According to Canada Reads & Reviews, aka Simon Chibuk, Kate Quinn (crowned by Simon as “the Queen of Historical Fiction”) has done it again with her riveting novel, The Diamond Eye!
Who’s behind Canada Reads & Reviews?
My name is Simon Chibuk, and I reside in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. I am an avid reader and enjoy different types of genres but my favorite “go to” is historical fiction.
During the COVID pandemic, I joined the Third Thursday of the Month historical fiction virtual book club. We have had great discussions and even had the experience of having authors attend, including some from NovelNetwork! I have been part of this book club since December 2020. We have a large, growing membership list as people hear more about our group, and we are open to accept new members.
Simon’s book club, Third Thursday of the Month:
Third Thursday of the Month Book Club formed on Facebook in December 2020 as an outlet for historical fiction lovers to come together amidst the pandemic. The club currently has over 900 members from across the U.S. and Canada. Each month, 20-50 members log-in to our Zoom discussion of a historical fiction which has been suggested and voted upon by members. We enjoy author visits to enrich our discussions and introduce our members to the craft of researching and writing about a wide spectrum of historical events, people, and time periods.
Simon’s review of The Diamond Eye:
In historical fiction author Kate Quinn‘s latest novel The Diamond Eye: A Novel, the “Queen of Historical Fiction” has done it again! As like in her previous WWII historical fiction novels that I’ve read (The Huntress) and (The Rose Code), Kate Quinn managed to seamlessly incorporate historical figures and events alongside a suspenseful “side story” that keeps you absolutely riveted to the pages.
1937, Kiev. We’re introduced to our main character and real-life historical figure Lyudmila Pavlichenko (aka Lady Death or Lady Midnight). She’s introduced originally to us as a student attending Kiev University who has aspirations to be a historian . . . until the imminent news of Hitler and Nazi Germany rocks her world when it’s announced that her beloved homeland the Soviet Union is being invaded.
Trade out the books and aspirations of being a historian, and add in camouflage gear, sniper rifles with scopes, and the reality of war.
Prior to reading The Diamond Eye: A Novel, the name Lyudmila Pavlichenko was unknown to me. Thanks to Kate Quinn, this woman who made history record books during WWII by registering about 309 kills has definitely lit up my radar in big bright lights like something you would see on Broadway in NYC with the name “LYUDMILA PAVLICHENKO”.
Not only does the author introduce readers to this formidable opponent to Hitler and the Nazi Germans, but she also educates readers to the special friendship between Pavlichenko and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt when she was invited to the U.S. in 1942 on a goodwill tour at the behest of Roosevelt in attempts to help the Soviet Union in their mission to obtain more assistance in fighting the Nazi Germans.
As always with the author’s notes, the ones included with this novel are very extensive and informative. The author also provides some selected bibliography titles for further reading if interested more. One that I’ve heard of prior to this novel but one that I am more interested in now after reading this novel is Lady Death: The Memoirs of Stalin’s Sniper.
5 stars
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