Review of The Diamond Eye

Review of The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn. I recently read and loved Kate Quinn’s book The Rose Code about 3 women code breakers of WWII, so when a friend loaned me a copy of The Diamond Eye I didn’t hesitate to read it. This well-researched historical novel is the story of Lyudmila Pavlichenko who journeyed from mother and history student to sniper and national hero. She defies the stereotype of snipers as she is a female as well as warm, funny, charming, a bookworm, an introvert, yet extremely strong when necessary. She becomes the famous Soviet sniper “Lady Death” because of her more than 300 kills and ultimately becomes friends with Eleanor Roosevelt. Quinn who writes beautifully about strong women brings out the humanity in Lady Death by focusing on themes of grief, loss, love, wit and anguish. It is a story of love and lasting friendship. The book also gives the reader a rare glimpse into WWII from the perspective of the Soviet Union.