The Diamond Eye

Sometimes you need a swift kick in the proverbial pants to read a book that has been sitting on your bookshelf for a year and a half. Or at least I do. I was excited when my brewery's book club picked this book for our November 2023 selection because it gave me a deadline to finally read this WWII historical fiction novel that I've had on my shelf for a year and a half. 

This engaging story is based on the life of a librarian-turned-Russian female sniper. The story blends fact with fiction as Quinn dives deep into the life of Ukrainian-Russian female sniper, Lyudmila 'Mila' Pavilichenko who, despite her 300+ sniper kills and her moniker Lady Death, fought to be recognized as an equal to her male counterparts in the Russian army during WWII.

Mila is a smart, witty and strong main character who readers will easily embrace. Through Mila, Quinn shares the horrors of war from the perspective of this woman who is a daughter, mother, soldier, begrudging wife, and lover. Her patience is put to the test when she is later assigned the role of spokesperson for her country as she's paraded around the US in the hopes that they will support Russia in WWII. 

Told in dual timelines (1937 and 1942), this story blends suspense, history and drama. The battle descriptions are vivid and put readers on the frontlines with Mila and the men she leads, and I enjoyed seeing the war from Russia and Mila's perspectives. The later timeline brings intrigue and a good twist that shocked me as Mila, now a visitor to America, has unknowingly become prey herself. 

The Diamond Eye is well-researched, and Quinn captures the feelings of the time and Mila's inner thoughts and struggles in her personal and professional lives. Quinn explores interesting topics as Mila fights against misogyny, her own trauma and the limitations put upon women, including the differing roles of American versus Russian women in the war. These topics and exploring the life of this fascinating woman make this a great book club pick. 

I have read several books by Kate Quinn, but The Diamond Eye is my favourite book of hers to date. So if you still haven't read this book, trust me, it's not too late to pick it up!

Audiobook: I concurrently used both audio and print formats for this read. Saskia Maarleveld does an excellent job narrating and I enjoyed hearing the proper pronunciations of the Russian places and names. 

My Rating: 5 stars

Author: Kate Quinn

Genre: Historical Fiction (WWII)

Type and Source: Trade Paperback (personal copy) 

and digital audiobook (public library)

Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld

Run Time: 12 hours, 51 min

Publisher: William Morrow/HarperAudio

First Published: March 29, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: The New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm who becomes history's deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story.

In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kyiv, wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son--but Hitler's invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper--a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour.

Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC--until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness. But when an old enemy from Mila's past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life.

Based on a true story, The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever.