The Diamond Eye
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-20 08:52:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kate Quinn
- ISBN：0008523010
- 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。
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。
Reviews
Julie Gautreau
，
Kate Quinn is now my favourite author！ Last month I read The Rose Code and The Huntress and I just finished The Diamond Eye。 Thoroughly researched historical facts elegantly interwoven with fictional elements to create a fascinating story that I cannot put down。I even enjoy reading the Author’s Notes。 I am left wanting to learn more after each novel。 I am so thrilled that I discovered this talented author。
Chockletter
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3。5。 This was an interesting book。 I had never heard of Mila Pavlichenko and her story is truly fascinating。 That being said this book did seem to go on and on and on at some points， especially some of the Russian battle descriptions。 Overall， I found it very interesting especially since it was based on a true story and with the current events in Ukraine and Russia。
Karen Purze
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Fun read。
Mary Williams-Henderson
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Another wonderful Kate Quinn book！
Cathy Williams
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A great story based on real life characters。 Highly recommend。
Katie Derus
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I really love how Kate Quinn writes her historic heroines。 I liked this a little less than “Rose Code” but still really enjoyed it！ I loved Mila all around， especially loved hearing her point of view and her “official/unofficial memoir” bits。 It got just a smidge slow in the middle but really picked up in the end！ I also loved the connections with Eleanor and Franklin D Roosevelt as a history nerd。 And the fact that this story is based on a real woman and her real life as a sniper in WWII is tru I really love how Kate Quinn writes her historic heroines。 I liked this a little less than “Rose Code” but still really enjoyed it！ I loved Mila all around， especially loved hearing her point of view and her “official/unofficial memoir” bits。 It got just a smidge slow in the middle but really picked up in the end！ I also loved the connections with Eleanor and Franklin D Roosevelt as a history nerd。 And the fact that this story is based on a real woman and her real life as a sniper in WWII is truly wild， that stuff never ceases to amaze me。 。。。more
Lori Tremain
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Not my favorite。 A spy story or sniper story should feel more suspenseful。 This just was rather an accounting of different scenes between people with very few actual fights and feelings during those fights。 The marksman in the story held my interest much more due to his mysteries he held。
Gilda
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An excellent book about a real female Russian sniper in WWII。
Terry
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Fascinating， accomplished， amazing woman who definitely comes into herself to be a strong， vibrant mother， friend， wife and soldier。 This novel brings alive a real woman who becomes a sniper for the Russian army during WWII。 The author's note clearly defines what really happened and what was the author's imagination。 Kate Quinn has extended her run of wonderful， must read novels about strong women。 I had never heard of Mila before reading The Diamond Eye but it has made want to learn more about Fascinating， accomplished， amazing woman who definitely comes into herself to be a strong， vibrant mother， friend， wife and soldier。 This novel brings alive a real woman who becomes a sniper for the Russian army during WWII。 The author's note clearly defines what really happened and what was the author's imagination。 Kate Quinn has extended her run of wonderful， must read novels about strong women。 I had never heard of Mila before reading The Diamond Eye but it has made want to learn more about her。 This book is highly recommended。 。。。more
Marinela
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Kate Quinn is a master of crafting fascinating historical fiction books that have real-life heroines in them。 From the French Resistance's Alice Network to Bletchley Park's Rose Code， now it's time to see the USSR's part in WWII in a forgotten heroine - Lyudmila Pavlichenko， the most successful female sniper。 Her tally sits at 309， and she earned her nickname Lady Death。 You would think that she was a cold-blooded killer just by that description， but it is so far from the case。 Lyudmila was just Kate Quinn is a master of crafting fascinating historical fiction books that have real-life heroines in them。 From the French Resistance's Alice Network to Bletchley Park's Rose Code， now it's time to see the USSR's part in WWII in a forgotten heroine - Lyudmila Pavlichenko， the most successful female sniper。 Her tally sits at 309， and she earned her nickname Lady Death。 You would think that she was a cold-blooded killer just by that description， but it is so far from the case。 