Nancy Guy's The Magic of Beverly Sills couldn't be more timely. In an era when opera needs stars, the author has given us a fascinating, comprehensive look at the elusive magic of an artist who enchanted not only opera devotees, but the entire nation." Renée Fleming
"Beverly Sills came along at the perfect moment, quenching the public's thirst for a bona fide STAR. Now this book comes along at the perfect moment to quench this generation's thirst for insight into what made her shine so radiantly."--Joyce DiDonato "Frequently, biographies of opera singers are basically gushing with enthusiasm and overstated personal opinions. This book avoids those pitfalls and adds important scholarly information about how to think about an opera singer, her roles, and her fans." Naomi André, coeditor of Blackness in Opera
"Guy's elegant biography gets to the heart of Sills's magnetic stage presence and parses the performer's power to mesmerize audiences with ineffable and poignant cultural magic." Jill Dolan, author of The Feminist Spectator in Action: Feminist Criticism for the Stage and Screen
"An exhaustively researched, thoughtful, well-written treatment of one of the most important and beloved musicians the U.S. has ever produced." Timothy D. Taylor, author of The Sounds of Capitalism: Advertising, Music, and the Conquest of Culture