This was a really fascinating read! I didn't know really anything about Maria Callas, but certainly know Jackie Kennedy. I was so excited to learn more about this story. Historical fiction is always a favorite, but this was especially good! It was such a unique story, and it was so well told. The narrator was wonderful, the writing was stellar. The snippets of music throughout the audiobook really helped bring the story to life! The only thing keeping me from giving this 5 stars was the length. It felt like it dragged just a bit in some places.

I was especially fond of the role Bruna played in the story, and thought she was so well written for a supporting character!

I received a complimentary copy of this book (and audiobook!). All opinions expressed are my own.

I knew virtually nothing about the extraordinary Maria Callas. Even though this is a historical fiction, it reads like you actually stepped into her life and was part of it.

Where do I start with Diva? This story about Maria Callas, a majority of which is told during her nearly 10 year love affair with Aristotle Onassis, was more than I could have expected. I went into reading this book with zero knowledge of who Maria Callas was and her legacy, but Daisy Goodwin’s passion of the subject was palpable throughout the novel and I found myself stopping to look up historical references, learn more about Callas’ life, and even watch opera performances. I texted my boyfriend at one point while reading telling him that we need to go to the Opera because I was so intrigued by the art form.

While Callas’ life could be seen as tragic, and she often received the short end of the stick when it came to romantic affairs, I found her to be such a force. She lived life on her terms and that may have given her the Diva moniker, but she wore it with pride. I also appreciated learning about her story as a woman who occupied a body that was not the traditional sample size, especially during Old Hollywood where most female stars were extremely petite.

The audiobook was delightful as the narration also weaved in audio clips of Callas singing throughout which was an added bonus. As Callas’ story takes on the big screen this year with Angela Jolie portraying her in a biopic, this novel is a welcome addition to learn more about the legendary Diva.

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for my honest review. Diva is out January 23, 2024.

I cannot stop thinking about this book. Diva is about the real-life opera singer Maria Callas. Maria grows up wanting to be a singer and succeeds in becoming one of the most well-known opera singers. The book tells the story of her rise to fame, her first marriage, and the affair with the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.
This audiobook was incredibly well done. The narrator did a fantastic job and I loved the snippets of Maria singing before each part. This book really brought the character of Maria to life and made me so invested in her life story.

This novel has a lot of potential for folks that enjoy historical fiction and the opera.

I wanted to listen to this because it mentioned a well-known opera singer, Maria Callas, who I was unfamiliar with and it included Aristotle Onasis. I know a bit about him because I’ve read about Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis before, so I thought this would be another perspective to read more about her.

I found Maria to be quite flighty and annoying, honestly, her behaviors and learned uppityness just rubbed me the wrong way. I kept hoping she would learn to not behave like that as more men around her kept taking advantage of who she was and what they wanted. She was married to a man that is about 30 years older than her “just so he could take care of her” with his money…but he basically steals money from her. Then she begins flirting and even visiting Aristotle Onasis and his wife for extended vacations. Y’all know how I feel about infidelity in books [hint: unnecessary and bleh].

As this happened I just found that I was floating through the novel, not connected to Maria since she really wasn’t much of a likable character, and just continued to roll my eyes at the perceived “drama” stirred by Maria’s friend and at times even Maria herself.

The audiobook narration is well done, and I’d recommend the narrator again, for sure!

Author, Daisy Goodwin is so totally fascinated by Maria Callas it makes for a very informative audio. Callas never felt anyone cared for her except for her singing. This included her mother, who looked to Maria as a proxy for what she would benefit mother. If she did xyz, they could afford a car, but if Maria did a,b,c, they could afford a larger place.Her mother ended up finding a real manager for her daughter. They would one day marry, however he was just into being seen by the verywealthiest and used Maria to get the best performances. Audiences couldn’t get enough of the voice of Callas. She was the original form of a Diva.. her voice was perfection(everyone told her so, producers, director, and most of all, the public).. Her music teacher once told her that her voice was like being given a set amount of coins. And once you have spent them you are finished. Later in her life she did think of this and realized her time is numbered in being able to keep on performing at this level. She wasn’t classically beautiful. But she was enough to fill the opera parts.She would meet Aristotle Onassis and had an affair with him for many years. Aristotle was in a relationship and Maria was very jealous of the other woman. Ari and Maria lived in a luxurious apartment in Paris. One day when Maria returned home from tour. Everyone she saw was crying. She had no idea why. That evening, Ari received a call. Maria asked him about it. He said you haven’t heard? President Kennedy was shot and that was Jackie asking me to come be with her. Interestingly three months later they start dating and dood we’d . Maria is devastated and never gets over Ari’s marriage to Jackie. Their marriage was captured by the press in front of the little blue church in Greece, the very place Maria wanted to be married in but Ari never asked her. Shortly after the honeymoon he went back to Maria and said he couldn’t live without her.. it was a ver informative book about Maria Callus. I give a special thanks to #NetGalley, #MacMillan Audio,#St.MartinsPressAudio, #Daisy Goodwin, Diva pub.Date, Jan. 23, 2024

