R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on + 1452 more book reviews
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 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.
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