Synopses & Reviews
Inspired by a true storya breathtaking novel of romantic obsession, longing, and one woman's choice between motherhood and her operatic career calling
It is 1903, and Erika von Kessler has struggled for years to become pregnant. Resigned to childlessness, Erikaa talented opera singer and the wife of a prominent Boston businessmansecretly plans to move to Italy to pursue her musical career. The charismatic Doctor Ravell is a rising fertility specialist. When Erika becomes his patient, he is mesmerized by her elegance and extraordinary voiceand finds himself taking an impetuous risk that could ruin them both.
Stunningly realized and inspired by Adrienne McDonnells own family history, The Doctor and the Diva moves from snowy Boston to the tropical forests of the Caribbean to the gilded balconies of Florence. It is searing historical fictiona tale of opera, the indomitable power of romantic obsession, and a womans irreconcilable desires as she is forced to choose between the child she has always yearned for and the artistic career she cannot live without. Fans of Ann Patchetts Bel Canto and Nancy Horans Loving Frank will be moved by this novels bittersweet beauty.
Review
“Some novels just naturally enslave you, and this is one of them. . . . Serious and gripping . . . [a] brilliant debut novel.”
—The Washington Post
“Desire has a dangerous side, a fact this sumptuous novel delights in . . . [An] explosive tale. Read the book now, then place bets on when the movie version will come out.”
—Redbook
“The tugs of work and family propel this engrossing tale.”
—Good Housekeeping (Book Pick)
“This amazing debut novel . . . is, quite simply, one of the best novels Ive read all year.”
—The Historical Novels Review (Editors Choice)
“The Doctor and the Diva is so beautifully written and lushly set it was impossible for me to put down, and the characters continue to haunt me long after I turned the last page.”
—Sara Gruen, bestselling author of Water for Elephants and Ape House
“An incredibly moving tale of passion, regret, and ultimate triumph. I loved it. Adrienne McDonnell has created some of the most memorable characters Ive ever met. A superb achievement.”
—Julie Garwood, bestselling author of Hotshot
Synopsis
"Some novels just naturally enslave you, and this is one of them...Serious and gripping...[a] brilliant debut novel." -The Washington Post
It is 1903, and Erika von Kessler has struggled for years to become pregnant. Resigned to childlessness, Erika-a talented opera singer and the wife of a prominent Bostonian-secretly plans to move to Italy to pursue her musical career. When the charismatic Doctor Ravell takes Erika on as a patient, he is mesmerized by her. Impetuously, he takes a shocking risk that could ruin them both.
Inspired by the author's family history, the novel moves from snowy Boston to the gilded balconies of Florence in a stunning tale of opera, longing, and the indomitable power of romantic obsession.
About the Author
Adrienne McDonnell has taught literature and fiction writing at the University of California, Berkeley. The Doctor and the Diva is based in part on the true story of her sons great-great grandmother. McDonnell was inspired by hundreds of pages of family letters and memories of elderly relatives, long haunted by the story. Chosen by the American Booksellers Association as an Indie Next Notable Book, rights to the The Doctor and the Diva have sold in ten countries. McDonnell lives near San Francisco. The Doctor and the Diva is her first novel.