In the ‘present’ storyline is where the bit of mystery is. The present is also there to show the unexpected friendship between Mila and Eleanor Roosevelt. The present being the Russian delegation to America (of which Mila is part of) in hopes to acquire American assistance in their front lines against Hitler. The past being Mila’s journey as a sniper. Per Quinn’s MO, this book alternates between the past and the present. Plus Quinn did a good job writing the humor naturally. As is stated in the book, it’s hard for me to picture Russians as having a good sense of humor. I’m not sure how much of the interactions were elaborated or added but it made for a good story. I also loved the relationship Mila had with both Kostia (her second husband) and Alexei (her sniper partner). She will do whatever it takes to accomplish her goals. As a mom, I can’t imagine what it took for her to simultaneously be away from her son and facing extreme danger.īut her rough circumstances early on in life taught her to take control of her life, to see a path, and walk it in determination.

In between her ‘sorties’ she was diligent to collect and send back leaves to her son as he was interested in learning about plants. I loved how she showed that Mila was both a courageous soldier and a thoughtful mom. I did feel like it got a bit long, but I appreciate the effort Quinn takes to understand her subject matter and create a work as close to truth as she can while still adding some spice. There was a lot of historical and technical data in this book about battles and guns and politics and such. But for a stretch of time they were fighting Hitler, so there is honor in that I suppose.Īs usual, Quinn shows her superb research skills. I also wonder if I had a subconscious moral dilemma about how I should feel toward Russian soldiers. I still like Quinn’s The Rose Code better than Diamond Eye because of its more suspenseful story line, but I still enjoyed this one. Though her gender kept her from the military decorations awarded to other soldiers, her official kill count tallied at over 300 and her skill and heroism was never questioned by her fellow soldiers. She will show her son strength and courage. When the call comes for soldiers, she hones her shooting skills and becomes a sniper. Slavka’s father is absent and disinterested in their life so Mila is determined to be both mother and father to her son.

Mila is driven by her love for her son, Slavka.

The Diamond Eye is the fictionalized-true story of Mila Pavlichenko, female sniper in the Russian army. What drives a woman to become a sniper in WWII? When I heard a rifle sing in my hands as I buried a bullet through the neck of a bottle and sent the base flying into diamond shards… and realized who and how I could be.” When I realized I could not miss, not ever. “I only knew that my dark side awoke when I realized there was no room in my life for mistakes.

The diamond eye kate quinn review