Diva tells the story of Maria Callas, one of the greatest Opera singers of all time. I loved learning about her childhood and romances, especially the one with Aristotle Onassis, who was the true love of her life. The narration is topnotch. I highly recommend this book.

Diva, a fictionalized novel about Maria Callas, narrated by Lorelei King, written by Daisy Goodwin is absolutely fascinating. Goodwin expertly sweeps the reader up in Callas's world—the life of an opera star, her feud with her mother, her fraught relationship with Aristotle Onassis, a late-term miscarriage, watching Jackie Kennedy marry the man she loved. Callas had a remarkable talent, but she lived a life few would envy. King was an absolutely pitch-perfect narrator. Highly recommend!!

"Diva" by Daisy Goodwin immerses readers in the glamorous world of opera and the captivating life of Maria Callas. However, for me, the writing style failed to keep my attention. The prose feels basic and uninspired, which made the reading experience less engaging. The vivid imagery was there, but it felt forced and lacked natural flow. Despite this we got a glimpse into Maria Callas's life, and her search for love, dealing with loss, and .search for identity against a rich historical backdrop.

Historical Fiction/Semi-Fiction Fans you will really enjoy this - but let me offer some advice - do it on audiobook🎧! The Narration plus music brings the story to life! I tried the paperback ARC but it felt too slow but the audio wow!)

While some of this story has been fictionalized from the truth, the story still is so interesting and mostly accurate. The Diva, aka Maria Callas, is one of the most famous opera singers in the world during the time of the Kennedy administration. She was born in Manhattan, NY to Greek parents and raised by her mother who was domineering and most often favored Maria’s sister Jackie. That is until she realized that Maria had a voice like a songbird. Once mom realized Maria’s talent, she relocated her to Greece to study music and opera; the struggle between Maria and her mom is throughout and Maria always feels that no matter what she cannot please her mom. Maria had weight problems most of her young life and worked very hard to lose the weight in the middle of her career and kept to a strict diet for the rest of her life. While married to another man she met Aristotle Onassi, who was also married. This wonderful book takes you into the private life of the “Diva” and paints a clear picture of what her life was really like, including the triumphs, losses, and struggles she experienced.

I loved the music that was incorporated into the audiobook and the historical references

An absolute perfect fictional depiction of Maria Callas and her meteoric rise to stardom, her relationship w/ shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis, and her stunning talent. A pioneer in her field, Callas will make you understand the difference between stardom and true talent. Told from around 1956 through the inevitable breakup of her relationship with Onassis, this fabulous novel will have you looking up Callas' opera recordings and getting the chills from those B flats and High C's. Bonus if you get the audio book; some of Callas' most famous works are included.

*special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio e-arc.*

Bravo, Bellissimo.

I was fully engaged in from start to finish. From dazzling stage lights, opera stories, fantastic jewelry, yachts in the Mediterranean, love triangles, god-given talent, '60's drama and high society... I constantly found myself googling photos, voice recordings and videos of our Opera Diva Maria Callas.

Goodwin packed so much into this book and still I wanted to hear more about Maria (in a good way, rather than a lacking way). Maria was multifaceted and there were so many threads that could have been pulled in her life, Daisy gave us a big peak into some of her prime years once she reached her peak fame, but Maria also spent her younger years struggling with her image, the war and being a young talent. Sometimes brash, snobby and willing to cause a scene, Maria never shied away from who she was, what she wanted and she certainly knew her worth. She brings the drama in the best way and the story flowed masterfully.

I loved it, I loved that this star is having her story told, that a light is being shown on the glamorous world of opera and that I was able to immerse myself into Maria Callas' drama & life for a few hours.

Pub Date January 23, 2024, thank you to St. Martin's Press & Macmillan for the gifted copy.

