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The Diamond Eye
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
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The Diamond Eye
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Summary
*Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee: Best Historical Fiction 2022*
In the snowbound city of Kiev, aspiring historian Mila Pavlichenko’s life revolves around her young son – until Hitler’s invasion of Russia changes everything. Suddenly, she and her friends must take up arms to save their country from the Fuhrer’s destruction.
Handed a rifle, Mila discovers a gift – and months of blood, sweat and tears turn the young woman into a deadly sniper: the most lethal hunter of Nazis.
Yet success is bittersweet. Mila is torn from the battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America while the war still rages. There, she finds an unexpected ally in First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and an unexpected promise of a different future.
But when an old enemy from Mila’s past joins forces with a terrifying new foe, she finds herself in the deadliest duel of her life.
The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever.
Praise for The Diamond Eye‘The Diamond Eye – combat novel, wartime love story, assassination thriller – sets up and pulls off a double-barrelled surprise-ending worthy of its larger-than-life inspiration’ The Wall Street Journal
‘Mila’s was an incredible life and Quinn does it justice in this fast-paced novel’ The Times
‘This timely and earth-shattering tale of heroism will leave you breathless’ Woman’s Own
‘An extraordinary novel, based on a true story’ WI Life
‘Kate Quinn’s skill is in developing characters and relationships, adding tension, suspense and smart plotting’ Choice
‘Equal parts historical fiction and riveting thriller, Quinn’s latest novel celebrating heroic women is a highly cinematic action novel’ The Washington Post
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Critic reviews
‘Recommend it to all lovers of smart historical fiction’ Booklist
‘Exciting . . . historical fiction fans will be riveted’ Publishers Weekly
‘Readers looking for a new and unique viewpoint of World War II with a mystery to solve and a light touch of romance will dive deep into this story’ Library Journal
‘A fascinating read . . . if you’re a fan of 20th-century history then look no further’ Altrincham Today
‘A remarkable story filled with heart, intrigue [and] breathtaking drama’ Allison Pataki
‘The most well-known sniper you’ve never heard of . . . Quinn weaves humanity and emotional depth through the narrative’ Sarah Penner
‘Lyudmila Pavlichenko’s journey from history student and mother to sniper and national hero is beautifully rendered . . . utterly absorbing’ Natasha Lester
‘Kate Quinn takes expert aim at one of history’s forgotten heroines to bring us a story that will pull you in from the very first sentence’ Alix Rickloff
‘Kate Quinn is a master at crafting and intoxicating, well-balanced blend of immersive period details and deft character work … a remarkable combination of immersive wartime storytelling, rich detailing and wonderful pacing’ BookPage
‘Kate Quinn is an excellent storyteller … Don’t miss this timely story about the immense power, strength and resilience of a Ukranian woman!’ BookReporter.com
What listeners say about The Diamond Eye
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-10-23
Such an amazing story!
Blown away by this book, so so good. I’ve listened to 3 others of Kate Quinn’s and this was the best (the others were all amazing too!)
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jan MBarnett
- 19-05-22
Fascinating historical characters
I am a big fan of Kate Quinn so couldn't wait to read her latest novel and it didn't disappoint. Her characters come to life through her words and I found myself searching for images of Lyudmila Pavlichenko and Eleanor Roosevelt to complete my picture. It's a great story and you must read the authors notes to finish off.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- K. Smith
- 21-05-23
Fantastic Dramatic Read
Absolutely loved this book!
Will be listening again and can’t wait for the next release.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Annette
- 21-02-24
fascinating read
This is a great story, well written and performed. To learn that it is based on a true story, makes it all the better. As one that likes history, it was great to hear this story of the 2nd ww from a Russian perspective. If you like a gripping story with great historical content, then I certainly recommend this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 13-02-23
Gripping, Inspiring, Passionate, extremely well read!
This is a story, so well told & well read by it’s reader that I could not only see the characters, but could feel their experiences.
A brilliant weave of historical fact with narrative fiction.
Any person, especially a young woman, could not help but be inspired by the courage of this particular sniper. And anyone taking for granted their life in peacetime will learn to think again.
I’ve lost a part of my joy in ending this book.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mrs D
- 11-11-23
True story, brilliant Narration.
I preferred Kate Quinn's other books, this one was too long and drawn out. Nevertheless Diamond Eye was a true story with some artistic licensing. It told the story of woman Soviet sniper Mila Pavlichenko, and her exploits to thwart the Nazis during WW2. It was a gripping and inspirational tale, of heroism, courage and determination. I was interested to find out more about the woman behind the sotry.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Spud
- 27-05-24
Strength in Women
Story flowed well and kept developing from start to finish. A couldn't put it down book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- John
- 14-06-24
wonderful tale
well read story and could and should be transformed into a film, an unsung hero of war.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Lynn Maw
- 29-04-24
Fabulous
Wonderful book beautifully read. Another stunning book by Kate Quinn. History has never been so wonderfully told.
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- Valerie's Reading Nook
- 25-04-22
A true story, an amazing novel, a great Kate Quinn
What an amazing story, what a lady, what a novel!
Kate Quinn brings to life a heroin of the Second World War, Lyudmila Pavlichenko. Lyudmila, from Kiev in (then) Russia, was a mother very young and wanted to get a good life for her and her son, studying history. She attended a shooting school and when the war started, she decided to join the fight and convinced her superiors to let her use her skills as a sniper. She excelled and got given the nickname "Lady Death". This earned her the recognition by the Russian officials and she embarked on a tour in the US in 1042 to advocate with the Allies for their help to Russia by opening a second front. She became friends with Eleanor Roosevelt, a friendship that lasted a lifetime. She did not return to the front but continued to train snipers during the war.
This book is written as a memoir by Lyudmila. And indeed she did write her memoirs which the author has researched and built the novel upon. The writing is beautiful and deep, and really conveys her skill, tenacity in the fight, thoughts, feelings, grief, pain and hope in a way that makes her feel so real and close to the reader. The author's notes provide interesting insights about her life and about the choices she has made to fictionalise some parts of the story.
It was really an experience to read this book at the time of war in Ukraine. The resilience and combativity of Lyudmila, and the advocating to other nations for help, it all felt so real. One wonders what Lyudmila would have thought of our times.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thank you to the author for bringing to life such an interesting lady.
I also thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobook. The familiar voice of Saskia Maarleveld is so well fitted to the story and her performance is excellent.
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1 person found this helpful