Lyudmila was just a normal girl， who worked at an arsenal factory while still in high school， having a son and a no-good husband。 Her husband Alexei， a surgeon older than her， had seduced her and impregnated her at age 15， and then left her without giving her a divorce。 However， that didn't stop her from pursuing teaching， as she finished high school and continue to university to study history， and wanted to become a teacher。 As Germany invaded the USSR， Mila saw the monstrosity of war， getting bombed， seeing her neighbors， and friends getting killed。 So Mila was faced with a difficult decision， continue her studies or enlist in the Red Army， hoping that she can actively protect her country and family， especially her young son。 In the beginning， she is bullied about being a woman sniper， but she quickly proves her worth and surpasses the boys。 In the process， she finds her sniper partner and also a second chance in love。 Even in those hard times， she manages to find some happiness， even becoming a part of the Soviet delegation in the US， where she meets the Roosevelts and forms a close friendship with the First Lady - Eleanor Roosevelt。Honestly， I think that Lyudmila is one of the most fascinating wartime heroines that I wish more people knew about and I'm so glad that Kate Quinn took the time to study her， read her autobiography and write such an amazing book！ 。。。more
Sally Hillesland
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Fascinating history from the Russian side of the German invasion in WWII; interesting that most of the novel was based on true people and activities。
Donna
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I enjoy all of Kate Quin's books because they are based on historical fact that I often don't know。 She always weaves a good story along with the history that makes you want to finish it quickly。 I gave this a 9+ because I found the first part a bit slower。 I enjoy all of Kate Quin's books because they are based on historical fact that I often don't know。 She always weaves a good story along with the history that makes you want to finish it quickly。 I gave this a 9+ because I found the first part a bit slower。 。。。more
Angela
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Another wonderful book from Kate Quinn。 It was interesting reading this book given the current war in Ukraine。 As always， Kate Quinn brings life to wonderful characters and interesting stories that keep you hooked through the end。
Kate McGehee
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Absolutely LOVED this book。 Kate Quinn must be a genius because this was so well done。 The amount of research that must have gone into this book is stunning and I learned so much。 The plot was well paced and the characters were very well developed。 This had me feeling heart broken AND hopeful。 I really feel like I know Mila！ Thank you， Kate！
Lisa
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This one took a bit of time for me to really get into it。 It was a big slow at first。 Different than her others （The Alice Network and The Rose Code） which pulled me in immediately。 This is the story of WWII Russian sniper Lyudmila “Mila” Pavlichenko， known as “Lady Death。” Based on fact， including from Mila's biography， this book tells what it was like at the Russian front。 Mila became a mother at 15， being seduced by an older man。 Raising her son alone， she juggles work， working on a dissertat This one took a bit of time for me to really get into it。 It was a big slow at first。 Different than her others （The Alice Network and The Rose Code） which pulled me in immediately。 This is the story of WWII Russian sniper Lyudmila “Mila” Pavlichenko， known as “Lady Death。” Based on fact， including from Mila's biography， this book tells what it was like at the Russian front。 Mila became a mother at 15， being seduced by an older man。 Raising her son alone， she juggles work， working on a dissertation at Kiev University， and learning to shoot。 She is a natural and with her skill， she becomes an asset as a sniper in the Red Army's fight to keep the Nazis from invading the Soviet Union。 As we follow along in the book， we see in short bits how the Soviet Union said she did， and from her， what really happened。In 1942， Mila is forced to go to the United States on a press tour to encourage help for the Russians in the war。 Her perceptions of events and of the American people is very interesting。 She became good friends along the way with first lady Eleanor Roosevelt。All is all， this is a good historical fiction， based on fact。 Mila is a very interesting individual。 She's a woman who is a killer， a mother， a lover and， above all else， a survivor。 。。。more
Shannon
