"From being raised in Nazi-occupied Greece, through global glory and glamour, to heartbreak and beyond, this biographical novel of Maria Callas’ extraordinary life is a dazzling showstopper."
An immersive, page-turning work of biographical fiction, Daisy Goodwin’s Diva certainly hits all the right notes for opera aficionados. At the same time, it comes hugely recommended for readers who love stories steeped in the glamour and grit of mid-century celebrity. Epic tales of love and loss. Novels that conjure the passions, pains and gifts of extraordinary women like Maria Callas — la divina.
In this novel, we first meet Maria in Paris in 1968, just after she’s discovered that the love of her life, Aristotle Onassis, is marrying Jacqueline Kennedy. Accompanied by her close friend, director Franco Zeffirelli, she steps out in public “dignified but also spectacular”. Under the glare of cameras, she shares an exchange with Elizabeth Taylor: “We divas need to stick together. Next time, don’t trust a man until there’s a ring on your finger,” cautions Liz.
Through shifting timelines, Goodwin unveils Maria’s upbringing in 1930s Greece, her remarkable, hard-fought rise to become “la divina”, the world’s greatest opera singer, and how she fell madly in love with Onassis, and into the circles of celebrities like Noël Coward, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
Conjuring Callas in all her complexity, Diva will enchant readers who adore rip-roaring stories of ambition, desire, celebrity and the intricacies of love and heartbreak.
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
"New York Times bestselling author Daisy Goodwin returns with a story of the scandalous love affair between the most celebrated opera singer of all time and one of the richest men in the world. In the glittering and ruthlessly competitive world of opera, Maria Callas was known simply as la divina: the divine one. With her glorious voice, instinctive flair for the dramatic and striking beauty, she was the toast of the grandest opera houses in the world. But her fame was hard won: raised in Nazi-occupied Greece by a mother who mercilessly exploited her golden voice, she learned early in life to protect herself from those who would use her for their own ends. When she met the fabulously rich Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, for the first time in her life, she believed she'd found someone who saw the woman within the legendary soprano. She fell desperately in love. He introduced her to a life of unbelievable luxury, showering her w
Diva features in the following genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance / Relationship Stories, Recommendations, Books of the Month
Diva is available in Paperback, Hardback
Diva was written by Daisy Goodwin and published by St. Martin's Press
Diva has 324 pages
