She now realises the mistake she made in letting him handle her entire career, from deciding where she would sing to what she would be paid not only was he cheating her, he has left her completely ignorant of how to negotiate a good deal. Her marriage was tempestuous and not at all happy in the later years and to her consternation, Foscari’s death has left her in a very precarious financial position. Following an unhappy love affair when she was just seventeen, she married Domenico Foscari, a dynamic impresario who turned her from a good singer into a great one from someone worthy of gracing the stages of provincial opera houses to the most sought after diva in the world – La Divina. Theresa Foscari – born Tessa Birkett – is half English but hasn’t set foot in the country for well over a decade. Nineteenth century opera and theatre are things that have long been of particular interest to me, and some of the best things about Secrets of a Soprano are undoubtedly the accuracy and richness of the historical background and the insight into the life and habits of a famous singer that form the backdrop to the central love story. As a musician and opera lover, the story and background to this new novel from Miranda Neville are right up my street.
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