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After reading THE HUNTRESS and THE ROSE CODE， this is a major let down。 I devoured those other two books and fully anticipated doing the same with this one。 Alas， it was not to be！ The plot moves like mud through the first 150 pages。 And Mila， is a watered down version of Nina， the Night Witch heroine of THE HUNTRESS。 It took me days to slog through this book which should have been condensed by at least 100 pages， if not more。 I usually comment on the technical aspects of what I read and again， After reading THE HUNTRESS and THE ROSE CODE， this is a major let down。 I devoured those other two books and fully anticipated doing the same with this one。 Alas， it was not to be！ The plot moves like mud through the first 150 pages。 And Mila， is a watered down version of Nina， the Night Witch heroine of THE HUNTRESS。 It took me days to slog through this book which should have been condensed by at least 100 pages， if not more。 I usually comment on the technical aspects of what I read and again， I was dismally disappointed here by the constant interjection of modern slang that had no place in the 1930's or 40's。 I was also irritated by the attitude towards Americans and， American women specifically， during Mila's tour。 They were portrayed as petty-minded and smug。 While I don't doubt that some were like that， I do think it is an injustice to the many who cared deeply about what was happening in the world and who ended up coming to the aid of Europe after all， despite the cost of lives ended and every life changed。The scenes that saved the three-star rating of THE DIAMOND EYE， come at the very end。 There we finally have a return to the heart-pounding pace that Ms。Quinn is noted for。 It was enough to redeem a barely two-star read， but too late to elevate it to a great one。 。。。more
Jennifer
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I thought the first few chapters were a bit slow - there was so much description and not much conversation between the characters。 But once there was dialogue it was great！ It was an exciting story that flew by once it picked up， and I needed to know more。
Susan Rigetti
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Loved it
Jackie Clark Hilferty
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I listened to the audiobook version which was excellent。 The story， like the author’s other books， was immediately engaging and kept me hooked。 Love stories of courageous women like this - always leaves me pondering how I think I would respond in similar situations。
Deirdre Holbrook
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I would rate it 3。75， while this book was very well researched and well written it was too heavy on the actual war experiences to my taste。 I did learn a great deal about WWII from the perspective of a Soviet soldier。 Most importantly I learned about the famous female sniper。
Denise
，
Another fantastic novel by one of my favorite authors！ I didn't realize until the end of the book that it is based on a real woman。 Such a fascinating story Kate Quinn wove around a fascinating woman， mostly true with some liberties taken to fill in the gaps。 I was riveted from page 1 all the way to the end。 I just borrowed Mila's memoir to hear about it all in her own words。 Another 5 star entry in Kate Quinn's growing list of wonderful books。 Please keep them coming！ 😍 Another fantastic novel by one of my favorite authors！ I didn't realize until the end of the book that it is based on a real woman。 Such a fascinating story Kate Quinn wove around a fascinating woman， mostly true with some liberties taken to fill in the gaps。 I was riveted from page 1 all the way to the end。 I just borrowed Mila's memoir to hear about it all in her own words。 Another 5 star entry in Kate Quinn's growing list of wonderful books。 Please keep them coming！ 😍 。。。more
Holly Burke
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What I Loved: Some readers are tired of World War II fiction but this one came at it from a different perspective - WWII in Russia prior to US involvement。 The characters are well-developed with lots of strong， inspiring women from our history at the forefront。 I was thankful for the mysterious alternating timeline in Washington D。C。 where Mila is the one being hunted instead of the one doing the hunting。 That element of mystery kept me intrigued。 What I Didn't Love: Kate Quinn is my favorite hi What I Loved: Some readers are tired of World War II fiction but this one came at it from a different perspective - WWII in Russia prior to US involvement。 The characters are well-developed with lots of strong， inspiring women from our history at the forefront。 I was thankful for the mysterious alternating timeline in Washington D。C。 where Mila is the one being hunted instead of the one doing the hunting。 That element of mystery kept me intrigued。 What I Didn't Love: Kate Quinn is my favorite historical fiction author but of all her books， I liked this one the least。 This book contained many battle scenes or long depictions of stakeouts in the cold， unforgiving forests of Russia。 I found some of the action to be repetitive and the romantic relationships didn't feel true to me。 After reading the author's note， I think Quinn took some liberties with the real story that didn't pan out。 She also experimented with structure， but in my opinion wasn't consistent enough throughout the book。 。。。more
Sharon