Thank you to St Martins Press for the review copies and MacMillan audio for the review audio! Daisy Goodwin does a great job giving depth to Maria Callas' life. I knew her name mostly from learning about opera and related spaces growing up (I grew up outside of NYC home to lots of arts exposure for me). My mom saw the book cover and said Oh she also had quite the story with Onassis before he married Jackie Kennedy... so indeed a name known by many. But Goodwin gives her a story that is more than just a name known for.... she allows us to know the person behind the name and her work is engaging and rich with detail and insight. I appreciated the story of her childhood and the story unfolding through the time around Onassis' marriage to Jackie Kennedy.

This is a great read for book clubs and great for historical fiction readers as well as readers like me who simply want to know more about strong, interesting, and compelling women!

The audiobook is a great way to engage with this book, Lorelei King's narration was well suited for the story and the voice of Maria Callas! I read some of the book, picked it up on audiobook when I was running errands over the weekend, and both formats worked well for me as I liked Goodwin's writing but also valued hearing the story on audio.

A fascinating historical fiction account of a famous opera singer, Maria Callas. I'd never heard of this incredible woman before and Daisy Goodwin does such a good job bringing her story to life. From her rise to fame, her many love affairs and heartbreaks. Good on audio too. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I didn't really know much of Maria Callas before reading this. I enjoyed reading this more than I would a traditional biography. It was an interesting look at her life. I didn't really relate to the people much, but their life experiences were interesting to read about. This is good for someone who likes a dramatic story. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I knew nothing about Maria Callas, except that she had an affair with Aristotle Onassis (Jackie's husband, in my mind) and that she was a performer. I really appreciated the way Goodwin fleshed out these historical figures and developed Callas as a conflicted woman and artist. If you like historical fiction, you might like this. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for permission to read this work prior to its publication date.

My uncultured self had admittedly never heard of Maria Callas, but I'm grateful to this book for introducing me to her incredible soprano voice and driven nature. She's obviously world-renowned because of her talent as one of the best opera singers, but she's also famous in the public eye for her relationship with Aristotle Onassis who eventually married the widowed Jackie Kennedy.

The novel touches on quite a bit - her career and the fear of losing her voice, the relationship with her family, her confidence, and her desire to be loved. I enjoyed following her journey, and the writer did a great job of moving back and forth through time.

This was also one of the most pleasant audiobooks I've listened to in a while. The narrator portrayed each voice distinctly and effectively, but I especially loved hearing snippets of Callas's singing between each section. I was planning on looking her up anyway, but hearing that voice made the story feel even more "real."

I am glad I was given the opportunity to read this fictionalized account of the great opera singer Maria Callas.

Although the novel was easy to listen to and seemed to be well researched, I can’t say I truly enjoyed it. Maria Callas did not seem to be a woman who was easy to know, no less to like or love. She must have been a difficult character to fictionalize. She was demanding of herself and others, and had a huge sense of obligation to use the talent she believed God had given her. Yet despite this seemingly inflated sense of her own importance and greatness, she seemed to have very little self esteem when it came to her relationships with men and even other women. So, although it was a well-written and well-narrated novel, it was sometimes frustrating to listen to.

I was lucky enough to listen to receive a complementary copy of the audiobook version of this book, which included samples of Callas’ amazing voice.. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


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This is one of those books that I've had to sit with after it's over. It made me want to cry; it made me feel triumphant. It made me hope that Maria Callas felt that triumph in her lifetime, and not just heartache. I love that the book ended with such hope, despite the later huge heartache.

I have listened to opera all my adult life, but I don't live where I can attend opera too often, so haven't seen it live very much. So, I confess that I didn't know much about Callas until I read about her in Gill Paul's excellent book JACKIE AND MARIA. Now I am SO glad to know more of her, so so much more. And I'm glad I listened to DIVA. And I knew from the beginning that I was going to enjoy it, because it really starts with singing--which speaks to my hear.

This audiobook is everything a great audiobook should be-- including with some well-placed clips of Callas singing (WOW!!!), and with an amazing author interview after the main event. I honestly can't imagine NOT encountering this treasure of a book by audio. It's the perfect medium to really feel the story. So well voiced, with all the nuances. All in all, the book makes me, too, want to reclaim the word DIVA -- GODDESS. Excuse me while I cue up some YouTube vids of the Goddess in action.

The story of the renowned Maria Callas and her magnificent voice is truly extraordinary. Although I had listened to her recordings before, I had never delved into her personal story until now. The book captivated me from the very beginning and kept me engaged until the end. It is a poignant and heart-wrenching tale of love, but also a powerful story of resilience, determination, and perseverance. The book is a work of fiction, inspired by the life of the opera singer Maria Callas. Even though I was not a fan of her music, I thoroughly enjoyed reading her life story. I highly recommend it to both opera lovers and non-fans alike.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.