Publisher: William Morrow / Harper Audio
Published: March 29, 2022
Source: Print – Hardcover via William Morrow / Audio – ALC via Harper Audio
Summary:
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 Kiev (now known as 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.
My thoughts:
This is the fourth book I’ve read by Kate Quinn and I fall more in love with her writing every time. This book was a highly anticipated read this year and it did not disappoint. And true story – I’ve already read this one twice now…it’s that good!
I absolutely loved this one. Mila Pavlichenko, better known as “Lady Death,” is one of the most bad-a** characters I’ve ever read about and yet she’s a real person and I’m so glad Kate Quinn gave us her story. I’ve read a lot of historical fiction, especially WWII books, and don’t remember her name coming up.
I also loved the friendship she developed with Eleanor Roosevelt while on a goodwill tour to the USA. Eleanor Roosevelt is one of my favorite people, so I loved all the cameos she made throughout this book. This was probably my favorite part of the whole book, the scenes between the two of them. I loved the conversations that take place between the two, and my favorite quote from Eleanor is in the book:
“I reminded myself that you must do the thing you think you cannot do,” she said simply. “Always. And generally you find out you can do it, after all.”
Reading this book was such an immersive experience. The writing is so vivid and the characters so richly drawn that it all comes alive as you make your way through this book. It’s not always an easy read, as we are right alongside Mila in the field as she sets her sights on her targets and it is gruesome at times, but this was such an integral part of the story and really hit home her role. At the same time, we she her struggle with being in this role versus being a good mom for her son and this tugs at your heartstrings.
I loved that this is based on a true story and when you read the author’s note, it is even more impressive. I have loved all the books I’ve read by Kate Quinn, but I think this is now my new favorite. It is just so impressive and awe-inspiring. It is clearly so meticulously researched as is evidenced from the author’s note and I could not have loved this more – again, I’ve already read it twice and that is in a period of two months. I will definitely be recommending this one to all my friends that love historical fiction…it is definitely a must-read!
Audio thoughts:
The first time I read this, I listened it and it is amazing on audio. Saskia Maarleveld narrates it and she does an amazing job. She has narrated Kate’s last few books and really gets the nuances of her writing and this one was no exception. She really made Mila come alive and gave her quite the personality and her accents and intonation were spot on. Even as was rereading the book, I heard the audio in my heard – that’s when you know it’s a good audio production.
