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.

The original setting is a woman, forcefully used at 15, then married to the man who abused her phsyically, who then proceeded to abuse her emotionally. The small boy as a result of the union was very much loved by his mother, and grandparents, with whom he lived when his mother left his father, and then left him behind with her parents to join Stalin's defense of German intervention Russia in WWII.

This historical novel is based on some true-to-life occurrences, and part accompanying embellishment. Lyudmila "Mila" Lichenko becme an amazing sniper in her mid 20's. She joined Russia's war effort to stem Hitler's invasion of Europe, and in particular Russia, where the war was brutal. It is believed "Lady Death" was successful in killing 309 German soldiers as she moved through where ever most needed in the war as she trained more snipers to replace those tragically killed.

The writing is exceptional, and I had difficulty putting the book down. Recommended by a member of my local library who, in particular recommend, my next read in the series, titled The Rose Code which is often noted as the best. The description of the fighting and killing throughout Russia was brutal and at times I had dificulty with the sheer volume of death and gore.

Previous reading of Harrison E. Salisbury's The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad many years ago, and which I highly recommend, helped understand the vivid depiction of the brutallity of Hitler as he swept throughout Europe. Again, the sheer number of those killed or died of starvation on both the German and Russian sides of this overwhelmingly violent occurrence in WWII was vividly portrayed in The Diamond Eye.

Ludmila became a hero, not only for the amount of those she killed, but also because she was a lone young woman on the bloody battle fields among many men.

The book travels from before Ludmilla became a smiper and afterward when because of disability she was sent to the United States where she traved to the White House and was welcomed by Eleanor Roosevelt.

Five Stars! Highly Recommended!!! ( )

“No matter how hard the metal, it yields to human strength. All you have to do is devise the right weapon. I was a weapon.”

This is a historical fiction set in WWII about Ukrainian sniper Lyudmila “Mila” Pavlichenko, known by the Russians as Lady Death. The story blends fact and fiction, drawing on Mila's autobiography, The Memoirs of Stalin's Sniper. Mila fought in the 25th rifle division and was famous for making 309 official kills of German soldiers during the war, although in reality it would be far more.

The story shifts between Kiev, during the war action when thousands of Russian lives were lost trying to repel the German invasion, and the USA. After Mila is injured at Sevastopol, she is chosen to represent Russia in a publicity tour of the USA, trying to influence the Americans to support their war effort.

The story deals with Mila’s relationship with her arrogant ex-husband Alexei, one of the officers Lyonya, and her sniper partner Kostia. It also speaks of her difficulty in leaving her son to go to war. When Mila goes to the USA she is seen as somewhat of a freak initially-as the Americans struggle to relate to a woman in this role-rather than the hero the Soviets envisioned. The press hound her terribly, with far less respect than her male counterparts, even asking questions about her underwear. Eleanor Roosevelt takes Mila under her wing. At this point the almost fan-girl reverential treatment of the President and First Lady reveal the author’s sensibilities as very American. Interestingly, in Australia our attitude towards our leaders differs from this and is tempered with a large dose of cynicism.

This was a very enjoyable read, not quite as engaging as some of her previous books, but a good solid historical fiction, which gave insight into its subject matter. The audio narration by Saskia Maarleveld was very good. ( )

Based on the Russian female sniper, Lyudmila (Mila) Pavlichenko, also known as Lady Death, this historical fiction novel follows the career and influence of this remarkable woman. At only 16, she becomes a mother, and at 25, a skilled marksman. She is Ukrainian, and is recruited into Stalin's army to fight in WWII. She is sent to the US as part of a Russian delegation and meets and befriends Eleanor Roosevelt.
The story details the horrors of war, the tense situations and relationships built during time in the trenches, and the determination of Mila. There is also a fictional story involving FDR.
I never knew about Mila Pavlichenko and am glad to have learned of her through this novel. ( )