Historical

The Diamond Eye

The Diamond Eye

  • Downloads：6604
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-02-23 10:51:51
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kate Quinn
  • ISBN：0063226146
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

In the snowbound city of Kiev， wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son—but Hitler’s invasion of 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。

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Reviews

Cassie ，

How am I only learning about this now？？？

Karla ，

A very different story than what I'm used to from Kate Quinn。 It feels like there is a lot more fact mixed in here than her other books。 Regardless， I once again learned a lot about a part of WWII history I did not know existed。 A very different story than what I'm used to from Kate Quinn。 It feels like there is a lot more fact mixed in here than her other books。 Regardless， I once again learned a lot about a part of WWII history I did not know existed。 。。。more

Kate ，

This book is going to rival The Huntress as my fave of Quinn's。 The characters just leap of the page （as usual）， and I totally didn't expect to come out of the other end of this book with a huge crush on Eleanor Roosevelt。 This book is going to rival The Huntress as my fave of Quinn's。 The characters just leap of the page （as usual）， and I totally didn't expect to come out of the other end of this book with a huge crush on Eleanor Roosevelt。 。。。more

Nicole Bourque ，

Thank you Harpercollins for the e-arc of this book。 #indigoemployee This is my first book by Kate Quinn but it won’t be the last。 I loved everything about this book。 Mostly that you get a different view from women who were at war。I couldn’t wait to read this book because it was a Female snipper， hello badass！ Also that she was a mother and a librarian/ historian。 But then later found out it was based on a true story！ *now tries to find a copy of Lady Death: The memoirs of Stalin’s Sniper。*

Amy Gouger ，

I was lucky to win and receive the Advanced Reader’s Edition of Kate Quinn’s latest Historical Fiction。 This book will not disappoint， told through the eyes of a female sniper during WWII。 Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko， “Lady Death”， was a Soviet Sniper in the Red Army during Hitler’s Invasion of Russia。 Mila was a young mother， history student， working in a library as the story begins。 She is separated from her horrible husband， Dr。 Alexei Pavlichenko， who continues to torment her throughout I was lucky to win and receive the Advanced Reader’s Edition of Kate Quinn’s latest Historical Fiction。 This book will not disappoint， told through the eyes of a female sniper during WWII。 Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko， “Lady Death”， was a Soviet Sniper in the Red Army during Hitler’s Invasion of Russia。 Mila was a young mother， history student， working in a library as the story begins。 She is separated from her horrible husband， Dr。 Alexei Pavlichenko， who continues to torment her throughout this story。 Mila and her son， Rostislav， lived with her parent’s and he remained with them while she serves her country。 Mila also joined a shooting club and received her marksman certificate; she was the most successful female sniper in history with 309 confirmed deaths。 In 1942 Mila toured the United States， Canada and Great Britain to convince Allies of WWII to open a 2nd Front against Nazi Germany。 Mila traveled with and befriended Eleanor Roosevelt for many years。 Franklin D。 Roosevelt invited her to the White House and their family home。There are love stories along the way which I will not give away。 I hope you will enjoy reading Mila’s story， although at times some parts were very difficult。 I also enjoyed The Alice Network by Kate Quinn。 。。。more

Tracie ，

Lyudmila Pavlichenko is a 4-year history student and library researcher in Odessa， when she hears over a public loudspeaker that German troops have invaded。 She has left her son with her parents， while trying to divorce her no load husband and has been learning to become quite a good shot while working and studying。 She enlists and make friends on the train with Lena Paliy， who helps her when she gets wounded several times and suffers concussions。 Mila is very good as a sharpshooter and meets Ko Lyudmila Pavlichenko is a 4-year history student and library researcher in Odessa， when she hears over a public loudspeaker that German troops have invaded。 She has left her son with her parents， while trying to divorce her no load husband and has been learning to become quite a good shot while working and studying。 She enlists and make friends on the train with Lena Paliy， who helps her when she gets wounded several times and suffers concussions。 Mila is very good as a sharpshooter and meets Kostia， who becomes her partner in the field， and she builds a good cohesive group of soldiers around her。 She also has an intense romance during fighting and hardship。 She eventually gets the nickname of "Lady Death" and despite sexism in some of the male officers becomes a well-known figure in the Soviet Union。 In 1942， she is part of a group sent to Washington， D。C。 to meet the First Lady， Eleanor Roosevelt and her husband， the President and to try to convince America to help the Soviet Union more。 The author used Pavlichenko's memoirs for the base of her action-packed story and filled the novel with fictional and non-fictional people who I found myself rooting for， especially and old ranger， Vartanov。 Like the best biographical fiction， readers will want to learn more about Lyudmila。 Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Faythe Millhoff ，

