beginning to feel committed to it, but once I got into the story I was hooked. I listened to an excellent audio rendition and I would recommend that to anyone who enjoys audiobooks. I rate this book five stars. I think it was a stellar effort, and if you have any interest in opera or Maria Callas, it should be on your radar.

Thank you to NetGalley, Daisy Goodwin, and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had never heard of Maria Callas before reading this book, but was intrigued since I have little knowledge of the Opera world.

I typically like biographical fiction, but I didn't feel a connection with the main character in this book. I think there was too much focus on event detail and discussing people who Maria was in contact with. The author definitely didn't paint her in much of a redeeming light.

This story jumps around in timeline a lot. If flashbacks are going to happen, I think they need to be thought out carefully to help with critical parts in understanding the plot or developing the characters. I didn't feel those parts were executed very well.

Overall I learned some things about Maria, but this book just wasn't for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

Diva is yet another example of why I adore historical fiction! Learning about those who falls through the cracks of history, especially women, is the reason I keep coming back to the genre again and again. Daisy Goodwin does an amazing job of bringing the life and plight of opera singer Maria Callas to light.

Daisy Goodwin brings yet another lesser known woman to life in DIVA - the story of Maria Callas, and opera singer who was romantically tied to Aristotle Onassis. It was a fun to read about all of the famous people that were in her path and interesting to learn her backstory. I enjoyed this book and learning about Maria!

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced e-copy of this book.

Diva by Daisy Goodwin is about the opera singer Maria Callas. Maria is one of the most famous opera singers ever and this book of historical fiction dives into her work, relationships, and performances. I had never hear of Maria Callas before this book and after finishing it, I immediately went to listen to some her music. I loved her story and the inclusion of other famous people she had interacted with in her life including JFK and Marilyn Monroe.

Daisy Goodwin’s riveting historical fiction book Diva is a juicy, heartbreaking look at a certain time in the career of arguably one of the most famous opera singers, Maria Callas. It covers a period in her life where because of her age, she knows she perhaps has only a bit of time left to do what she is passionate about, sing. It also delves deeply into her longtime relationship with Greek tycoon, Aristotle Onassis and their torrid affair which ended when he shockingly (especially to Callas) married Jacqueline Kennedy. Callas seems to never have recovered from the trauma of that relationship and Onassis’ deceptions during their romance.

It also gives insight into why Callas worked so hard to be the number one opera singer. All through her life she never felt loved by her mother, who just continually pushed her and always felt her sister Jackie should have been the famous one. Their sad estrangement is documented in the story as well. It also alludes to a developed eating disorder as Callas her whole life was conscious of being overweight and humiliated as a child.

Mostly, the story in great detail explains how one of the most famous vocalists of our time was not very confident, how her husband Tito who was her agent pushed her incredibly hard because he was more interested in the money than their marriage which he treated as a corporation, never really allowing her to rest and pushing her even when she felt unwell to sing.

But that all changed when Callas met Aristotle Onassis. There was an immediate connection. But he was married and so was she. But they started an affair even though Callas knew Onassis was a playboy. He made her feel as if she was the only true love of his life. They both ended up divorcing, but sadly would never marry as Onassis kept putting off the asking even though Callas kept hoping for the ring.

Onassis, not a fan of opera really took no time to see Callas’ performances and she suspected him of cheating which Goodwin goes into great detail in the book. One can only sympathize for the way he treated Callas and how it affected the rest of her life.

Scattered throughout the story are sensational tales of the rich and famous and their lavish lifestyles, especially when traveling on Onassis’ yacht, Christina O. There are many accounts of richly spending and shocking waste.

Diva is a story filled with heartache, heartbreak and loss. It’s the story of a woman who as a child felt worthless and was able to pull herself up and leave all that behind and become the famous diva the world will always remember her as. But even with all that, her greatest regret was losing the love of her life.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #DaisyGoodwin #Diva for the advanced copy.

Oh what an amazing read! Loved reading about the lives of these characters. Historical fiction at its best! Daisy Goodwin is an absolutely go to author for historical fiction readers.

I knew virtually nothing about Maria Callas until I read this book! I appreciated learning new things while being given a peek into this renowned soprano's life.

Diva is a well done historical fiction slash romance/women's fiction focused on the life of Marie Callas, the legendary opera singer. I went into this knowing very little about Marie Callas, so someone with deeper familiarity may feel differently about this book than I did. I really enjoyed it. I like that it wasn't told completely linearly, and that some things were revealed over time via flashbacks. I'm sure there were liberties taken, but the broad strokes painted here line up with the historical record, and I think the author created a really compelling narrative. Marie Callas was a fascinating, talented, and tortured artist and woman.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for this honest review.

Absolutely loved this book! I never knew the story about this famous singer and was totally enthralled! The connection to Jackie I was so interesting as well. I Def want to read more by this author.

<b>Diva</b> by Daisy Goodwin is a historical fiction novel about the life of Maria Callas, one of the most renowned opera singers of the 20th century. Known as La Divina (The Divine One), her voice was known to express great emotion, even though it has been said that her voice was not traditionally beautiful. The cover, so simple and yet so elegantly beautiful, drew me to this book.

