oceanwriter's review
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I’ve come across a number of historical fiction books centered around names in the entertainment industry. Diva has been the first I’ve read about an opera singer. I’m not super well-versed, but I do consider myself a casual listener. Whatever the case, it was enough to make me static to pick up the book.
A lot of big names pass through these pages, however, our stars are Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis. The story ebbs and flows from Maria’s past through Aristotle’s marriage to Jacqueline Kennedy and the affair in between.
I was so ready to love this book. I didn’t connect to the characters at all and wound up feeling even sadder for Jackie (I’ll admit I’m biased). What’s more is that I found the writing repetitive and taking gratuitous liberties in the lives of real people. I know there’s a fine line of this and it’s what you agree to read when picking up this genre of historical fiction, but even then it still felt like it went too far in places. I did very much enjoy the bits of opera knowledge I picked up along the way.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a digital ARC of the book to read and review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Infidelity
beesreadingnook's review
3.0
”Maria felt the warmth of the applause run through her, burning away her fear. She was no longer Maria, the vulnerable woman, but Callas, la Divina, who could bring a reluctant audience to its feet.”
tw: infidelity, miscarriage, light spoilers
Listen, I know that I’m a sucker for historical fiction, but this one just didn’t live up to the hype.
I was really excited to start this book when I saw how many positive reviews there were. This was also an intriguing promise because I have never heard of Maria Callas and I knew nothing about her story, so this was a very educational and illuminating read regardless of whether I personally enjoyed it or not. Unfortunately, since this is not strictly based on educational purposes, I have to give this a three star rating because it simply wasn’t satisfactory for numerous reasons.
The biggest issue that I had with this book was the writing style itself. While there was a good amount of imagery and description, something that I especially approve of in historical novels, the prose still fell flat. There was something so forced and stilted about Goodwin’s narration, and the choppiness interrupted my flow of reading multiple times throughout the book. In my mind, if a book isn’t good enough to keep me hooked on it for the duration of the novel, it might not be worth it. The issue with the writing style wasn’t that bad, but it was enough to shake me out of my reading “groove” and it took me longer than usual to finish reading this book.
The other big issue that I had with this book was how weirdly personal it seemed. I know that this isn’t technically a biography, but I’m shelving it as such for organizational purposes. Also, since Goodwin claimed that this isn’t a biography, that gave her the creative liberty to alter Maria and turn her into more of a fictional character rather than a factual recreation of real life events. This itself isn’t the issue.
There were several thoughts that Maria had that seemed insanely personal, and since they technically were fabricated by Goodwin, they felt very invasive and full of assumptions. Like I said, I understand that this is not a biography that exclusively includes factual information, but still. That doesn’t feel like enough of a separation from who Maria really was to write such things from “her” perspective. Especially when it came to the baby with Ari, her inside thoughts became deeply personal.
I also found the dialogue to be really unrealistic. Not just because of the actual words and sentences that they were speaking, but because of the intonation and simply unnatural way of conversing as well. At times it didn’t even read as a script for a play, let alone dialogue in a book. It was a massive contrast to the setting and imagery, which were written in a much more consumable and tolerable manner. The dialogue wasn’t the worst, but again, it was enough to stand out and distract me in a bad way. It took attention away from the story that was actually being told.
This isn’t really a piece of criticism but more of me just pointing something out; why were Maria’ss hands always referred to as “long and white”? I swear that exact phrasing came up like three times in the latter half of the book alone.
On the other hand, something that I especially enjoyed was the way Goodwin walked us through opera and theater techniques in case we weren’t familiar (I definitely am not). This actually helped lessen interruptions, since I didn’t have to stop reading to look something up to understand what was happening.
I also really liked the characters themselves. Maybe this is because they were all actually real people, but the characters in the book felt really fleshed out and real (except for their dialogue).
It’s a weird feeling, when I read a book with some traits that I really like and some that I really don’t. I suppose this explains my three star rating, but I still feel a little unsure about this book despite working through my favorite and least favorite parts. Maybe this is one of those books that will stay with me, not because it’s a favorite, but because of how conflicted it made me feel.
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Daisy Goodwin for the ARC!
tw: infidelity, miscarriage, light spoilers
Listen, I know that I’m a sucker for historical fiction, but this one just didn’t live up to the hype.
I was really excited to start this book when I saw how many positive reviews there were. This was also an intriguing promise because I have never heard of Maria Callas and I knew nothing about her story, so this was a very educational and illuminating read regardless of whether I personally enjoyed it or not. Unfortunately, since this is not strictly based on educational purposes, I have to give this a three star rating because it simply wasn’t satisfactory for numerous reasons.
The biggest issue that I had with this book was the writing style itself. While there was a good amount of imagery and description, something that I especially approve of in historical novels, the prose still fell flat. There was something so forced and stilted about Goodwin’s narration, and the choppiness interrupted my flow of reading multiple times throughout the book. In my mind, if a book isn’t good enough to keep me hooked on it for the duration of the novel, it might not be worth it. The issue with the writing style wasn’t that bad, but it was enough to shake me out of my reading “groove” and it took me longer than usual to finish reading this book.