Kate Quinn never disappoints。 While I missed the friendship between multiple women in this one， it was a very good read。 I love how she mixes in the history with the story， I always learn something。 I did not know that Russia used women snipers in the WWII when Germany invaded the country。 I highly recommend this book。

Giselda Johnson ，

Kate Quinn outdid herself！ Such a page turner with characters so real and such well-researched and vivid scenes that I could not put it down！ Kate Quinn truly is a master of her craft。

Kimberley ，

I loved Mila and was fascinated by the fact that she was a real person。 Vacillated in my rating because there were parts that I loved and parts that bugged me。 3。5 stars

MA ，

Popsugar 2022 / A different book by an author you read in 2021

Jenny ，

I did not expect to enjoy this book so much！

Beth ，

#netgalleyarc I really love this author and her historical fiction novels。 This story was a bit long and a bit slow paced in some spots， but overall I really enjoyed reading it。 I really liked that some chapters were written in the last， some we comments by First Lady Eleanor Rosevelt and some were “present” chapters that eventually lined up with the chapters that happened in the last。 Usually I don’t enjoy with the time jump premise， but this story handled it well。

Lizanne ，

When I see that Kate Quinn has written another book， I immediately add it to my list。 I was so excited to receive an ARC from Goodreads and this book did not disappoint。 Mila is the kind of character I wished I related to more！ She has badass shooting skills， love for her family， and a willingness to serve her country in any way possible。 However， she was never doing things for recognition， she just wanted the war to end so she could return to her son。 Reading this， I felt constantly blown away When I see that Kate Quinn has written another book， I immediately add it to my list。 I was so excited to receive an ARC from Goodreads and this book did not disappoint。 Mila is the kind of character I wished I related to more！ She has badass shooting skills， love for her family， and a willingness to serve her country in any way possible。 However， she was never doing things for recognition， she just wanted the war to end so she could return to her son。 Reading this， I felt constantly blown away that this was a real person， who actually did most of the things I read about。 I loved the humanness of Mila。 She was at heart， a scholar （a nerd really， how relatable！） and a mother， but was ready to give her son a good role model。 Her friendship with the First Lady was just so unexpected， but again， just shows such a wonderful part of Mila’s heart。 This book is everything I could ask for in a historical fiction novel: romance， suspense， humor， strong characters， and most importantly， the truth amidst beautiful story telling。 。。。more

Crystal Tadlock ，

This story was FABULOUS！ I was captivated by Mila and her story！ I was so eager to just learn more about the real woman that I couldn't stop looking up information about her after reading this！ Emotional， frightening， healing， it was a really great book and I really really enjoyed this woman's story， both in this book and in other information I found about her。 This story was FABULOUS！ I was captivated by Mila and her story！ I was so eager to just learn more about the real woman that I couldn't stop looking up information about her after reading this！ Emotional， frightening， healing， it was a really great book and I really really enjoyed this woman's story， both in this book and in other information I found about her。 。。。more

Heather-le Byrd ，

I absolutely was hooked on every page and loved this book so much。 It is an amazing story， that is beautifully written。 Based on a true story of Russian， woman sniper and it follows her journey through WW2

