Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

This book is fine. I didn't know much about Maria Callas so it was interesting to get a glimpse into her person and career, as well as an understanding of the extreme demand of an opera singer. But the story just didn't grab me. The writing is fine, the characters are fine, the story is fine...not great, entertainging, or exciting, just...fine. I found myself having to talk myself into picking the book up and keep going. I finally gave up about halfway through, which after reading other people's reviews, I'm glad I did. Thankfully I didn't have to put up with the graphic sex scenes.

If you're into Goodwin and Callas then give it a try. But I bet you'd have 10 books on your to-read list that you'd enjoy reading more.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to learn about this amazing woman! I don’t know that I’d ever heard about Maira Callas, but I was enthralled by her story! Now that I’ve read this. I really don’t like Aristotle Onassis! 😂

Diva transported me to a world of glitz, glamour, heartbreak, and history. Based on the life of Maria Callas, it detailed her childhood struggles, the great gift of her singing, and her affair with Aristotle Onassis. I've always been drawn to the Kennedys & knowing there was some overlap here made it a book I couldn't put down! Maria's life was complicated, but Goodwin does a wonderful job illuminating her life's story. Definitely recommend if you're in the mood for a compelling read!

This book is coming out at the perfect time. It’s the 100th year anniversary of her birth. I was curious about Maria Callas. I knew she was a famous soprano, but have never heard a recording of her voice (something I have since rectified). I was more familiar with her relationship with Aristotle Onassis.
The book succeeds as an historical fiction in that it taught me something I didn’t know. In addition to learning about both her life and Onassis’s, there were interesting facts about Greece during WWII and afterwards during the Civil War.
My fault with the book involved Godwin’s style. I found the writing to be basic, to the point of being boring. Also, way too much was made over her clothes and figure. And there’s a soap opera feel to the way Goodwin tells the story - too much sex and dramatics for my taste. But at the end of the book, I felt like I had a good feel for who she was, the sacrifices required to be a successful opera singer and how her personal life made her an even better opera singer.
It was also interesting to learn of the initial interactions between Ari and Jackie.
I would have also liked to have learned more about Elsa Maxwell. Goodwin was a little too covert about her feelings for Maria. I kept getting these vibes like she had a crush on Maria. I actually had to google her to learn if she was a lesbian.
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

I had no idea this person existed or that she dated Aristotle Onassis or that he left her for Jackie Kennedy. So this was a great historical fiction version of her existence. I thought the characters were well developed and the story, for the, most part, well written. It is a bit slow moving, though, and the ending is very abrupt. The only part of the story I found disappointing. I would have loved to read more on that period of her life and how she reacts to Ari leaving her.

Loved this one! loved the dramatic flare that Maria had through out this story and as a main character. Even this work is fiction I loved the little bits of historical moments that Maria was involved in. I never knew Maria's story but I loved her strength and inner monologue that was a softer side that the people didn't get to see.

Diva is a beautifully written novel that seamlessly blends history, romance, and opera. The reader is drawn into the world of Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis, experiencing the highs of their love affair and the lows of its inevitable challenges. Goodwin skillfully captures the essence of Maria Callas, not just as a virtuoso on the operatic stage but as a woman navigating the intricacies of her personal life. Fans of historical fiction, romance, and music will find themselves enthralled by the timeless melody of this captivating novel.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for the Arc.

A fascinating woman who led an incredible life. We know her name as a great opera diva, but there is a rich backstory revealed here.

My thanks to Net Galley and St Martin s press for allowing me to review this arc.

Book was very well written and structured. I learned a lot about Maria Callas, her career,and her relationships with Ari Onassis. I did struggle a bit. Story seemed to drag. Packed with a lot of details, opera , and Italian terms.

Maria Callas is a world-renowned opera singer dating one of the richest men in the world Aristotle Onassis...until he marries Jaqueline Kennedy and the media has a field day with it. The characters were amazing and the drama within the story interested me from the start. Maria was a woman who fell in love with someone who was always going to be looking for more. Sadly, I found the writing lacking and that pulled away from the story for me. I know this will fit someone's reading life perfectly though!

I was excited to get this ARC and I really enjoyed this book. This book is about the love affair between the opera singer, Maria Callas, and Aristotle Onassis. I knew nothing about Maria and the only thing I knew about Aristotle Onassis is that he married Jackie Kennedy. I did not realize they married in the 1960s. I thought it was later than that but apparently not. This book opens when Aristotle is marrying Jackie, and Maria then looks back on her life. Aristotle and Maria were both married when they started their attraction to one another. Aristotle was a man with a lot of money and held all of the power. He and his wife both had affairs. Aristotle was all about whatever was shiny and new and Maria Callas was definitely shiny and new. I went down the youtube rabbit hole after reading this book to look at videos of Maria singing and of her and Aristotle. By the way, Maria sang at the infamous JFK birthday party. And Aristotle might have been with both Jackie and her sister. Ew. There is a book by Gill Paul, Jackie and Maria, so I will probably read that one too.