The other big issue that I had with this book was how weirdly personal it seemed. I know that this isn’t technically a biography, but I’m shelving it as such for organizational purposes. Also, since Goodwin claimed that this isn’t a biography, that gave her the creative liberty to alter Maria and turn her into more of a fictional character rather than a factual recreation of real life events. This itself isn’t the issue.
There were several thoughts that Maria had that seemed insanely personal, and since they technically were fabricated by Goodwin, they felt very invasive and full of assumptions. Like I said, I understand that this is not a biography that exclusively includes factual information, but still. That doesn’t feel like enough of a separation from who Maria really was to write such things from “her” perspective. Especially when it came to the baby with Ari, her inside thoughts became deeply personal.
I also found the dialogue to be really unrealistic. Not just because of the actual words and sentences that they were speaking, but because of the intonation and simply unnatural way of conversing as well. At times it didn’t even read as a script for a play, let alone dialogue in a book. It was a massive contrast to the setting and imagery, which were written in a much more consumable and tolerable manner. The dialogue wasn’t the worst, but again, it was enough to stand out and distract me in a bad way. It took attention away from the story that was actually being told.
This isn’t really a piece of criticism but more of me just pointing something out; why were Maria’ss hands always referred to as “long and white”? I swear that exact phrasing came up like three times in the latter half of the book alone.
On the other hand, something that I especially enjoyed was the way Goodwin walked us through opera and theater techniques in case we weren’t familiar (I definitely am not). This actually helped lessen interruptions, since I didn’t have to stop reading to look something up to understand what was happening.
I also really liked the characters themselves. Maybe this is because they were all actually real people, but the characters in the book felt really fleshed out and real (except for their dialogue).
It’s a weird feeling, when I read a book with some traits that I really like and some that I really don’t. I suppose this explains my three star rating, but I still feel a little unsure about this book despite working through my favorite and least favorite parts. Maybe this is one of those books that will stay with me, not because it’s a favorite, but because of how conflicted it made me feel.
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Daisy Goodwin for the ARC!
brithistnerd's review
4.0
Daisy Goodwin's Diva is a fascinating and entertaining historical fiction novel of the life of Maria Callas. I'd recommend it to fans of opera and classical music, dramatic romance, and Goodwin herself. Four stars!
I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
halkid2's review
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
If you, like me, were a sentient being in the 1960s, you remember the dazzle of the Kennedy Administration, the horror of the President's assassination while seated next to his wife, and the shock of Jacqueline Kennedy marrying Aristotle Onassis five years later. You will likely find DIVA a gossipy and enjoyable glimpse into the man behind the money, along with a believable depiction of his one-time lover, opera singer Maria Callas.
Author and sometime screenwriter Daisy Goodwin creates three-dimensional versions of Callas and Onassis, though I found every other character more two-dimensional:
• Callas is THE DIVA. This is HER story. Born poor but with the twin gifts of an extraordinary singing voice and powerful acting ability, Callas rises to become the most prominent soprano in the world of opera. She is quick to anger, holds a grudge, and generally uses those around her. She is also full of insecurities, anxieties, and a deep hunger to be loved for herself. Married to a much older husband/manager, with both of them dedicated to her career, Callas had never experienced the passionate feelings Onassis awakens.
• Onassis too comes from humble ( and wartime) origins. A self-made multimillionaire with a flexible moral code, he remains coarse and uncultured, but skilled in displaying and using his wealth, power, and considerable charm to gain access to people in the international spotlight. Never quite satisfied with what he has, he also lives in constant search for his next challenge.
Like so many novels do these days, this book moves back and forth in time -- for no apparent reason I could discern. I read the book in 24 hours. So, it clearly held my attention. But I think that had more to do with my personal interest in and memories of the subject matter than with the qualities inherent in the writing.
Author and sometime screenwriter Daisy Goodwin creates three-dimensional versions of Callas and Onassis, though I found every other character more two-dimensional:
• Callas is THE DIVA. This is HER story. Born poor but with the twin gifts of an extraordinary singing voice and powerful acting ability, Callas rises to become the most prominent soprano in the world of opera. She is quick to anger, holds a grudge, and generally uses those around her. She is also full of insecurities, anxieties, and a deep hunger to be loved for herself. Married to a much older husband/manager, with both of them dedicated to her career, Callas had never experienced the passionate feelings Onassis awakens.
• Onassis too comes from humble ( and wartime) origins. A self-made multimillionaire with a flexible moral code, he remains coarse and uncultured, but skilled in displaying and using his wealth, power, and considerable charm to gain access to people in the international spotlight. Never quite satisfied with what he has, he also lives in constant search for his next challenge.
Like so many novels do these days, this book moves back and forth in time -- for no apparent reason I could discern. I read the book in 24 hours. So, it clearly held my attention. But I think that had more to do with my personal interest in and memories of the subject matter than with the qualities inherent in the writing.
More...