A book based on opera singer Maria Callas who I must admit hadn’t heard of. Following her professional life the book goes through her ups and downs. It could have been shorter but thanks to Daisy and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley.

Diva is a compelling read about the life of opera soprano Maria Callas - I have to be honest, I had never heard of her! The book is a mix of fact and fiction and “portrays” the scandalous love affair between Maria and shipping tycoon, Aristotle Onassis. As well as, her rise to fame and the challenges she faced along the way.
A captivating read for lovers of historical fiction

Free courtesy of Netgalley

This is the last book I will read this year, and it is like I finished with a bang. I chose to read this book as I knew that Jackie Kennedy had married someone called Onassis after the death of her husband, but I didn't really know anything about him or Maria Callas, a famous Opera singer.

This book is classed as historical fiction as it does portray the story of Maria's life but the author does start by saying she did enhance things to make a better story.

The book starts with the betrayal by Aristotle Onassis on his wedding day to Jackie Kennedy, after his long affair with Maria. The book then moves through the back story of how he pursued her, even though they were both married. The book is written in Maria's voice, covering how her mother took advantage of her voice, and her husband, who though seemingly looking after her, was more aware of the money she brought in, rather than what the effect of not being truly loved as a woman was having on Maria. When Onassis showered her with attention but was not enamored with her singing, Maria fell in love with him as she felt he really "saw her".

I would recommend this book, as I really enjoyed touching a slice of history that led to the marriage of the most famous first lady.

I found this novel about Maria Callas a welcome antidote to the general grimness of the 2020s as it transported me to an imaginary 1950s and 60s world of yachts, vast hotel suites, Venetian costume balls and a glittering cast of glamorous individuals such as Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor, Cole Porter and Princess Grace of Monaco. The novel focuses primarily on Ari Onassis’s seduction of the great Soprano and how, starved of love, she succumbs to this man’s charms again and again despite her better judgement. A compelling picture is painted of a seemingly high-maintenance, formidable woman who is ultimately lonely, vulnerable and in much need of reassurance. A moving and gripping read.

A stunning exploration of the legendary Opera singer, Maria Callas, known simply as La Davina (the divine one)

Im not a follower of Opera but that didn’t deter my interest in the subject matter or the depiction of Maria’s quite tragic life. I found myself truly immersed in the unfolding story, with its many twists and turns and would have loved the ending to have given a little more closure, hence knocking off one star.

I think this book would appeal to lovers of historical fiction and Opera alike.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for my advanced copy - 4/5

Diva is a soapy biopic of a novel telling the story of legendary 20th century diva Maria Callas and her relationship with shipping tycoon and fellow “Golden Greek” Aristotle Onassis.

The book gives a feel for the hard work and sacrifice needed to achieve greatness in art, and the relationship of Maria and her music, sending me down a Spotify rabbit hole of her recordings.

Maria’s first experience of romantic love comes in her 30s at the peak of her fame and hits her like a train. The book really captures that heady feeling but the whole time I was willing her to kick her unworthy man to the kerb! While she loses herself in the relationship tho she never loses her belief in her extraordinary talent and ultimately, through betrayal and heartache, this is what endures.

Would recommend.

In the glamorous and fiercely competitive realm of opera, Maria Callas is hailed simply as "la divina," the divine one. Possessing a magnificent voice, an innate flair for the dramatic, and striking beauty, she graces the grandest opera houses worldwide. However, her fame comes at a cost, earned through resilience and shaped by a challenging upbringing in Nazi-occupied Greece, where her mother exploited her mercilessly, instilling in Maria a keen sense of self-preservation.

Enter Aristotle Onassis, the fabulously wealthy shipping magnate, whose arrival shatters Maria's isolation. For the first time, she believes she has found a man who sees the woman behind the legendary soprano. Swept up in love, Maria is introduced to a world of unimaginable luxury, rubbing shoulders with luminaries like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

Yet, abruptly, it all comes crashing down. The international media announced Onassis's intention to marry Jacqueline Kennedy, the former First Lady and the most famous woman in the world, leaving Maria to navigate the aftermath.

In this captivating novel, Daisy Goodwin breathes life into the extraordinary talent, unwavering determination, and innate elegance that made Maria Callas a legend. The narrative explores Callas's journey, highlighting her confrontations with heartbreak and loss, ultimately revealing how, in the midst of it all, she found her true voice.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

An interesting fictional read about the life of Maria Callas and, in particular, her affair with Aristotle Onassis. It is beautifully written although I found it did get a little slow so I lost interest in parts. I admit I am not an Opera fan and probably why it didn't grab my attention as it should but enjoy learning about real people (even in fictional form). I think any Opera fan would love this book and find it a fascinating insight into that world.

