Blog tour: Diva

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Welcome to the blog tour for Diva by Daisy Goodwin!

More about the book…

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.

More about the author…

Daisy Goodwin's work as a TV producer and presenter includes Reader I Married Him, Bookworm and The Nation's Favourite Poems; she is also the creator of Grand Designs and the hit Itv drama Victoria, which has sold to 134 countries.

She has edited numerous poetry anthologies, including the bestselling 101 Poems That Could Save Your Life, and is the author of Silver River, a memoir, as well as three bestselling novels: My Last Duchess, The Fortune Hunter and Victoria.

Her work has been translated into seventeen languages.

My impressions…

I knew I had to read this book as soon as I first saw it. Maria Callas is an icon – who doesn’t know her?! But as I started reading, it struck me: I knew of la divina, which is quite different from knowing the person behind the legend. So, while being a fictionalised version of her life rather than a biographical work, this novel taught me a lot about who she really was.

Beautifully written, with evocative period details and an engaging style, Diva was an emotional read, and one I won’t easily forget. A difficult upbringing, the struggles and insecurities underlying the glitz and glamour, the heartbreak… sometimes I was so engrossed in the story that I kept forgetting it was all based on a real person.

A great example of the power of storytelling!

Three words to describe it. Fascinating. Evocative. Divine.

Do I like the cover? Yes, it’s so elegant!

Have I read any other books by the same author? No, not yet.

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