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| Head of Zeus Aria Fiction 12 September 2024 Thanks to the publisher and Random Things Tours |
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 with jewels and sojourns in the most fashionable international watering holes with celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
And then suddenly, it was over. The international press announced that Aristotle Onassis would marry the most famous woman in the world, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, leaving Maria to pick up the pieces.
📖 My Review..
Maria Callas was an American born Greek soprano who was one of the most celebrated opera singers of the twentieth century. Her love affair with Aristotle Onassis is well documented but I knew little of her life with her husband, Giovanni Battista Meneghini or of her childhood in Greece with her domineering mother, and a much preferred younger sister. DIVA explores Maria’s life as she struggles with self doubt, and her petrifying fear that her greatest asset, namely her voice would not last forever.
This is a fascinating fictional account of Maria’s time with her husband and then later with Onassis. It brings to life the post war years, the decadence of the age and the rivalry and the insecurity of a life spent in the public arena and although feted and adored by her thousands of fans, in Maria’s mind she was still the rather plain, overweight girl of her younger years. Maria, like any diva needed adoration and it would be in her great love affair with Onassis where she would, at least for a while, find the happiness she so desperately craved. There’s a richness to the story which comes not just from the glittering jewels which Onassis scatters like pebbles into the hands of his mistresses but also in the sumptuous descriptions of opera performances in which Callas excels, leaving her audiences spellbound and always desperate for more
The glorious beauty of the age, the fragility of life in the spotlight, and the insecurity of an immensely talented performer comes to life in this beautifully detailed story which captivated me from start to finish.
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.
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