This was a powerful novel about a little known personage of WWII, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a Russian sniper who had over 300 confirmed kills against the Nazis. She was a bookish history student from Odessa in the Ukraine when the war broke out with the invasion by Germany in 1941. She had trained with a rifle and she was able to transform herself into the deadliest female sniper during the war and was known as "Lady Death". The novel tells of her exploits during the war including falling in love with one of her colleagues who doesn't make it through the conflict. Lyudmila is wounded during the war and when it is known about her 300 kills, she is made a national hero and sent to America on a goodwill tour. There she meets and becomes friends with the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. She also unwillingly gets involved in a deadly plot that could affect the fate of the nations.
This is a fictionalized account of Lyudmila's exploits but it is mostly based on fact including her memoirs. I had never heard of Lyudmila prior to reading this novel and I was surprised to learn of her role in the war as well as others involved in the Nazi invasion of Russia. Overall, a compelling read.
An enjoyable fictional account about a real female badass. Lyudmila Pavlichenko was a Russian sniper in WWII. Her death count was so high she was also known as Lady Death. Her notoriety took her overseas to the US where she spoke about the war and became good friends with the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt (another badass of her time).
While I delighted in most of the story, it did feel a bit too long and some things repetitive. I also liked a lot of the characters but never felt emotionally attached to them. I was happy that this story passed my way or I would've never knew about Mila and her extraordinary life.
In this chaotic time when Russia invaded the Ukraine would you read about a female Russian sniper in WWII? Maybe, maybe not but this author is one whose work I love so I did not hesitate. (Remember that the Ukraine is part of Russia during WWII.)
The heroine is Lyudmila Pavlichenko, seduced by an older man when she attends a dance at age 15. Pregnant, her influential father forces marriage but the two separate. He wants nothing to do with a pregnant teenager nor the baby but refuses divorce. Known as Mila, both mother and father to their son, Slavka, she learns to shoot, qualifing as a sharp shooter. Juggling work and writing her doctoral thesis, her goal to become a historican derails when Germany invades Russia. Mila enlists, becomes a sniper and soon leads an elite group of snipers. She learns to shoot from bunkers, bush, trees and buildings. Amassing more than 300 kills, Mila becomes known as Lady Death. Nevertheless, women like Mila still faced the same old prejudice of their place in the world so promotions usually went to the men around her.
The author conveys horrors of war with vivid and brutal detail as Mila and her countrymen struggle to repel the Nazis. In the past, few women fought in front lines but in WWII about 800,000 Soviet women served their country. Through Mila's eyes, the reader views its true costs: human, mental, emotional, and more. Amidst the chaos, Mila finds a devoted sniping partner and love. Injured four times, she loses her lover when he throws himself over her during an attack.
In 1942 Russia sent Mila to the U.S. where she befriended Eleanor Roosevelt. Many doubters, mostly men, see just a pretty face. Proving she is a sharpshooter, she earns support for the U.S. paving way for entering the war. As the story develops, Mila encounters a sniper hired to kill FDR, and frame her for the act.
This is a powerful well written book about a remarkable woman, one I couldn't stop reading. To see photos and learn more about Mila look for Lyudmila on the internet.
The Diamond Eye is just the sort of historical fiction that I love to read. It's based on a true story about an incredible woman, and not only did I get a feel for the era, how women survived in the military, and what the life of a sniper is like, I fell completely under the spell of Lyudmila (Mila) Pavlichenko.
The story is told mainly by Mila, but we also hear from Eleanor Roosevelt as well as a paid assassin. How author Kate Quinn managed to write a story from these three very different points of view and keep each one of the characters so compelling is a sign of her talent, and it will definitely keep me coming back for more. (Yes, this is the first book of hers that I've read.) I also appreciated her Author's Notes as well as the bibliography at the end. The notes showed me how the author blended fact and fiction, and the bibliography will help me find the books I need for further reading.
And Lyudmila Pavlichenko is definitely a person worth reading more about. Strong, determined, smart, yet flawed, she is just the type of person to prove that you should never turn your back on historians or librarians.