This is a wonderful book. La Divina fully came to life in this beautiful, and for me, heartbreaking story. A book I would highly recommend and will reread again. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read this.

While I know the broad strokes of Maria Callas' life, I learned so much from reading this book.

This was a fascinating insight into Maria the singer but also Maria the woman. A life full of glamour and passion but also of drama, scandal and heartbreak.

Some fabulous scenes as she meets various celebrities and royalty - both Hollywood and actual - and I found the meeting with Marilyn Monroe to be particularly touching.

The ambiguity about the rights and wrongs of her relationship with her mother was interesting. I initially felt very much in Marias corner but after reading further and getting more of an insight into her character I definitely felt she shouldered some of the blame too.

I found the story and the writing compelling and I finished this in just a couple of sittings.

It did have me googling Marias life and the lives of characters such as Onassis and Lee Radzwill after I had finished to find out more. A really enjoyable read.

Thanks to Aria & netgalley for the chance to read an early copy

What a magnificent, intense and detailed novel! DIVA was obviously well researched to create such a believable picture of the world famous opera singer, Maria Callas. I found this story riveting from start to finish and struggled to put it down. I even read it while eating! The content within these pages certainly stirred up my thoughts. Daisy Goodwin really gets inside the mind and heart of this very gifted woman. We dive into the belly of the whale and experience Maria’s many conflicts, stresses, heartbreaks and passion. DIVA shows us who Maria Callas might have been: both the woman and the opera singer.

Maria’s devotion and love for Aristotle Onassis made my heart break as he was not only a man of position and power but these things ruled his every move. Money and status were very important to him and, although he said he loved Maria, his decisions in the end proved what came first in his life. She says of Onassis: that ‘he had all the outward signs of civilization…but…Underneath there was something that did not belong in the world of silk socks.’

But how did this man affect her focus? When asked the secret of her success earlier in the novel: she said, ‘hard work…high standards…’ and ‘I don’t let anything obstruct my pursuit of excellence.’ When Onassis hears her say this, he states she sounds like a general. She replies: ‘Great art is domination. It’s making people believe for that precise moment in time there is only one way, one voice. Mine.’ A strong and powerful viewpoint. But did that change when Onassis entered her life?

Single devotion was important to Maria. Onassis was not a one-woman man. So, he was bound to break her heart. Initially her husband seemed to be a great source of support. But was he truly? Or did he have hidden motives, too, to manipulate her and steal her hard-earned wealth? We cannot help but feel, he took advantage of her, too. Why was she at the mercy of such men? You have to wonder if her extreme dependence on them for love and emotional support was a result of her bad relationship with her mother. Maria was often driven by the need for acceptance. This may have been fuelled by her mother’s behaviour toward her as a child—which included making her feel self-conscious. Maria was the black sheep of the two daughters. Until her mother discovered her rare vocal talent, then she became a pawn in her mother’s hands and was exploited. Maria never knew a mother’s caring love. So, she was always seeking it elsewhere.

Sadly, this scenario is seen far too often in child prodigies: parents seeking money and position through their gifted children. Often these children will say when older, they missed their childhood as they were pushed into becoming wage earners at such young ages. Taking on the burden of supporting a family causes emotionally trauma. Striving for perfection also takes its toll. This hiring out of children could be thought of as a form of child labour/slavery. A centuries old problem that rears its ugly head over and over in many different ways, ages and scenes. Children in modern developed countries may not be slaving away in factories today (except in poorer parts of the world and where armed conflicts exists) but their task masters are none less brutal. The damage can cause insecurity, the need to always seek approval and acceptance and we see this in Maria. She comes to loathe her mother and never gets to have a healthy relationship with her or anyone, really.

This novel contains a very perceptive character study of a woman that caught the world’s attention and held it to the very end. The author has given us a magnificent portrayal of what Maria’s life may have been like and although her talent took her to dizzying heights of stardom, it also led her to the depths of despair. And there is one occasion when she is teetering on the edge. The up side of all this is she channelled her grief, passion, disappointment and ecstasy into her performances which allowed her to reach beyond her own (sometimes self-imposed) limitations. But she was a DIVA in every sense of the word—including exhibiting temperamental characteristics. She cancelled performances for various reasons creating lots of havoc. But when she performed, the world was at her feet and many forgot her seemingly uncaring concern for her fans. That sort of rebellion, too, may be linked to her mother. She had bent her will so often as a younger person under her mother’s care, that once she got away from her direct control, she fought against or would not let anyone put her in such a precarious position again. Yet, ironically the very thing she tried not to do, she did. Regardless, she was able to embody the tragic characters in music she played. Although approached to consider acting, she never followed that path. She only wanted to sing.

