I just had a little more trouble than usual with this format. However, the part that wasn’t entirely seamless for me – the reason I didn’t love it as much as others – is that I had a little trouble with the shifts in perspective between chapters.

The Diamond Eye had everything that makes a great story. The juxtaposition between the Soviet delegations and the various American cultures (among the political elite in the capitol, in New England, in the midwest) is the most pronounced but the others are there. Quinn often represented Soviet culture in contrast to Ukrainian, German, and American culture. One of the strengths of this book was the representation of and differences between so many unique cultures. The plot was interesting and engaging, the story well-written. This novel has something for everyone – war and battles love and friendship all sorts of family dynamics.

Mila isn’t the most endearing character but I couldn’t help but like her for her determination, perseverance, and her loyalty. Like Quinn’s other novels, The Diamond Eye is based on a true story and has a strong female protagonist. While The Diamond Eye wasn’t my favorite, I did enjoy it. Kate Quinn is one of my favorite historical fiction authors – The Rose Code, The Huntress and The Alice Network are some of my favorite books in this genre. Mila receives threats, has to rebuff her estranged husband, and ends up in the middle of a battle she never saw coming. Mila is so successful that she is eventually chosen to join a Soviet delegation on a goodwill tour of the United States. She is one of the Soviet Union’s best snipers, known as Lady Death. On the battlefield, she once again strives to be perfect, to prove herself to all of those who doubt her. She doesn’t do it for her country, but for her family and her future. When Germany invades the Soviet Union, Mila leaves all of that behind to join the fight against the Nazis. She takes up shooting in her spare time to prove that her son doesn’t need his absentee father – she could and would teach him anything he was interested in. Mila Pavlichenko is a young, single mother and student trying to do everything – be the perfect mother and father to her son, excel in school in order to realize her dream of becoming a historian. “An unforgettable World War II take of a quiet bookworm who becomes history’s deadliest female sniper.” (from the book jacket) It’s a story of a Soviet student turned sharpshooter, her life during WWII, and her tumultuous goodwill tour of the United States. The Diamond Eye is a story of war and secrets love and friendship.

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