Tami ，

Outstanding！ This is the first book I have read from Kate Quinn and I vow to pick up each one she’s writes going forward！ （Edit: I just realized this is the 2nd book I have read from Quinn。 My first was the Alice Network and I loved it as much as this one）I am a big fan of historical fiction。 It seems so many books focus on Germany and Hitlers troops that we forget other countries involvement and the people who lived there。 Diamond Eye shares the true story of a remarkable young woman from Russi Outstanding！ This is the first book I have read from Kate Quinn and I vow to pick up each one she’s writes going forward！ （Edit: I just realized this is the 2nd book I have read from Quinn。 My first was the Alice Network and I loved it as much as this one）I am a big fan of historical fiction。 It seems so many books focus on Germany and Hitlers troops that we forget other countries involvement and the people who lived there。 Diamond Eye shares the true story of a remarkable young woman from Russia during dark dark days。Reading Quinn’s book， I felt a small kinship with the nerdy young girl with dreams of being a historian。 We all have dreams and times when life sends us curveballs。 Mila Pavlchenko is given one at 15 when she gets pregnant and the man she loved shows himself not to be the husband and father she thought him to be。 She sets her course for education at the university and focuses on improvement to model what good people do in bad times for her young son。 Her course is abruptly changed when war comes to Russia and she becomes a sharp shooter on the front lines。I really enjoyed Quinn’s chapter beginnings of “my memories: the official version and my memories: the unofficial version。” This was so smartly used。 In today’s world of Facebook and social marketing businesses， individuals and countries are always putting political correctness forward。 It’s not surprising that Russia would do the same when engaged in a world war and wanting other countries to join in to help end the suffering of its citizens。 Yes， it’s propaganda， but it’s also human nature to see the same thing as someone else and have a different take or viewpoint。At 400+ pages， this is a don’t want to stop， have to read now kind of book！ It has true love， hard times and people you wish you knew。 （I cried a couple times。） Don’t stop reading until you finish the authors notes where Quinn reveals so very much of the war and people are true， taken from Milas very own memoir。 I am so impressed with a young woman who faced such challenges and 4 very serious injuries continued to fight to return to the front。 Her strength of character and drive for her country is inspiring。 Thank you to Kate Quinn and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and enjoy this 5 star book！ 。。。more

Samantha Warren ，

I love anything written by Kate Quinn and this one did not disappoint。 Set in Russia during World War II， this is the tale of Mila becoming Lady Death with her sharpshooting skills。 There is also an assasin out to frame her for killing the President。 Two stories woven into one with a FANTASTIC ending。 Highly recommeneded。

Maggie ，

Kate Quinn knows what I like， and it's stories about women in WWII。This particular novel starts off slow - I can't say I was really engaged with the story until I entered the middle third of the story。 I kept going because， at this point， I trust Kate Quinn to deliver a great story with a tense， climactic showdown。 And boy， did she。For me， as someone with a moderate knowledge of the Soviet Union， books like this can be annoying to read， and this one was no exception。 But she pulled it out in the Kate Quinn knows what I like， and it's stories about women in WWII。This particular novel starts off slow - I can't say I was really engaged with the story until I entered the middle third of the story。 I kept going because， at this point， I trust Kate Quinn to deliver a great story with a tense， climactic showdown。 And boy， did she。For me， as someone with a moderate knowledge of the Soviet Union， books like this can be annoying to read， and this one was no exception。 But she pulled it out in the end。Thanks to William Morrow for giving me an ARC through Edelweiss。 。。。more

Madelaine ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 are you tired of stumbling through poorly written books， confusing characters， grammar， plots？ this book is for you。it's the best book I've read in ages， and it's a true story。 I'm going to look for more books by Kate Quinn right now！ are you tired of stumbling through poorly written books， confusing characters， grammar， plots？ this book is for you。it's the best book I've read in ages， and it's a true story。 I'm going to look for more books by Kate Quinn right now！ 。。。more

Brenda Freeman ，

WWll brings war to Russia and with it a group of friends lives are changed。 The dancers and college students go off to war。 Mila。 becomes a sniper who goes on record with 309 kills by the end。 The story describes the relationship between snipers during the war and how they are bonded to one another。 To get the US to join the war the Russians send a delegation to Washington DC to meet the President and to plead their case。 Mila， her estranged husband and her sniper partner are apart of the group。

