I enjoyed this book immensely. Knowing almost nothing about Maria Callas I was fascinated to learn the story of her affair with Onassis and how it affected her career. Obviously fiction this book is based on fact and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about a woman once considered the best opera singer in the world.

I never knew much about opera singers, but even i had heard of Maria Callus. This story portrayed her as a person, showed her passions, her background, and her loves. Totally engrossing and gave me such respect for this true diva.

I really loved Goodwin's The Fortune Hunter back when that came out and was hoping that this would be something I would enjoy as much. But for me, it didn't quite deliver. Having set itself up as being about Callas and Onassis, it then doesn't really come back to that relationship kicking off until the half way point. The characterisation of Maria also felt quite basic - and it was really hard to understand or empathise with anyone in this. I've read a few books about the Callas Onassis Kennedy situation and I'm not sure any of them have really delivered, so perhaps it's just a difficult one to pull off? Never mind.

Diva is a fictionalised retelling of the life of opera superstar Maria Callas and her great love affair with oil magnate Aristotle Onassis which ended in tragedy for Maria when he married former first lady Jackie Kennedy.

The book is well written and a story compelling and fast read.

I did not know anything about the story before reading so it was fun to learn something new and read a good book too

Diva is a novel about Maria Callas with a focus on the period when Maria met Aristotle Onassis and the time of that relationship until it ended.

Daisy Goodwin has based this book on a solid research background but she has chosen to write it as a novel to explore how it must have felt to be Maria Callas, to experience what she did and to sing like she did. Daisy Goodwin went as far as taking opera singing lessons to get a feel herself of what it takes to perform as an opera singer.

The result is an excellent novel which takes the reader into an empathetic journey through this period of the life of Maria Callas. It is a world of jet set, where Maria Callas, the singer, is at the top of her career and fame, travelling the world and performing in the most prestigious concert venues in the world. It is a time when Maria, as a woman, is going through a roller coaster in her relationships. She is married to Giovanni Meneghini when she meets Aristotle Onassis who is determined to win her heart. This led to her divorce and their relationship lasted many years, until Onassis married Jacqueline Kennedy. The novel also explores the relationship Maria had with her family and with other people in her entourage, as well as her physical condition, the weight loss she had been through and the issues she was gradually encountering with her voice. As any novel, it is an interpretation of the character of Maria Callas and, because it is so well researched, it is very immersive and as we read the novel, we feel compelled to read more about this extraordinary woman, singer and actress.

I liked the idea of going beyond the biographies, recordings and interviews and think how it felt to be Maria Callas. I really enjoyed this novel, beautifully written, evocative, interesting and full of admiration for the great diva.

This is the first book I have read by Daisy Goodwin and it did not disappoint. I know a little about opera and was fascinated to read the story of Maria Callas. A wonderful historial fiction read brought beautifully to life by Daisy.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers Head of Zeus for the ARC.

Well written story but I did lose patience with the two main characters (and yes I know that this is based on real people). Interesting version of the events

It’s 1956 and Maria Callas is at the height of her fame but conscious that her extraordinary vocal ability cannot last forever. Her life is a whirlwind: travelling to different cities across the globe for performances, having dress fittings with her couturier and attending glamorous parties – the sort of parties where Cary Grant greets you as he walks past your table, Maurice Chevalier comes over to wish you happy birthday, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor pop over for a chat.

But maintaining the persona of la divina comes at a cost. Conscious of having been overweight as a child, Maria seemingly subsists on a diet of steak tartare and green salad in order to maintain an unnaturally trim figure, hides her shortsightedness behind sunglasses and avoids anything that might risk damaging her voice.

The author shows us Maria the woman, not just the diva. Maria’s relationship with her mother – never strong because of Maria’s suspicion that she always favoured her sister – has broken down completely and will later descend into a war of words and accusations. She’s in a stale marriage in which her husband has become more a manager of her theatrical engagements than a lover. (He, however, remains fiercely devoted to her and I felt great sympathy for him.) Although surrounded by people, she comes across as rather lonely, with her maid the only person she can truly rely on or confide in.

