Tiffany Warren has done it again. This story was beautifully written and makes you feel like a part of the action. I was able to enjoy the audio version of the book and the narrator made the story come alive. Drama woven with history makes this an absolute page turner.

I love historical fiction about important people you've never learned about and Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield is certainly one of those people. The author captures her voice beautifully and the story of this pre-civil war African American diva was so fascinating. The story is nuanced and complex and very well-written. The narrator was wonderful. Very enjoyable book.

Tiffany L. Warren’s The Unexpected Diva is a moving and masterfully written historical fiction novel that brings to light the extraordinary, yet often overlooked, life of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield. A Black woman who shattered boundaries, Greenfield rose to become a celebrated prima donna in both the United States and Europe.

Warren seamlessly blends historical fact with rich, imaginative storytelling to reconstruct what Eliza’s life might have been like as she navigated the tumultuous decades before the Civil War. Drawing from research on free Black communities in Philadelphia, Warren places Eliza in a vividly rendered world filled with ambition, conflict, and heart. The result is an engaging, emotionally resonant narrative of a young woman caught between her dreams and the deeply entrenched limitations of her time.

Eliza’s journey is shaped not only by her prodigious talent but also by the complex social forces around her. The novel explores the overt racism she faces from white audiences and institutions, as well as the insidious colorism within her own community. These layers add depth and nuance to her struggle, making her pursuit of artistic excellence all the more inspiring.

Warren also explores the intimate and internal conflicts Eliza faces as a woman. She is torn between the desire for love and romance and the relentless ambition to build a prestigious singing career. The push and pull between societal expectations of womanhood and the yearning for personal fulfillment is explored with honesty and grace. Her professional rivalry with the legendary Jenny Lind, her white European contemporary, serves as a powerful foil that highlights how race, class, and public perception intersect in the arts. In addition to this, she has to balance her own ambitions for herself with the goals for advancing the cause for racisl equality and the fight against slavery.

By breathing life into Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, Warren offers readers a much needed reclamation of a trailblazing figure in music history. The Unexpected Diva is both a celebration of Black excellence and a poignant reflection on the personal cost of making history. It is a must read for fans of historical fiction, music history, and stories of women who dared to dream beyond their circumstances.

This was an enjoyable and informative story about Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield an aspiring black opera singer in the 1800's who became a famous prima donna called 'The Black Swan'. I was pleased to see it was actually based on a real person as so often women and especially women of color in the past have been passed over and forgotten. Elizabeth, or Liza as she was called had a magnificent talent that she was lucky enough to be able to use to propel her career eventually to sing for the Queen of England. She was quite the force and refused marriage so that she could pursue her career in opera. I liked the fact that she really was a bit of a diva, comparing her voice to another famous singer of the times Jenny Lind, and remarking that her voice was better and her range much deeper. No ego there;). This was a very good read and I found it historically accurate and interesting. Recommended. 4 stars.
Many thanks to Net Galley and HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio for a chance to listen/read an ARC version of this book.

As soon as I read the description of this book I knew I wanted to read it. The story follows the life and career of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, a real life opera singer in pre-Civil War America. Elizabeth was the daughter of enslaved parents who were sent to Liberia as a condition of their freedom. In the novel, Eliza is not able to go with them because of her health, so she stays in America and is raised, educated, and encouraged to pursue singing by their former enslaver’s widow in Philadelphia. She later finds a job and a voice teacher in Buffalo, NY, where her career begins to grow.

As a musician myself, and a native of Buffalo there was a lot in this book that I enjoyed. I admired Eliza’s tenacity in the face of discrimination, racism, and misogyny. Jenny Lind is also a character in this book, and it sad to think we know so much about her, but not very much about Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield. I am very glad that I listened to this book!

I REALLY ENOYED THIS BOOK. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO RAD VIA NETGALLEY. LOOKING FORWARD TO READING MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR IN THE FUTURE.

I enjoyed learning more about Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield the first Black prima Donna, and her quest for respectability and success in the 1800s Quaker society in the US and abroad. 
She was raised by a white woman after her parents returned to Africa; which afforded her many luxuries and singing lessons. Once her 'mother" dies, she has to fight for her inheritance.... there were many obstacles on the way, but Elizabeth’s undeniable talent opened doors that were otherwise impossible. 

“𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐬𝐨𝐚𝐫?”

“… 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞.”

This provides an interesting historical fiction story. Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, a real life black opera singer in the 1800s who was born into slavery in the U.S. and rose to the top of her art with her magnificent voice, support of a wealthy adoptive mother, and her own unflagging determination. I had not heard of this brave and talented woman. It is clear the author did the research and weaves facts with fiction to give the reader an incredible story about Black opera singer The Black Swan. More stories like this need to be presented to reader's to provide role models of strong women who lift themselves up. Thank you to the publisher, the author and Netgalley for the opportunity.

This is the wonderful story of Elizabeth “Eliza” Taylor Greenfield, the American counterpart to The Swedish Nightingale, except she was Black. Born into slavery and manumitted as a child, Eliza was raised by the abolitionist widow of Eliza’s slave owner, in pre-Civil War America. Eliza was given an education as well as tutelage to become a skilled opera singer. However, the color of her skin continued to throw roadblocks to her life goal of becoming a prima donna. Through the first-person narrative, we travel with Eliza as she navigated a singing career, at a time when women were simply to get married and have children. She had to learn who were her allies, White and Black, alike, and who was looking out for their own best interests.

While Eliza was considered “free”, we are constantly reminded that “free” for a Black woman was not truly free. It meant she had to carry around her papers and feared being captured by bounty hunters. Sometimes she had to eat in a separate room because the clientele in the restaurant didn’t feel comfortable eating next to her. Members of the Black community weren’t even allowed to attend her performances. The story of this strong female is incredibly inspiring. She could have easily submitted to her “station” in society, as most of us would probably have done. Instead, she persevered to realize her dream of becoming a great opera singer.

At the end of the book, the author talks about the real Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, the facts versus the fiction. What struck me was how little was known and documented about this talented woman. Once again, we are shortchanged by the lack of importance we have put on Black history.

I very much look forward to more books in this genre by this author!

Absolute incredible work of fiction. Until this book, I had never heard of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield or the Black Swan. Now I wish there were more stories about this amazing woman with the voice that could make even grown men cry.

I devoured every moment of this story from the initial moment with her adoptive mother to her determination to see her dream come to fruition. Tiffany L Warren did a phenomenal job in putting together a time-line of events to give life to an otherwise unknown historical figure. 

Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield's story is one that needs to be shared over and over.

Robin Miles' ability to draw you into a story with her voice and tone makes her the perfect choice for the narration.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I really enjoyed The Unexpected Diva and getting to learn about Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield. We get to see Eliza follow her dreams while not succumbing to societal norms for women even when things got tough.

I would definitely recommend reading this if you enjoy Historical Fiction. Tiffany L. Warren did a great job bringing to life the story of the forgotten diva.

Thank you HarperAudio Adult and NetGalley for this advanced listening copy.

A fascinating historical fiction biography of a little known African American opera singer who toured North America and Europe on the eve of the Civil War. I didn't know anything about Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield aka the "Black swan" and really enjoyed this eye-opening look into what her life was like as a freed slave and single Black woman trying to make a living as a performer. With striking parallels to the current state of the music industry for Black female performers and lots of cameos from famous African American figures. This was great on audio narrated by Robin Miles and highly recommended for fans of authors like Kaia Alderson. It made for a great choice during Black History Month. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Unexpected Diva is a historical novel based on the life of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, the most well-known Black concert artist of her time. Dubbed “The Black Swan” as a comparison to the era’s beloved “Swedish Nightingale” Jenny Lind, Greenfield defied societal expectations, performing across America and Europe—including for Queen Victoria herself.

Born into slavery in Natchez, Mississippi, Elizabeth’s fate took a dramatic turn after the death of her enslaver, Greenfield. His wife, Elizabeth Holliday Greenfield (let’s call her E.H. to avoid confusion), freed the enslaved people in her household, later moving to Philadelphia. While Elizabeth’s family was forcibly relocated to Liberia, illness prevented her from making the journey. E.H., who had grown fond of Elizabeth, took her in and promised to educate her, ultimately raising her as her own. She gave Elizabeth her last name, encouraged her musical aspirations, and supported her training. But when E.H. passed away, Elizabeth was left everything in her will—only for distant relatives to contest it, leaving her in a precarious position.