There is so much to say about this novel and Maria Callas. There are some great supporting characters and various historical important figures like Winston Churchill and Princess Grace of Monaco, just to name a couple. Maria travelled in some high flying circles—that increased with Onassis. But at the end of the day, this is a story about Maria and the ruthless and sometimes dazzling world she lived in. Sometimes dressed in Dior-inspired clothes, adorned with extravagant jewels to wear, known by a friend as ‘devious diva’ but always to the world as la divina: the divine one. DIVA is an intriguing journey from the point when Maria discovers her talent, how it made her feel and how she looked at everything through the lens of her gift—which became her comfort and security. A brilliant novel I highly recommend. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Aria & Aries and Netgalley for the advanced reading copy.

I’ve read books about Maria Callas before, and listened to her music, so was fascinated to read a fictional book about her life that has a lot of factual elements to it. The story about the love triangle with Maria, Aristotle Onassis and Jackie Kennedy is well known but this book brought a lot of additional detail to the party. Well written and clearly very well researched this was a compelling read.

Briefly, Maria was born in New York but when her parents separated her mother took her and her sister back to Greece. Her mother was very ambitious for her girls and when she realised Maria had a talent she over committed her risking her voice for short term gain. Maria became estranged from her mother and she married a man who became her manager but when she met Aristotle Onassis, a Greek shipping magnate she fell in love for the first time. He pursued her until she capitulated and started their affair.

Maria Callas was a slim, attractive woman with an amazing voice and the world at her feet. She was ‘la divina’ when she was on stage, confident and adored. Maria however felt like a different creature, lacking in confidence, believing herself unloved and maybe even unloveable, that is until she met Onassis. A man she believed loved her, Maria, not the famous opera singer. I felt so much sadness for Maria. All she really wanted was a loving family to replace the family she grew up in where she never felt loved. Much of the time I felt like I was reading a memoir is was so authentic. I very much enjoyed this book, a wonderful fictionalised account of the life of probably one the worlds most famous operatic soprano’s, ever!

The story of Maria Callas from impoverished childhood to diva beloved by audiences around the world. Her insecurity and reliance on men who use her for their own ends is made evident in her choice of lover Aristotle Onassis. While with him, she meets many famous people, including beautiful, Ill-fated Princess Grace and Marilyn Monroe. All her life, she has a constant battle to keep her voice at its peak, believing she owes this to her audience. A gripping read which makes you realise how artistes can suffer for their art.

In the acknowledgements at the end of the book, Daisy Goodwin writes that Maria never doubted her talent. Her talent, maybe not - but she does spend a lot of the book worrying about how long her voice will hold out for, and how many 'golden coins,' to use her singing teacher's analogy, she has remaining in her throat - who is she, without her glittering career?

This light-as-air, soapy bonkbuster will keep fans of Jilly Cooper and stories of Hollywood royalty happy, with some genuinely touching moments as Maria copes with life's disappointments (including loss, parental disappointments, guilt, romantic let-downs and no longer being able to eat carbs) while solidifying her role as the original girlboss of opera.

I enjoyed this even more than I was expecting to, and despite some clumsy explication in the first bit which had me pushing on reluctantly, it eventually got hold of me and I couldn't wait to learn more about its jet-set cast and the talented woman at the centre of it all.

A fictional account of the love story between Maria Callas and Aristotle Onasis. Interesting to read yet another perspective on their lives, so much so that I did some further reading about the operatic star.

Diva by Daisy Goodwin

The story of Maria Callas, the greatest opera singer in the world, and her relationship with Aristotle Onassis.

Wow... Daisy Goodwin is a genius! I'm a huge opera fan and Maria Callas is my absolute favourite - what a book, I couldn't put it down! 80 books read so far this year and this is in my top 3.... I have it on preorder and will look forward to reading it all over again. FABULOUS!!! Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Maria Callas was a world famous opera singer, a diva and was known as la the divine one. Maria had one of the best Soprano voices of all time and don't mention her trills, when she took to the stage her performances were perfect and flawless and many of her fans cried tears of joy.

Maria was born in 1923, in Manhattan, New York to Greek parents, her mother Litza was domineering and decided to return to Greece when Maria was thirteen and leave her husband George. Maria never felt good enough and her sister Jackie was her mother’s favourite, Maria sang during the Second World War so they could eat and it didn't change her mothers attitude towards her. Maria married Giovanni Meneghini, he was in charge of her schedule, and he expected her to sing too often and she worried her vocal chords would be damaged from overuse.

