1. How much does Maria’s relationship with her mother shape her life? Does her desire to win her mother’s approval help turn her into the star she becomes?

2. Is Maria right to cut off all contact with her mother after the scene in the fur shop in Mexico City?

3. Who is the victim in the Callas/Meneghini marriage? Is Maria being exploited by Meneghini for her money, or is she using him to take care of the nuts and bolts of her career?

4. From the beginning of her career, Maria has felt the clock ticking. She knows that with every performance she is spending the capital of her talent. How does that influence her behavior?

5. How much is Maria’s behavior influenced by the opera heroines that she has sung?

6. What makes Maria fall in love with Onassis?

7. Why does she ignore Elsa’s warning that Onassis is interested only in her fame?

8. What makes Maria decide to leave Meneghini for Onassis? Was it the right decision?

9. What do Maria and Onassis have in common besides their nationality?

10. When Princess Grace says that Maria Callas is the only name that will be remembered in a hundred years, is she right?

11. Did Onassis give Maria as much as he took from her?

12. Why does Onassis come back to see Maria after marrying Jackie Kennedy?

13. At the end of the book, do you see Maria as a victim or the heroine of her own story?