Despite being born in NYC, Maria and her sister were relocated to Greece by their mother when Maria was 14, following the deterioration of her parents’ marriage. While Maria’s mother showed favoritism towards her older sister, Jackie, she viewed Maria as her golden opportunity and began exploiting her vocal talents from a young age. Their relationship was never a loving one and only got worse with time.
While the book briefly explores Maria’s upbringing and professional journey, its central narrative revolves around her romantic involvement with Aristotle Onassis. They met in 1957 at a party held in her honor, and by 1959, Maria had made the decision to leave her husband, embarking on a nine year love affair with Onassis. Unlike those who primarily valued her for her vocal abilities and fame, Onassis displayed no interest in her singing career. Maria was drawn to him because he was able to see beyond her soprano persona; he recognized and appreciated her as a woman.

Although I felt empathy for Maria, she wasn’t portrayed as a particularly likable character. Despite her diva persona, learning about her struggles with weight loss, eating habits, and the challenges she faced with her husband highlighted her underlying insecurities. She was definitely a complex person and that was well-written into the narrative. I love books like this that send me Googling, wanting to know more.

The story started off at a slower pace and took a little bit to grab my attention. For me, my interest piqued when she met Onassis and with their initial cat and mouse chase. Having a husband who basically used her, a mother who showed no love, very few true friends, and then after a 9 year relationship, having to hear about Onassis’ marriage to Jackie O. through friends and from the newspaper, and then finally her untimely death at the age of 53 (which surprisingly wasn’t mentioned in the book)— her life felt so sad regardless of her fame and wealth. I enjoyed learning more about Maria Callas’ life and even listened to some of her music that was mentioned in the book although the ending felt abrupt and I wish the author would have shown Maria’s life after the breakup. 3.5 stars rounded up. 💫

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Diva is a fabulous depiction of the life of Maria Callas, the famous and powerful soprano opera singer. A huge part of her tale includes her love affair with Ari Onassis. This book kept me spellbound. I know little of the real Maria Callas, but felt her emotions both in her music and her performances and as well her great love and the abuse of that love by Onassis. It was so readable and touching, even when I wanted to scream warnings at Maria.Perhaps Ms. Goodwin took liberties with her portrayal of the great Diva, but I felt it worked well, and I very much enjoyed the book.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

A beautifully written rendering of Maria Callas. I've heard others say the audiobook is spectacularly done, so i'm keen to listen to that as well!

First off, the cover. YES YES YES! Cover and title will pull you in, but the story will keep you there. Well written is sometimes overplayed and over used but this is just good. Every fan of historical fiction should add this to their TBR shelf. Tired of historical that is only about the Holocost? Look no further, because let's be honest- historical fiction isn't always light and happy. This is a very rich book, it's rich in the writing and well developed. And yes, the cover matches the story.

Diva tells the life story of opera diva Maria Callas. From a young age, Maria knew she had a special gift with her voice, Her mother realized it too, and exploited her daughter to the Nazi regime. Maria quickly understands that her mother loves her only for her voice and what it will bring her, while she truly loves Maria's older, prettier sister Jackie.
Lacking the love at home, Maria found love on stage, as she portrayed different sopranos in operas across the globe. Sometime after becoming a global sensation, she meets Aristotle Onassis, and falls head over heels for him. Despite them both being married, a long-lasting affair ensues. After the divorce from his wife Tina, Maria continues to hope that Ari will propose to her. He finally does wed again - just not to her.
I enjoyed learning about Maria's life, thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

I tried really hard to like this book. It started off so slow and never really picked up. I am sad to say that I did not enjoy this book at all. I loved The American Heiress and was hoping this would be similar. Not so much. I'm sure Maria Callas had a fabulous life, but this book didn't do her justice. There was very little action in the story. I hope someone can do a better job of telling Ms. Callas' life story because this book was a huge miss for me.

This woman named MAR IA Callas was an O p e r a singer in forty's fifties and sixties. She had a bringing which was very hard for because she was in New York, but She was greek. Her mother had to raise them because there was no father. This was during the depression. Her mother decided to go back to greece with her because she could sing. This is when the Germans took over Greece in the 40s. And she would be out on the street singing for. She had a job coach who really helped her train her voice. She started to sing In Idli for different companies. There she met her husband. She did different roles and everything in this reflected in her life. Traveled all over including america. She supported her husband and also her mother. She did not get along with her sister at all because her sister was jealous of her. This woman led a very remarkable life to have that much freedom to do what you wanted to do. Things turned around when she met anassis on a his ship. They tell madly in love. And she decided to leave her husband but it was very difficult because he did not want the marriage to end. She did it anyway and she was very happy. But things do not turn out very well for this as well. You'll find out in the book what really happened but she kept going on. A lot of times her voice started to give out but she kept going. She would go to parties but her husband really didn't want her to go because he was afraid of her voice going. She had a glamorous life for a woman who came from nothing. She also kept her career going when she felt people were not listening to her. This was very interesting because women at that time really did not have a voice or a say what they wanted to do.

This is a most enjoyable novel of the acclaimed opera singer, Maria Callas, highlighting the tumultuous years as mistress to Aristotle Onassis. Two very driven and successful people, who I really believed loved one another, but he couldn’t help himself from seducing every powerful and beautiful woman he met. And all he knew to do was to throw more expensive jewelry at them. In the end, I felt sorry for Maria. With an incredible God given talent, all she ever wanted was to be loved as a woman, and would have given up all her success for a loving husband and family.