The Diamond Eye

 The Diamond Eye written by author, Kate Quinn.  

Another excellent historical novel!!   Unknown woman heroine comes to light in the fabulous writing of Kate Quinn.  The beginning of WWII Russia is an underdog in the war and helping the Soviet military in the fight to maintain its borders from German occupancy is the sharpshooter, Mila Pavlichenko.  She is a young woman, a history student and librarian with a  young son, who steps up and enlists in the military.  She becomes a deadly sniper, known as Lady Death becoming a national hero.  She visits the US on a good will tour... another story from history that was hidden until now.

I have said this before but I think the most fascinating novels that pull the reader in and do not let go are the historical novels that bring to light a moment in history that was unknown or forgotten.  This is one of those novels.  Mila Pavlichenko is such a incredible character.  This novel follows her and makes her a three dimensional person who the reader can relate to and cheer for.

She marries and has a child by the time she is 18.  Then her husband leaves her and does not want to take care of her or the baby, but also will not divorce her, freeing her.  She goes back to finish school, living with her parents, who take care of her son.  While finishing her dissertation, the war breaks out and she enlists.  She is a marksman with a rifle and she becomes a woman sniper .  This is very unusual, she follows the motto she sets for herself,  "Don't miss, don't fail".  

She rises in the ranks and is a commander and trains her men to become snipers.  She becomes famous for the number of hits she has made.  She is invited with a Soviet entourage to Washington, DC to meet the President and Eleanor Roosevelt and make the case for the United States to step in and help Russia in the war.   She tours America making speeches and winning the hearts of the citizens,.

It is an amazing story and so well told by Quinn.  You are there with Mila as she hides in the brush waiting for the enemy to make a wrong step.  You are there  with Mila as she finds love and suffers loss.  You are routing for her as comes to the US and tours the country, missing her son and only  wishing to return home.