I’m always a little leery choosing WWII historical fiction (among so many others: Code Name Helene destroyed me, Our Darkest Night inspired me), but despite my reading trepidation, I’m still drawn to those larger-than-life heroisms of that time period—I just need to make sure there’s enough hope at the end of so many of these black, inky stories. This story—based on the real Russian Lady Death—fits snuggly into that foxhole that holds those WWII tales that emotionally gut me while still offering more light than darkness.

Several things led me to choose (and love) this WWII read (besides it being available at my public library):

( )

This inspiring and exciting story is based on a true person, Lyudmila Pavlichenko. While the author used artistic license to enhance this sniper's story, she explains which parts are based on true events, and which parts of the story came from her imagination. It was a very engaging read! The author was able to help me empathize with an unlikely type of character, whose nickname "Lady Death" explains where her fame came from. What made a bookish graduate student leave behind her family, studies, and "nerdy " dissertation, to fight alongside men as a sniper? The author makes us understand the motivation for this transformation.
4 out of 5 stars- the inciting plot event made the climax less than surprising. ( )

Love the story; love the narrator!!

Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko. Mila. Daughter. Mother. Graduate Student. Library Researcher. Sparked by the words of a man, the father of her son, Mila made a decision to earn a marksmanship certificate and later an advanced marksmanship certificate. A 4th-year university history student, her dream of becoming a historian and enabling her to give her son the life he deserved was within reach. Within reach until it was not. It was the summer of 1941 in Odesa, and war broke out in the Soviet Union with the invasion of Hitler’s troops. Mila had made another promise to herself, and to keep that promise, a promise she’d made to herself, she enlisted in the Red Army, becoming the sniper with the nickname of Lady Death.

Magnificent. Historical fiction reading deserving of more than 5 Stars. I did not know the name of Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko before reading this novel, which a friend recommended. Now, I will never forget Mila. An incredible woman.

How does one convey why a reader can love a novel about a sniper? Heart-wrenching war punctuated by heartwarming friendship and love. I loved the format of the storytelling, the seamless transitions of how a young woman came to become a sniper, how a sniper came to Washington D.C., as part of the Soviet delegation for an international student conference beginning an enduring friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt, and how a soldier lived, loved, survived. The meaningful passages that opened various chapters of Mila’s service in the Red Army provided what her memoir, the official version, might say, followed by what she would write in her memoir, the unofficial version.

The Author’s Note shares how research for an earlier novel would be the catalyst to write this book. With impeccable research, an intimate view of history is crafted on the pages with creativity gripping the reader to learn an earlier period of WWII before the United States entered the war and with relevance to the war in Ukraine. Historic Photographs and Further Reading and Entertainment follow at the end of the novel. ( )

Kate Quinn's books are a delight to read. She creates such dynamic characters and spends time with the details, relationships, lives, and moods of each one. You feel like you know them all. That being said, I sometimes feel like a good editor could really tighten up her stories and not lose any of the depth

I liked that this book was based on a true story. The subject matter was interesting and I enjoyed learning about the main character and the Soviet Union and the soldiers. It was well done and I enjoyed it. ( )