The Diamond Eye

This read was a continuation of my trend to apparently read through the Kate Quinn oeuvre one book a year, several years behind publication. I liked Rose Code fine but this was back to Alice/Huntress levels of Intense Reader Engagement on my part.

I have seldom wanted a character to die more than Dirtbag Surgeon Alexei, who I have to admit, from a writer standpoint, is BRILLIANTLY crafted to be the Absolute Worst in Villainy, ie, he's not a Stalin or a Hitler, but the kind of foe women have to deal with a l l t h e t… show more.

I love history, and The Diamond Eye is a fantastic retelling of Soviet sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko’s story. Quinn’s research into Pavlichenko’s life is evident as she seamlessly weaves details about the deadliest female sniper ever into a thrilling narrative that encompasses a plot to assassinate American President Roosevelt.

Who doesn’t like a good underdog story? When we first meet Pavlichenko, she is a young, single mother with a small child working a factory job. Through sheer tenacity and hard work, she enrolls in Kiev University to get her degree, and the war breaks out. She then embarks on her remarkable… show more.

I loved this book! It was a fascinating account of a young Russian woman bravely rising above extremely challenging circumstances to become an extraordinary hero—and even better—it is based on a true story.

Mila became a renowned sniper, with a remarkable record number of kills during WWII. Later, she even met with and became friends with Eleanor Roosevelt.

I search for and collect stories like this, stories about ordinary women accomplishing extraordinary feats. Considering the difficulties I face in life, and they are many, they pale compared to what she was up against. And like Mila, some days I… show more.

A true story of a heroine who is a sharpshooter in WW II is not one that I would immediately gravitate to. But, she is complex and can compartmentalize her need to defend her country, while at the same time trying to live an ordinary life when not in the military. She meets up with U.S. dignitaries such as Eleanor Roosevelt and FDR, and charms them with her no-nonsense approach to life. It is a historical fiction piece based on a true story and has been a NY Times bestseller.

A quiet Soviet librarian becomes history’s deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story and sweeping readers from Kiev to Washington D.C. and back again to the Eastern Front, this book tells of the life of Mila Pavlichenko, or Lady Death, as she was known to the Nazis and Allies alike. We’ve all learned about World War II, about the Nazis and the Soviets and their deadly conflicts, but Quinn’s book puts us on the frontlines and allows us to experience history in a breathtaking and page-turning new way.