Maria encounters rich shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, she falls madly in love with him and the couple are together for over nine years. During this time Maria meets some of the world most influential people, including Sir Winston and Lady Churchill, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Prince Rainer III of Monaco and Princess Grace. Ari showered Maria with expensive gifts, cruises on his lavish boat the "Christina", despite both being divorced Maria and Ari never married and it was the security and faithfulness she craved and not diamonds.

I received a copy of Diva by Daisy Goodwin from Aria & Aries and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. In my opinion Ms. Goodwin wrote about the real Maria Callas, the teenager who felt her mother didn’t love her, Maria was chubby, she lost weight and constantly worried about putting back on, she always felt unsure, where to preform and how many shows, what songs to sing, should she sign a record contract and give into pressure to make a movie?

When Maria finds out Aristotle Onassis had married the former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, she’s heartbroken and of course he didn’t tell her. For Maria this was a defining moment, with the help of her faithful maid and companion Bruna,Maria decided she wanted to start singing again, and opera is her true love and she’s better than ever. Ms. Goodwin's narrative was fascinating, well written and I rode the highs and lows of Maria Callas’s career, her personal life and five stars from me.

Having read other reader’s’ reviews I wasn’t entirely sold on this book. However I was pleasantly surprised. The way it is written is more like a fictional novel than biography: exciting, compulsive and fast paced. I’m not an opera buff, but Maria Callas sings her heart out in this book and is truly a Diva of her era. Her life story, a nobody to fame, is fascinating and her romance with Aristotle Onassis unreal. A magnificent read.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Aria & Aries for this advance copy.

Diva tells the story of Maria Callas, still thought of as one of the greatest opera singers of all time, and her relationship with Aristotle Onassis, the Greek tycoon.

I really enjoyed this book, the author brought the characters fully to life and there was enough backstory to help explain how Callas, the diva, differed from Maria, the woman, and how her past had shaped her. Her relationships with her family, her unsettled life as a child and young woman, her fear of losing her voice explain how vulnerable she is and why she would fall so hard for someone who is fairly obviously unreliable from the start.

I only knew the bare bones of the story beforehand and I’ve no idea how accurate much of this is but it is a novel based around the life rather than a biography and as such, it’s a very entertaining read.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

#Diva #NetGalley

Maria Callas, known as "la divina" in the glamorous and fiercely competitive realm of opera, is a renowned figure. With her magnificent voice, natural talent for dramatic expression, and striking beauty, she has become a celebrated icon in the world's most prestigious opera houses. However, her path to success was strewn with challenges, as she grew up in war-torn Greece under the relentless exploitation of her mother. This early adversity taught Maria the vital skill of self-preservation.

The resounding applause she received on stage filled her with a comforting warmth, washing away her fears. In those moments, she transcended her vulnerable self and transformed into Callas, the esteemed la Divina, capable of captivating even the most critical audience.

There was an indescribable power in the applause, an unparalleled feeling of love that she could not find elsewhere. It became the strongest form of affection she had ever experienced in her life.

However, Maria's isolation dissipated when she encountered Aristotle Onassis, a fabulously wealthy shipping magnate. For the first time, she believed she had found a man who saw her for who she truly was, beyond the realms of her legendary soprano persona. Consumed by love, Onassis introduced her to a world of unimaginable luxury, where she rubbed shoulders with luminaries like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

Early on, Maria had learned that the world cared little for her well-being as Maria herself, but rather for Callas, the revered diva. Only one man had truly perceived her as a woman, recognizing her beyond her divine vocal abilities.

And then, abruptly, it all came crashing down. The international media announced that Onassis would marry the most famous woman in the world—former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy—leaving Maria shattered and forcing her to gather the fragments of her life.

In this exceptional piece of literature, author Daisy Goodwin masterfully brings to life a woman whose extraordinary talent, unyielding determination, and innate elegance rendered her a legend. It is through the profound heartache of losing the man she cherished that Maria Callas finally discovered her authentic voice.

Maria Callas, a name familiar to many, yet shrouded in mystery. The poignant portrayal of her vulnerabilities, fears, and lifelong quest for love and familial support made her as relatable as someone we might cross paths with.

While not a biographical account, this work of fiction stands on a foundation of fundamental truths, offering a gentle, compassionate perspective on Maria Callas. The eloquent prose, rich with exquisite details and seamlessly shifting timelines, imbues the story with a dynamic atmosphere, making Maria's sorrow palpable and deeply moving.

Absolutely awe-inspiring. This insightful and compelling novel unveils the multifaceted aspects of Maria Callas's captivating life, resonating with readers from all walks of life.