Vicki J。 ，

This book is a treasure！Mila never planned on becoming a sniper。 She was a young mother working in her local library - but after confronting her estranged husband with her child at a shooting range everything changes！Hitler invades Russia and Mila joins the fight！Mila becomes a deadly sniper， a friend to Eleanor Roosevelt and a national heroine！Wonderful， beautifully written！

Leslie Hagel ，

Kate Quinn’s latest novel is based on a true life character Mila Pavlinchenko， a female sniper for Russia during WWII。 The Diamond Eye tells the story of Mila’s life from an introverted scholar and single mother to a famous war hero with over 300 kills to her name。 Mila’s infamy leads her on a journey from the war torn battlefields to a goodwill tour of the United States。 From a friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt to falling in love on the battlefield， Quinn brings this real life hero to life with Kate Quinn’s latest novel is based on a true life character Mila Pavlinchenko， a female sniper for Russia during WWII。 The Diamond Eye tells the story of Mila’s life from an introverted scholar and single mother to a famous war hero with over 300 kills to her name。 Mila’s infamy leads her on a journey from the war torn battlefields to a goodwill tour of the United States。 From a friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt to falling in love on the battlefield， Quinn brings this real life hero to life with her vivid descriptions and thoroughly researched details。Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and Mila’s story resonates long after the last page is read。 Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to review this novel before its release。 。。。more

Hristina Todorova ，

I honestly don't know how she does it， but Kate Quinn is an amazing writer and every new book is even more compelling and thrilling than the previous。 Loved this one！ I honestly don't know how she does it， but Kate Quinn is an amazing writer and every new book is even more compelling and thrilling than the previous。 Loved this one！ 。。。more

Melissa ，

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the chance to read and review this title prior to publication。 The summary of this book grabbed me right away - a bookworm who became the deadliest female sniper？ I wanted to know more。 Quinn's research and description of Mila's war experiences， alternating with her time in the US advocating for American assistance in WWII and becoming close friends with Eleanor Roosevelt， was very well done。 It was strange to read about Russia fighting alongside the Al Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the chance to read and review this title prior to publication。 The summary of this book grabbed me right away - a bookworm who became the deadliest female sniper？ I wanted to know more。 Quinn's research and description of Mila's war experiences， alternating with her time in the US advocating for American assistance in WWII and becoming close friends with Eleanor Roosevelt， was very well done。 It was strange to read about Russia fighting alongside the Allies when we now have such a difficult relationship with them。 I believe fans of Quinn's books will love this one。 I read most of the book in one day， and while I found a few parts repetitive， it made for a captivating story。 This ultimately was a 3-star read for me， though I will not easily forget Mila's story。 。。。more

Trisha ，

Mila Pavlichenko a History student working on her dissertation。 She goes out for a weekend at the beech with friends she at a opera/ballet to see some friends perform when she finds out Hitler just invaded Russia。 She next finds herself signing up to go to the front with the infantry， where her goal is to become a sniper。 After overcoming the sex discrimination against women being effective snipers she becomes one of the best in Russia。 But as you will find out there is much more than just that Mila Pavlichenko a History student working on her dissertation。 She goes out for a weekend at the beech with friends she at a opera/ballet to see some friends perform when she finds out Hitler just invaded Russia。 She next finds herself signing up to go to the front with the infantry， where her goal is to become a sniper。 After overcoming the sex discrimination against women being effective snipers she becomes one of the best in Russia。 But as you will find out there is much more than just that to Mila， so much more。I love Kate Quinn's books and this one is no different。 I fell in love with Mila almost from the start， being a female veteran myself working in a more male dominated job I felt a sisterhood with her and cheered her on throughout this book。 Mila's character is one you won't ever forget， her tenacity will inspire， and her gumption will impress you。 。。。more

