{"product_id":"the-unexpected-diva-9780063322134","title":"The Unexpected Diva","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Beautifully crafted and captivating.This triumphant tale is sure to be an instant classic.\"--Victoria Christopher Murray, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/em\u003ebestselling co-author of \u003cem\u003eThe Personal Librarian\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"How do we not all know the name of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield? The story of this brilliant singer -- a Black woman born enslaved who performed both sides of the Atlantic in the years \u003cem\u003ebefore and during\u003c\/em\u003e the Civil War -- is finally given its just due.\" --Marie Benedict, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eThe First Ladies\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBefore the Civil War, Black opera singer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield reigned supreme on Northern stages--even performing at Buckingham Palace. Novelist Tiffany L Warren brings this remarkable but forgotten diva's remarkable story to life for modern readers.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn into slavery on a Mississippi plantation, Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield has been raised in the safety of Philadelphia's Quaker community by a wealthy adoptive mother. Sheltered and educated, Eliza's happy childhood always included music lessons to nurture her unique gift: a glorious three octave singing voice that leaves listeners in awe. But on the eve of her twenty-fourth birthday, young Eliza's world is thrown into a tailspin when her mother dies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEliza's inheritance is contested by her mother's white cousins, leaving her few options. She can marry her longtime beau, Lucien, though she has no desire to be a wife and mother. Or she can work as a tutor for rich families. Her mother's dying wish was for Eliza to pursue her talent and become a professional singer, but that grand vision now seems out of reach.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen a chance performance on a steamboat to Buffalo, New York, leads to a surprising opportunity, fearless Eliza seizes her moment. Within a year she is touring America, singing to packed houses, and igniting controversy wherever she goes. In a country captivated by \"the Swedish Nightingale\" Jenny Lind, Eliza is billed by tour promoters as \"the Black Swan.\" An unlikely diva, Eliza is tall, dark-skinned, and robust of figure compared to the petite European prima donna, but even the harshest critics can't deny Eliza's extraordinary gift. Menaced by racist crowds, threatened by slave-catchers who kidnap free Black people, Eliza lives a public life full of risk, but one which also holds the promise of great riches, and the freedoms those buy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the churches of Philadelphia to Queen Victoria's salon in Buckingham Palace, Eliza Greenfield will blaze her own path--with a voice that no listener will ever forget.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"William Morrow \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50878407213330,"sku":"9780063322134","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ccaf2742-0f33-4a4a-b0e4-708819d3d215.jpg?v=1738299758","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-unexpected-diva-9780063322134","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}