The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn | Book Review

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld
Published by HarperAudio on March 29, 2022
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 448
Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible
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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.

Hello. I am speechless. Kate Quinn is turning me into a historical fiction lover. Both books of hers that I’ve read have been 5 stars, and this one is even better! The Diamond Eye is stunning, riveting, exciting, suspenseful, romantic, heartbreaking, inspiring, hopeful, and compulsively readable. The audio version is fabulous. I could end my review right here but I probably shouldn’t. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. The Diamond Eye is based on true events. Mila Pavlichenko was a real person, and her personal memoirs were used to write much of this book. That just makes this so much better for me, because she is amazing! The synopsis is great, so I’m not going to go into all the particulars of her life, but Mila is so brave, honorable, and caring. She’s a cold sniper who has no trouble downing an enemy, but she also loves fiercely. She loves her son more than anything. She’s given her own platoon of soldiers to train and lead, and she loves them so much. She loves her sniper partner. She’s patient, sometimes laying in a hidden nest waiting for her target for days, and she’s got a steady hand. She’s cool under pressure, loyal to her country, and extremely talented at her job. She knows her worth as a woman and doesn’t let her male peers or superiors push her around or take advantage of her. She also doesn’t let the reporters get away with asking disrespectful questions. She joined the war in her very young 20s, and I’m in awe of her. She made a famous statement at a conference in the USA during her diplomatic tour that I just love:

“Gentlemen,” she said, “I am 26 years old and I have killed 309 fascist invaders by now. Don’t you think, gentlemen, that you have been hiding behind my back for too long?”

2. The supporting characters were wonderful as well. Well, except for Mila’s slimy husband who seduced her and got her pregnant when she was barely 15, before abandoning both her and their son. She can’t get rid of him, though, and she runs into him a lot during her time on the battlefield. She has a bit of a romance with an officer, which I loved reading about. She has a nurse friend who takes care of her when she’s injured. Her platoon adores and respects her, which was so refreshing to see during this time period. I loved the strong bond she had with her sniper partner, Kostia. They had each other’s backs and trusted each other so intensely. During a time of war and loss, so many beautiful relationships were formed. (Since I listened, I have no idea how to spell most of the names in this book.) I also enjoyed her friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. It was quite sweet and tender, and lasted long after their respective countries no longer recognized each other as allies.

3. The battlefield scenes were so interesting. I loved reading about how Mila scouted out locations to make her sniper’s nest, the camouflage she spent hours meticulously constructing, the dummies she set out as decoys for the enemy, her checklist for how to take out a target, her rituals, and the toll it took on her mind and her body to do this. She’s spent hours hidden in a tree and days laying under leaves and branches in trenches.

4. Mila’s diplomatic tour was also very interesting to read about. She wanted nothing to do with the diplomatic life, the questions, the traveling, even the gifts. She wanted to be in her uniform in the trenches, not in a satin gown at another stuffy event. And honestly, I liked those parts of the book better than reading about her time in the USA. But the things she said in her speeches and the way she carried herself were impressive, and I really respect her.

5. There’ a LOT of suspense in this book, and it was gripping.

6. The reality of war means that some of the relationships Mila forms cause immense heartbreak in the end, and boy did I feel a lot of things during the course of this book. If you’re worried at all, know that I did not cry once. And I cry all the time. The Book Thief made me cry, but this book did not. There’s a lot of happy in the end.

7. The writing is stunning! So many passages took my breath away. 

8. Definitely listen to the audio if you can. Saskia Maarleveld does accents and tone so perfectly that I could not stop listening to her.

9. The author’s note at the end of the book is absolutely essential, and tells which parts of the book are taken directly from Lyudmila’s personal memoirs and where Kate Quinn used her artistic license. Do not skip this part!

All in all, The Diamond Eye is a new favorite novel of mine! I’m not a fan of historical fiction, but I love Kate Quinn’s books. The word I keep thinking of when I think of this book is “stunning”. Everything about The Diamond Eye left me breathless and wanting more. From the cold battlefields of Sevastopol, to the glittering city of New York, I could not pull myself away from Mila’s story.  I’ve just added Lady Death: The Memoirs of Stalin’s Sniper by Lyudmila Pavlichenko to my to-read list. I want to learn more about her! And I can’t wait to read more from Kate Quinn!