The novel follows Elizabeth’s struggles—not just in pursuing a career as a prima donna, but in navigating the pressures of marriage, societal expectations, racism, and colorism. The constant comparisons to Jenny Lind, while historically accurate, became a bit repetitive, and the storytelling dragged at times. But ultimately, we see Elizabeth transform from a timid young woman into someone who finds her voice—not just in music, but in speaking out against slavery and advocating for freedom.

The story itself is fascinating, and I highly recommend it. However, I wouldn’t recommend the audiobook—the narrator’s overly prim, schoolmarm-ish delivery didn’t suit the material at all.

I have to say, no one was more shocked than me when I started this year only wanting to read historical fiction. Usually I am not one to go for that genre, but this year I’ve found some Black heroes that I’ve never heard of and I guess that’s all I’ve needed. It’s been so enlightening to find out about these heroes and heroines that I’ve only just found out about.

Ok so this heroine was a Black opera singer. I first found out about her in Harlem Rhapsody. There is a music company called the Black Swan which is what Elizabeth Greenfield’s nickname was. I remember when I read it, I went back and Googled her to find out more about her. And then when I Googled her I found out she had her own book. I immediately put it on hold from the library. And I got it just in time. So now that I’ve finished it, I’m left wondering how many other Black heroes and heroines have I not met yet?

The fact that I’ve never learned about The Black Swan upset me a little bit. Because what do you mean she was an Opera singer? And BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR?! That’s just crazy. I was so sad to hear that there weren’t any more recordings of her voice anywhere. I can’t help but to think that was on purpose. Anyway, I was really impressed by everything she did. So many people told her she couldn’t do something and to me that makes me want to do it more. I imagine it was the same for her because everyone in this book that didn’t think she could make it? Yeah she dropped them like a bad habit lmao And the fact that she started in Philadelphia and traveled all the way to Queen Victoria’s Buckingham Palace was just amazing. I just keep thinking about how she did all of this while Black. I know she was a free Black person, but it was still cool to see.

The thing I love about historical fiction tho is the stuff you learn about the people/places/things in the background. Like the whole P.T. Barnum thing and the Harriet Beecher Stowe thing. And I really would like to know if the way she got in touch with the people to be able to sing in front of Queen Elizabeth was actually true. It was so strange but also pretty cool.

Another thing I look for in historical fiction is the author’s voice. I loved Warren’s voice. She hadn’t heard her voice, but still was able to describe it and what it sounded like when she sang. And the drive and tenacity that she had to go against not only her family and loved ones, but also all the white people that didn’t want to see Black people do well.

This was a lot of fun to read. Not only did I learn something but I also just plain enjoyed it. I know this isn’t a name that everyone seems to know, but I hope you pick up this at least once during this Black History Month. Not only was it entertaining, but there is a lot to learn.

While most are familiar with Marian Anderson, and consider her to be the first black opera singer, there would be no Marian Anderson without Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield.

The Unexpected Diva takes us on a journey through the life of Greenfield. Elizabeth was born into slavery, but her family was freed by their mistress after her divorce. Elizabeth’s family ventured to Liberia, but she was left behind due to illness. Her mistress promised to educate her, and they developed a loving mother/daughter relationship.

Throughout the story, Elizabeth struggles to navigate her desires to become a prima donna, and societal pressures for her to get married and have children. She also deals with issues of colorism, racism, and a constant comparision to white opera singer, Jenny Lind.

Honestly, the constant comparison felt repetitive to me at times. Why would Elizabeth be so concerned with Lind? Elizabeth was the more talented singer. Greenfield sometimes succombed to the comparison and dressed like Lind, styled her hair like hers, and even performed the same songs in concert.

What I enjoyed most about this book is the character development. We see Greenfield’s timid nature grow into her becoming more comfortable speaking out against slavery and advocating for freedom. I recommend this beautifully composed story to history lovers, trained musicians and music enthusiasts in general.

Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, known as the “Black Swan,” was a groundbreaking Black opera singer born into slavery and later raised in Philadelphia’s Quaker community. The Personal Librarian by Tiffany L. Warren follows her rise to fame, performing on stages across America and at Buckingham Palace. Despite facing racism and danger, her extraordinary voice and determination made her unforgettable.