Lyudmila Pavlichenko is a young university student studying history and raising her son. Her husband, Alexei, has abandoned them. When Nazis invade Russia, Mila finds herself in the military where her sharpshooter skills lead her to become a sniper. Working alongside her partner, Kostia, the two fight to protect their homeland until injuries and a retreat put them on a good will tour to America to enlist support in the war effort. However, the tour may prove more deadly than the battlefield as Mila faces old and new enemies.

Based on the true story of Pavlichenko, the novel explores the demands of wartime and the friendships that can cross borders and ideologies.

Very interesting book about the perspective from a sniper during WWII. Given that she is not your stereotype of killer snipper, the story make it a very interesting read. ( )

Russian lady sniper in WWIi ( )

The market is flooded with WWII books, but The Diamond Eye reminded me that there are so many perspectives and stories to tell that are unique. While England was dealing with bombs being dropped on them, France was dealing with an occupation, and the Soviet Union was fighting against an invasion. For people in the USSR the war was deeply personal and directly impacted their daily lives. When Russia is invaded Lyudmila Pavlichenko signs up for the military. She’s a library researcher and single mother working on her degree, but she puts all of that aside to use her sharpshooter skills as a sniper. Mila makes a name for herself as “Lady Death” on the battlefield with 309 confirmed kills, but after getting injured she is sent to Washington D.C. to help convince the American people of the importance of assisting the USSR against the Hitler’s invading forces.

The story moves back and forth between Mila’s time on the battlefield and her visit to D.C. where more suspense and plots are underfoot. This nonlinear structure is a great way to build suspense between the times as we’re left in the dark about what happened in the past, but are slowly revealing what is happening in the present. Quinn highlights Mila’s unlikely friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and those interactions are a delight to read. I loved the layers to Mila’s character and how she had to be different roles for different people in her life.

A story about “Lady Death” is enough of a reason to pick up this book, but Kate Quinn’s storytelling alone is also a reason to give it a try. Quinn always writes great characters, suspense, romance, and her novels are well researched without getting bogged down with details. And to top that off she wraps everything up at the end in a way that makes me feel good. The Diamond Eye would be great for historical fiction fans, but it would also be a good pick for someone who is interested in getting into the genre.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I liked that this historical fiction novel was about Ludmilla Pavlichenko. I had never heard of her before and reading this book caused me to do a deep dive google search into Ludmilla's life to learn more about her. I always love it when a book introduces you to an interesting historical figure.