The Diamond Eye

How appropriate to read about a real-life Ukranian heroine in Kate Quinn's latest historical novel, The Diamond Eye (#1,161) while Putin's assault on Ukraine is covered every day in our local news!  Lyudmila Pavlichenko rushed to enlist the day the war with Nazi Germany began.  A library researcher working on her doctoral dissertation is not exactly who most people would picture becoming a feared and prolific sniper, but she did indeed, earning the title Lady Death.  Ms. Quinn has used the bare bones of Mila Pavlichenko's life to weave a fascinating narrative of war on the Russian front in desperate circumstances.  Mila's good will trip to the US with other wounded student/soldiers was one of Stalin's efforts to change Roosevelt's mind about sending American troops to aid their allies in Eastern Europe.  Her resulting friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt lasted the rest of their lives.

Ms. Quinn has cleverly interwoven the story of another sharpshooter into the story, someone who originally has a very different target in mind to provide some tension to Mila's American visit.  Unlike most of the characters in this gripping novel, this sniper is fictional.  Even the men Mila was romantically involved with during her life are based, as much as possible, on the known facts.  Married at fifteen, she was left with a son, a compelling reason to defend her homeland.  In The Diamond Eye, Mila encounters her husband again in the Red Army, but she also meets the man she considered her second husband for the rest of her life after a whirlwind romance.  And then, there is her sniper partner.  Closer than close, they must live and breathe in unison to survive their sniper assignments.  He will eventually become her third husband here.  Ms. Quinn's Notes help to separate the fact from the fiction about them all.

If you find Lyudmila Pavlichenko as fascinating as I did, Kate Quinn has provided links to books, videos, and photos of the real-life woman who inspired this novel and who charmed the people she met on her good will tours abroad.  To think such courage existed within our own lifetimes is humbling.  Add The Diamond Eye to your "Must Read" List.