I was so excited to receive a copy of Diva by Daisy Goodwin. As part of the Aria and Random Things blog tour, I’m delighted to share the blurb.
In the glittering and ruthlessly competitive world of opera, Maria Callas is known simply as la divina: the divine one. With her glorious voice, instinctive flair for the dramatic and striking beauty, she's the toast of the grandest opera houses in the world. Yet her fame has been hard won: raised in Nazi-occupied Greece by a mother who mercilessly exploited her, Maria learned early in life how to protect herself.
When she meets the fabulously rich shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis, her isolation melts away. For the first time in her life, she believes she's found a man who sees the woman rather than the legendary soprano. Desperately in love, Onassis introduces her to a life of unbelievable luxury, mixing with celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
And then, suddenly, it's over. The international press announce that Onassis will marry the most famous woman in the world, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, leaving Maria to pick up the pieces.
In this remarkable novel, Daisy Goodwin brings to life a woman whose extraordinary talent, unremitting drive and natural chic made her a legend. But it was only in confronting the heartbreak of losing the man she loved that Maria Callas found her true voice.
Publisher : Aria (March 14, 2024)
Language : English
Hardcover : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 1035906708
ISBN-13 : 978-1035906703
This masterfully written book about the many faceted Maria Callas – magnificently talented and world renown opera singer – and mistress of Aristotle Onasis. More a work of fiction than a biographical account, this book offers a compassionate and fascinating perspective on Maria Callas. But her life didn’t start here.
An American born Greek, Marie was born New York and spent her young adult life in war torn Greece, where music was her only companion. I loved reading about her personal and professional life, and her vulnerabilities. It made her so real to me. To think she struggled from an insecure overweight teenager before becoming a glamorous celebrity, makes her even more relatable. I was sad to read that her mother always favoured her sister, but in awe to find out she was fluent in English, Greek, French and Italian, a remarkable skill compared to today.
When her mother heard Maria’s voice for the first time, the tables turned. Suddenly, Maria had found the love she was desperately looking for. But was it real or simply another way to exploit her?
After years of training and dedication, Maria’s unique soprano voice put her amongst the most desired opera singers of her time. The applause and curtain calls reinforced her stardom, and she rose from singer Maria Callas to Callas the Diva. Dining with movies stars and presidents onboard the Onassis yacht, she met Winston Churchill and his wife, Clemmie. She sang for President John F Kennedy and met Marily Monroe. Her long-term love/hate relationship with Elsa Maxwell was fascinating to read. Adoring loyal friend one minute and bitterly jealous the next. Even though Elsa introduced Maria to the world’s elite, her motive was to share in Maria’s celebrity.
Maria’s public persona, contrived to capture her at her very best, was the one displayed to her fans. But deep down she was riddled with insecurities and tried to hide her past. Maria met Batista Meneghini (Tita), 30 years her senior, and a man she could finally rely on. After meeting her, he insisted she would become the greatest Diva the world had ever seen. He became her manager until Maria discovered he was stealing from her.
All this made me realise how people took advantage of her talent, reinforcing her insecurities of feeling unloved. Then there was Aristotle Onassis…
He wooed her with expensive gifts and their tumultuous affair began. Maria adored him deeply and the happy couple were oblivious to the anger it caused Ari’s family. This roller-coaster of a relationship, introduced Maria to the higher echelons of society, but Ari was not a faithful lover, and his eyes were soon turned to First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy. Another blow to Maria’s confidence.
I thought Daisy Goodwin captured Maria’s life beautifully. With authoritative writing and seamlessly shifting timelines, I found this exquisite book deeply moving. This “behind the scenes” tribute to Maria Callas is marked to become one of the most popular classics of its generation. Readers will love its authenticity. Also, high five for the cover. It’s possibly the most stunning I’ve ever seen.
About the Author:
When I was eighteen, I went to Cambridge University to study history. MY first assignment was Queen Victoria and the media. I went to the library to consult her Diaries. She wrote sixty-two million words in her lifetime and as I pulled out the first leather bound volume, I felt overwhelmed by its size and weight. But then it fell open at the entry for 3rd Nov 1839, " I saw me dearest Albert who was all wet in his white cashmere breeches with nothing on underneath." As I laughed out loud, the other readers looked at me in disapproval. Queen Victoria, I decided then, was not the boot faced old bag with a bonnet I had imagined, but a woman after my own heart.
All my novels have been set in the Victorian era: The American Heiress is about a dollar princess called Cora Cash who marries an English duke; The Fortune Hunter is the story of Sisi, the beautiful Austrian Empress who came to England to hunt - in the novel Sisi meets Victoria. I enjoyed writing this encounter so much - Victoria's voice came so easily to me, that I decided that my next novel would be about the young Victoria. But as I started writing it, I thought it would make a great tv drama, which is how I ended up writing the PBS Masterpiece series Victoria, as well as my novel Victoria, a novel of a young Queen.
When I am not immersed in the nineteenth century, I live in London with three dogs, two daughters and a husband.
Other books by the author:
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