-"And frankly the press will hate me whatever I do, so I might as well do what I want."

-"Maria, my love, isn't it enough that we are together? Remember that if we were married, I might be tempted to find myself a mistress."

-It occurred to her that singing was like sex: if you were relaxed and enjoying it, then everything came easily; but when you were worried about the result, then every muscle seemed to work against you.

The December 3, 2023 New York Times has an in depth article on Maria Callas. The 100th anniversary of her birth has just passed so she will be receiving much attention I expect. Author, Daisy Goodwin, had good timing in writing this historical novel about the world renowned star. Note that Goodwin has written other enjoyable historical fiction including The American Heiress and, Victoria. She has another good book here.

Readers are invited into Maria’s world from the very first page. She has an interesting and tumultuous life. She was a less favored child to her more beautiful (blonde) sister whose mother only seemed to see her when she realized Maria’s gift. Maria struggled with what today is called body image. Almost everyone knows how her love affair with Aristotle Onassis ended and the trajectory of her career. These topics and more are in the book.

Readers will, I think, feel empathy for Maria as they read this title. Despite her success, she struggled with her appearance, her self-esteem and her perfectionism.

Readers are given an inside look at the glitzy world that Maria inhabited with many names dropped including Elsa Maxwell, Franco Zeffirelli, Marlene Dietrich, Rudolf Bing, Liz Taylor…and these all just at the beginning of the book. Readers will discover many more.

Settings are well described. There are stages, parties, yachts but also places like Maria’s childhood home. There is music. There are relationships. There are success and heartache. What more could a reader of (historical) fiction possibly want?

I highly recommend Diva. For me, it was an immersive read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

I grew up knowing and hearing about Maria Callas and her tragic relationship with Aristotle Onassis. Diva brought this larger than life figure to life for me and gave me more understanding of what made her great, and tragic. An engaging read which I would recommend to opera fans interested in this unique fixture from opera history.

I decided to be done with this at the 20% mark. I don't often abandon books, especially ARCs, but this one just wasn't engaging me enough even to push through it. At 20%, I felt no draw to any of the characters, could find no real plot to the story, and just didn't find it compelling at all. The timeline jumps around with little rhyme or reason, characters enter the story with little explanation of who they are (the author doesn't seem to grasp that opera stars are not as well known as mainstream Old Hollywood celebrities), and there is so little nuance to Goodwin's writing style. "Don't tell, show" is a basic creative writing maxim that Goodwin has yet to learn..

All in all, I learned very little about Maria Callas in the approximately 70 pages of this book that I read, other than that this portrayal of her is whiny and selfish - the title, at least, appears to be appropriately chosen. I'm choosing not to finish this so that I can spend my time reading books that I will enjoy more.

Thank you very much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to try reading Diva by Daisy Goodwin. Although I didn't care for the book, it is always an honor to be given the opportunity to read and provide feedback on an author's work.

Delving into the life of Maria Callas, the author brings to life the early painful relationship with her mother and sister, the growth of her talent and fame, her personal life including her affair with Aristotle Onassis. Full of details and occasionally so many details the story bogs down, DIva will still attract biography readers.

A lovely work. I adore Maria Callas. Well written, and entertaining. I am so glad that his novel was written, and others can fall in love with opera.

I couldn't put this book down and raced through it in 3 days (hey, I work 2 jobs)! I loved this novel about Maria Callas - the world famous opera singer - and her love affair with Aristotle Onassis, until his marriage to Jackie Kennedy. The inside look into Callas' life and famous friends and acquaintances was intoxicating. Daisy Goodwin's writing can really pull you in, and keep you in.

I loved this book about Maria Callas, a legit diva of the opera world. Maria is just a smidge before my time so I hadn’t heard of her before but did recognize many of the famous names she associated with. I found myself googling for pictures of her with Marilyn Monroe and Aristotle Onassis. Despite her greatness as a singer, she had a lot of sadness in her life.

This book took me right back in time. Loved every minute of it! The characters were so dynamic and found myself rooting for them all.

Historical fiction dealing with the life of Maria Callas and of course her relationship with Aristotle Onassis. I really didn't know much about Ms. Callas besides the fact she was a famous opera singer and she had an affair with Mr Onassis. I found the book informative. Mr. Onassis came off as manipulative, seducing woman for his own pleasure. I did find the book to be a bit repetitive and slow going at times.