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A very good book， a bit difficult to read because of all that she goes through during her career as a sniper。 She's an amazing woman with extreme determanation to suceed。 The book gives such insight to the fight the Soviets waged against the Nazi's during WWII。 I loved the fact that the story was based on a real person with pictures of her at the end of the book。She faced many obstacles as a woman sniper but proved herself over and over again and moved up the ranks in the Soviet Army。 Very inter A very good book， a bit difficult to read because of all that she goes through during her career as a sniper。 She's an amazing woman with extreme determanation to suceed。 The book gives such insight to the fight the Soviets waged against the Nazi's during WWII。 I loved the fact that the story was based on a real person with pictures of her at the end of the book。She faced many obstacles as a woman sniper but proved herself over and over again and moved up the ranks in the Soviet Army。 Very interesting her interaction with Eleanor Roosevelt and how their relationship developed。 Absolutely great ending too！ 。。。more
Sophie "Beware Of The Reader"
，
Audiobook review4，5 to 5 stars。First I want to praise the narrator Saskia Maarleveld for delivering once more an outstanding performance。 She does accents like nobody’s business and always sucks me into the story！I listened to that book in record time， engrossed right from the start。What I love about Kate Quinn’s books is that she will always go for less known stories of history。 After The Rose Code where she talked about Bletchley Park and the enigma machine， the Huntress where we met the Night Audiobook review4，5 to 5 stars。First I want to praise the narrator Saskia Maarleveld for delivering once more an outstanding performance。 She does accents like nobody’s business and always sucks me into the story！I listened to that book in record time， engrossed right from the start。What I love about Kate Quinn’s books is that she will always go for less known stories of history。 After The Rose Code where she talked about Bletchley Park and the enigma machine， the Huntress where we met the Night Witches we will now follow a female Ukrainian sniper Milla Pavlichenko。I had never heard of her before Kate’s book but her story was fascinating！Kate， in her author’s notes， explained that she stumbled upon Milla’s story while researching for the Huntress。Like Nina， Milla is another extraordinary woman！It is true， reading these two stories， that we realize that Russia was the only nation allowing female soldiers in WWII。 And both Nina from the Huntress and Milla from The Diamond Eye were as courageous， if not more， than many men！Milla was pregnant at fifteen after an older surgeon seduced her at a ball。 Threatened by Milla’s father， he’ll marry Milla but their marriage will soon reveal to be a huge mistake。Separated from her husband， Milla is working hard while studying History at university and raising her son alone。After her husband shamed her young son， she will decide that she will be the mother and the father of her son hence promising to show him how to shoot。That’s what prompted Milla to join an elite shooting class。 When the Nazis invaded Russia， she will enroll in the army because what mother would she be if she didn’t fight for her son’s freedom？Milla was the only female soldier in her company。 And the circumstances were so dire that she didn’t even have a rifle before another soldier died in front of her。We will follow Milla at war with her fight to become “one of the boys” and escape unwanted attention， especially from officers。 She will slowly and with great effort climb the ranks and prove that she is the best sniper。 She didn’t do it for glory。 Her tally didn’t interest her。 But she did it because she had seen so many horrors committed by the Nazis that she had a burning hatred for them。 She wanted to push them out of her country。 And she wanted a free country for her son！She hadn’t asked to become that killer。 All that she wanted was to finish her thesis and offer a better future to her son。 It was not her fault that they invaded her country， raped the women， tortured the men。 But she was determined to free her country and if it was through killing as many soldiers and officers as possible then， so be it。She will also be tasked with training other soldiers to become snipers。 But of course before training them， she had to have them obey， to earn their respect。What followed was an intense bond with “her” men， made of total trust， loyalty and friendship。 One of them， Kostia， will even become her shadow， her partner， the one who had her back。We learn a lot about sniper tactics， how to spot the best places to shoot， how to blend in the surroundings and how to wait a long time before having a shot at your enemy。I found Milla’s story very engrossing and I had no idea that Russian students were sent in 1942 in the US， invited alongside other international students by Eleanore Roosevelt。 That’s when Milla will plead her cause and ask for the USA to send weapons and troops in Europe to help vanquish the Nazis。I really appreciated her relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt and to have a glimpse into Eleanor’s live as well。 