It’s no surprise then that Maria is attracted to Aristotle Onassis, who showers her with attention and a constant stream of expensive gifts. She believes it is Maria Callas the woman he desires, not Maria Callas the opera star. They embark on a passionate affair, under the nose of Onassis’s wife who is finding her own pleasure elsewhere. (I confess I found the sex scenes between Onassis and Maria a little squirmy.) Ignoring the warnings of others and despite being aware of Onassis’s many past dalliances, she believes their relationship is different. ‘Maria knew that she was not some conquest, she was his equal: a Greek of humble origins who had made herself into a world-famous star but who, underneath, was like him – a simple soul.’

Oh dear, how wrong can she be… As she eventually discovers – and only after an act of the utmost cruelty and a very public humiliation – she’s just one in a long line of conquests. Another notch on his bedpost, if you like. While he’s servicing the current conquest, he’s already grooming the next one. And setting his sights higher than the world’s most famous opera singer, as it turns out.

In the end, all Maria is left with is what dignity she can muster and her ability to hold an audience spellbound with that glorious voice, a thing that only time can take away.

Diva gives us the highs and lows, the triumphs and tragedies of Maria’s life. It’s an absorbing work of fiction but necessarily departs from fact in some places.

From her poor beginnings Maria Callas has risen to become the greatest soprano in the world however, her personal life is not so fulfilled. In a loveless marriage, her manager husband pushes Maria too hard and when her voice fails, she is called a Diva, and worse. Then Maria meets the charismatic and fabulously rich Aristotle Onassis and falls in love. Can Maria get her happy ending or will she be like one of her tragic opera heroines?
Goodwin has a talent for writing fictionalised stories about well-known figures that contain enough fact to be taken fairly seriously but are actually just really great entertainment. Here her subject is the great operatic star Maria Callas but Goodwin focuses on the key years of her affair with Aristotle Onassis. There are some liberties taken for narrative effect but the author admits this and I think the changes make the story a better read - yes, it's very light but it's a well-crafted, enjoyable read.

The story of Maria Callas, the La Divina of the opera world. She was the most incredible singer and led an amazing life but it was learning of heartbreak that truly found her voice.

This was an interesting read. I knew of some of the characters but not Maria's role in the story. She led quite the life and this was told thoughtfully through the story but it did seem to drag on a little at times. I think I was expecting a little more drama. I did grow to love Maria and her strength that develops more throughout the story. The ending in particular was so well written. A fascinating look at the life of an opera star.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I have waited 10 years for another book by Daisy Goodwin and this did not disappoint. This is a historical fiction not a biography so some artistic liberties are obviously taken to imagine the inner working of Maria's life but Daisy does it so beautifully.

Heartbreaking and full of wonderful attention to detail this book helped me out of a reading slump. It was fascinating read even if sad in parts.

If I have to wait another 10 years for a Daisy Goodwin novel then I will gladly do so. Gorgeous writing and I'd recommend to everyone!

#bookreview #bookish #books #diva #netgalley

Inspired by the life of Maria Callas, the iconic soprano, this is an enjoyable and emotional story. It is engaging historical fiction that dramatically portrays the rise of a diva in a time that worshipped musical artists and film stars like gods. It evokes the life of a successful opera singer well, showing the commitment, stamina and sacrifice necessary to maintain and improve a unique talent. The epic love story with Onassis is equally heartwarming and heartbreaking. It's lyrically written, full of historical detail illuminated by the author's interpretation of the players in Maria's life. I loved the story's characters, relatability and immersive qualities. It's an entertaining read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I absolutely adored this book. One of the best I’ve read for a while. Non fiction presented in a fictional way gives you the chance to learn about Maria Callas’ life. It was very interesting to read about and very sad in some parts. A definite don’t miss book.

I feel utterly grateful to have been approved to read this book as I was rather interested in a fictional representation of Maria Callas. I loved the way that Goodwin brought to life this fascinating woman and set the scene well as her affair with Aristotle Onassis develops.

Fascinating, I had heard of Maria Callas and of her affair with Aristotle Onassis but did not know her. Daisy Goodwin introduces us to Maria Callas the person and shows how hard she worked to become and maintain her status as a Diva.

Definitely worth reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read Diva.

“No man has ever had to justify achieving perfection”
“I will always be as difficult as necessary to achieve the best “
A novel retelling the turbulent life of opera singer Maria Callas.
It’s a novel not a biography.
The book is set as a three act drama, centring around her scandalous love affair with Greek shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis, the richest man in the world at the time.
But it also had lots of flashbacks to her earlier, unhappy childhood.
I found it a bit disjointed and personally through it didn’t have a continuous flow, especially with the flashbacks.
But what a story, beautifully written and full of passion and ambition.
Thanks @daisygoodwin, @hozbooks and @netaglley for the interesting read.

This is a beautiful novel - such an absorbing story and told in a way it could be fiction but clearly is not. Well written with empathy and grace, this is another story about one of the great talents whose personal journey suffered as a result. Fascinating read and so atmospheric of the times.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Diva opens with the Greek shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis, marrying Jackie Kennedy in 1968. A man born on the wrong side of the tracks in Greece has married his way into high society. But his jilted ex-lover of 9 years, Maria Callas, can only watch in sorrow and hurt as they marry in the chapel on his island of Skorpios where she always hoped that they would tie the knot.
In flashback the reader learns, almost in snapshots, the events that led up to this momentous occasion; the fateful meeting between them and her life as an opera singer which she gave up as he was uninterested in it. He pursued her determinedly and it destroyed both of their marriages. Callas wanted Onassis to love her in the same way that she loves him as she feels that he treats her as a woman first and foremost. She has issues with her mother exploiting her talent from a young child in Nazi occupied Greece and her older husband who sees her as a business. But Onassis is unfaithful as she soon discovers, and she is destined to be supplanted.
The book is described as ‘historical fiction’ and it is stated at the beginning that it is ‘a fictionalised account of Callas and Onassis. It stops after they break up and doesn’t cover her later years when she took up singing again. I’m interested in Callas as I grew up with an opera loving dad and so heard Maria Callas recordings from an early age. I also worked within an opera house and know only too well the fear that singers have of opening their mouths and nothing comes out. I was quite surprised that opera singers had such a limited time span and Callas career was over when she was 40.
The book followed her demanding schedule travelling between opera houses, theatres and performances, practicing, attending society parties often in the company of Elsa Maxwell who appears in the book and being at the very pinnacle of her career. In between she is assessing new opportunities such as films.
The estranged relationship with her family, particularly her mother, is touched on but not dwelt on. It is believed that being farmed out as entertainment during the Second World War to occupying soldiers by her mother might have contributed to her vocal decline in later years. Callas marriage was more like a business partnership as her husband was much older and she always has the pressure of knowing that her singing career is finite. The remarkable drive that she had is well portrayed but I didn’t feel that the book emphasised how much of a trail blazer she was. Even now she is one of the best selling opera artists and was known as ‘La Divina’ or ‘the divine one.’
This was a woman of no half measures. It was all or nothing and she gave up her career for Onassis although he was unfaithful and moved from woman to woman.
I felt that there was an element of soap opera to the book as famous people of the time drift through, the Churchills, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Taylor and Burton and Marilyn Monroe. The strongest impression I had of both Onassis and Callas was them wanting to be accepted by the world despite their humble beginnings and that they recognised this in each other. However, Callas achieved immortality beyond her wildest dreams.
I enjoyed the book a lot. It was a lively and engaging read with two fascinating lead characters and enough sex and drama to keep it moving along at a brisk pace. The pressures on Callas such as worrying about regaining weight, family problems, wanting a child and the approaching end of her singing career were well portrayed. In the book Callas became the woman behind ‘La Divina’ and I could understand how a man like Onassis could take them away from her by giving her an escape route. The book had a great cover as well.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

I was aware of all of the main characters, Callas, Onassis and Kennedy and also knew something of their entwined history. This book brings to life the glittering and glamorous jet set of the mid 20th century in a fictionalised biography of Maria Callas. Massively talented but ultimately a tragic figure, this portrait of Callas is a fascinating portrait of a woman and the world in which she lived.