THE UNEXPECTED DIVA

Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield is a diva because she has a voice for the ages. She’s unexpected because she’s a Black woman in 1850s America.

A contemporary of Jenny Lind—with a greater vocal range—the real Greenfield became known as the Black Swan and was met with remarkable success, given the landscape of her times. Author Warren follows the trajectory of Greenfield’s life, filling in many gaps in the historical record with well-researched fiction. Eliza has been lucky in many ways: She is educated, financially supported, and free, though two of those things could be taken away at any time. In the wake of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, any Black person is at risk of being kidnapped and sold into bondage. From the age of 7, Eliza was raised in Philadelphia by Elizabeth Greenfield, an elderly white Quaker she calls Miss Lizbeth. After Miss Lizbeth dies when Eliza is 26, Eliza’s inheritance is contested by her benefactor’s niece and held up in legal limbo. She’s undaunted, however, and with the support of some wonderful friends, she soon finds patrons, as well as a manager to advance her singing career. Eliza is constantly threatened by racism, precarity, and sometimes violence, and while these stakes are frequently stated, they are not always felt in the book. Eliza’s love interest, Charles Monroe, insists she can and should do more to uplift other Black people, but she thinks she must look after her own success and safety first. This and many other potentially painful themes around privilege, race, and access to power recur, but Eliza is so steadfast in her determination that they don’t have the weight they might. Still, it’s always a pleasure to have a protagonist confident in her own self-worth, and the historical details, especially around the thriving, pre-Civil War communities of free Blacks in the North, are excellent.

A loving tribute to a previously unsung heroine.