That part happening on the American continent， in a time bubble， far from the war zone was a new and very interesting element to the story。 An unknown threat with a villain lurking in the shadows added to the mounting tension。Seeing Milla go from tragedy to tragedy， losing her men， her love and still coming back fighting again was a real testimony to her courage and bravery！ You expect in wartime stories a lot of tragedies and atrocities。 But this story， like Kate Quinn’s other stories is also an ode to human resilience。 It shows that through dire time， individuals rise to the occasion and through acts of valor and bravery will turn the tide and have justice and freedom prevail。I should also add that the dedication of Kate Quinn was “ To all the writers who managed to produce a book during the COVID19 lockdown – to all the creators who managed to create art in the middle of a pandemic。 It was really tough， wasn’t it？”I can imagine how hard it was to created that story and that’s why I am still a huge fan of Kate’s books and I hope to meet her one day！ 。。。more
Teresa
，
I loved the history that is woven into this book and how the author wove true events into it！I recommend reading this one。
Starr
，
3。5
Meg Williams
，
Once again， Kate Quinn has masterfully created an exciting story combining a huge amount of historical fact with her imaginative fictitious liberties to give us an entirely satisfying and captivating journey that might just be true。 A veteran of nonlinear storytelling， this latest work is interesting in that we focus on a single central character and receive the majority of the narrative from her perspective。 I have nothing but incredible admiration for the way Quinn's previous novels weave mult Once again， Kate Quinn has masterfully created an exciting story combining a huge amount of historical fact with her imaginative fictitious liberties to give us an entirely satisfying and captivating journey that might just be true。 A veteran of nonlinear storytelling， this latest work is interesting in that we focus on a single central character and receive the majority of the narrative from her perspective。 I have nothing but incredible admiration for the way Quinn's previous novels weave multiple storylines into each other， but it is a nice change of pace that allows the reader to fully immerse themselves in and become fascinated by Lyudmila Pavlichenko - I started reading her book， Lady Death: The Memoirs of Stalin's Sniper， before I even reached the recommendation in the author's note at the conclusion of the novel！ Quinn also remarks in her note that WWII is said to have been fought with American steel， British intelligence， and Soviet blood， and where The Rose Code viewed the war through the lense of British intelligence， The Diamond Eye gives us the perspective of Soviet blood， spilled so profusely to give American steel time to arrive and British intelligence time to turn the tide， reminding us that every nation experiences war differently， even within the same fight。 。。。more
Andrea
，
I always enjoy a historical fiction novel by Kate Quinn。。。 she always chooses an interesting historical character to focus on， and gives a different perspective from so many of the other million and one WWII novels out there。 This is the story of Lyudmila Pavlichenko， aka Lady Death， a scholar and librarian with a master shooter certification who signs up to serve on the Eastern front with the Red Army and ends up being one of the most successful snipers in the service。 She is also chosen to go I always enjoy a historical fiction novel by Kate Quinn。。。 she always chooses an interesting historical character to focus on， and gives a different perspective from so many of the other million and one WWII novels out there。 This is the story of Lyudmila Pavlichenko， aka Lady Death， a scholar and librarian with a master shooter certification who signs up to serve on the Eastern front with the Red Army and ends up being one of the most successful snipers in the service。 She is also chosen to go on a publicity tour to the US to garner American support for the soldiers fighting on the Eastern front。 There are plots and subplots galore， romance， enemies in disguise， friendships， loss， and heroism。 This was a terrific novel that inspires me to learn more about Pavlichenko， there's a biography out there called Lady Death。 Will definitely read another Kate Quinn novel。 。。。more
Celia Caso
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Didn't care for some of the war scenes but I couldn't put it down towards the end。 The finale was truly thrilling and the photos made it all come to life。 What an amazing woman！ I'm glad that she seemed to have a happy life after the war and she was well rewarded by the government for her service。 Didn't care for some of the war scenes but I couldn't put it down towards the end。 The finale was truly thrilling and the photos made it all come to life。 What an amazing woman！ I'm glad that she seemed to have a happy life after the war and she was well rewarded by the government for her service。 。。。more
Gloria Arthur （Ms。 G's Bookshelf）
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Review coming
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