




Born 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.
Eliza’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.
When 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.
From 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.
PJ's Thoughts:
I had never heard of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield prior to reading this book. The author shares in her notes that she hadn't known of her either until stumbling upon her name while doing research for a different project. Like me, while reading The Unexpected Diva, Warren was fascinated by this extraordinarily talented Black woman in pre-Civil War America. I am grateful she chose Eliza as the focus of her first historical fiction novel.
Warren took the actual facts known about Eliza's life and filled in the spaces to immerse readers into 1850's America and what the life of a Black woman such as Eliza might have been. It would have taken incredible determination to achieve what she did. Warren breathed life into both real people and fictional characters to weave a compelling story I found hard to put down. In fact, her characters were all so vividly portrayed and seamlessly intertwined that I had to read the author's notes at the end of the book to determine who was actually real and who was fictional. Well, except for Harriet Beecher Stowe and Queen Victoria.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Unexpected Diva and learning about Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield. I have an immense amount of respect and admiration for her and her accomplishments. They deserve to be known and celebrated.
I'm eager to discover what Warren has planned next. I hope it's another historical fiction novel. I love being educated while also being entertained. Warren clearly has the knack for it.
Do you enjoy reading historical fiction?
Had you ever heard of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield a/k/a The Black Swan?
One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, January 29 will receive a print copy of The Unexpected Diva.
*U.S. only
*Must be 18
This sounds like a wonderful book. I have always enjoyed historical fiction and the closer it is to real events and people, the better. It is wonderful that Ms Warren found such an unknown figure with an incredible story. I had not heard of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield before either by her real name or her stage name. Sadly, the stories and accomplishments of so many women and minorities have been buried or lost. It seems the white, male society is threatened by them and afraid to acknowledge they are not the only ones capable of succeeding. Thank you so much for bringing this book to our attention. I will definitely be looking for it.
ReplyDeleteHistorical fiction is my favorite genre since it is meaningful, memorable and captivating. Historicals are always enjoyable and give me great pleasure since they combine a profound story with the era as well. I had never heard of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield. She sounds amazing, talented and extraordinary. This book would be a real treasure to cherish greatly.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds so good! I have heard of the Black Swan, but haven't read anything about her. I absolutely love historical books in this time period. I will definitely be reading this one!
ReplyDeleteI read a lot of historical fiction. The Black Swan was not familiar to me until I read a promo for this book elsewhere. I am happy to see authors finding and telling the stories of near-forgotten historical figures.
ReplyDeleteSo happy you've brought this to my attention. Thanks, P.J.!
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