Sandy Eichelberger ，

4。5*Lovers of Quinn’s stories of WWII escapades will be thrilled at this latest book。 It’s based upon a real woman who became a celebrated sniper for the Russian army。 Mila was a single parent who always wanted to fill the role of both parents for her son。 When the Germans invaded Russia， Mila was determined to do as a father would， and she enlisted。 Her skill with a rifle made her the perfect sniper。Mila came to international attention when she came to America as part of a student delegation。 S 4。5*Lovers of Quinn’s stories of WWII escapades will be thrilled at this latest book。 It’s based upon a real woman who became a celebrated sniper for the Russian army。 Mila was a single parent who always wanted to fill the role of both parents for her son。 When the Germans invaded Russia， Mila was determined to do as a father would， and she enlisted。 Her skill with a rifle made her the perfect sniper。Mila came to international attention when she came to America as part of a student delegation。 She met President Franklin Roosevelt and actually became friends with his wife， Eleanor。 Her visit to the US was filled with innocuous questions from the press。 They asked about wearing lipstick and the cut of her uniform。 Mila was a serious soldier who was methodical in her job。 She was incredulous that so many people failed to understand the reality of war。 Fortunately， Quinn gives a gritty， cold， bloody portrayal of Mila’s time at the front， leaving no doubt about what she and other soldiers experienced。The real Mila was remarkable and the fictionalized story of her life is captivating。 Mila suffers the same as the men， with the additional problem of being one of the few women in combat。 She’s seriously injured more than once and yet returns to duty。 Quinn manages to keep Mila from coming across as a coldblooded killer。 There’s a humanity that shines through the grizzly story of her job。 Mila was strong and smart and her gender is at the center of her story。 She was unique for the time and certainly showed her mettle while American women in the military were relegated to nursing and secretarial jobs。 。。。more

Kati Walters ，

Not as entertaining as her other books， slow read

Hannah Monson ，

I had never heard of Mila Pavlichenko， and， frankly， I was astonished by her and her record。 While I like first person narration， I do not like direct address to the reader。 For me， this is like an actor breaking the fourth wall， acknowledging the audience rather than staying inside the story they are telling。 I did like the split timeline to keep the suspense up， particularly as the reader is unsure of who “the marksman” is。

Kimi Loughlin ，

I was really looking forward to this new Kate Quinn but was overall disappointed。 It took me a ridiculously long time to get through （for me） and just couldn't keep my attention。 I liked the main character and I liked the setup but since I read Quinn's work out of order and The Huntress was actually my most recent read， it felt too similar and the crossovers within The Diamond Eye felt repetitive rather than reminiscent。 I also feel that if I had listened to this one that I would have like it a I was really looking forward to this new Kate Quinn but was overall disappointed。 It took me a ridiculously long time to get through （for me） and just couldn't keep my attention。 I liked the main character and I liked the setup but since I read Quinn's work out of order and The Huntress was actually my most recent read， it felt too similar and the crossovers within The Diamond Eye felt repetitive rather than reminiscent。 I also feel that if I had listened to this one that I would have like it a lot more。 。。。more

Charlotte Lynn ，

I am a WWII book junkie。 I especially love reading a fiction book based on a true story with a unique storyline。 The Diamond Eye is exactly that。 The story tells of the well known horrors of war but this story is unique because it is told from the point of view of a sharpshooter。 A woman sniper。 It was rare for women to be on the frontline during WWII but Mila is not only on the frontline， she is a sniper with over 300 kills。 I did not know as much about Russia’s part in WWII as I thought I did。 I am a WWII book junkie。 I especially love reading a fiction book based on a true story with a unique storyline。 The Diamond Eye is exactly that。 The story tells of the well known horrors of war but this story is unique because it is told from the point of view of a sharpshooter。 A woman sniper。 It was rare for women to be on the frontline during WWII but Mila is not only on the frontline， she is a sniper with over 300 kills。 I did not know as much about Russia’s part in WWII as I thought I did。 I was amazed at the smaller sizes of their military and that they had many women involved not just in the medical aspect but in the fighting aspect of the war。 The Diamond Eye is rich in history and it is history I will remember because of the way Kate Quinn wrote the book。 She made the characters real。 The storyline flowed perfectly with great details given so I could picture what Mila was having to live through。 I have been a fan of Kate Quinn for a while and The Diamond Eye just cemented her in the must-read list of authors。 I highly recommend this book for any historical fiction reader。 I am sure this will be in my top books of 2022 list。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Diamond Eye

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Diamond Eye&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Diamond Eye&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0