The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
Let me just preface this review by saying that this was historical fiction. In the notes, Quinn does say that she used Pavlichenko’s memoir Lady Death as the primary source, but this is first and foremost a novel. As such, I made the choice to read it as a novel and not nitpick every little thing for accuracy because that would diminish my enjoyment of the book.
I read Lady Death a few years ago when I was writing my thesis, so I’m familiar with the book and will say that while its a memoir, Pavlichenko leaves much to be desired. Pavlichenko died in 1974, with the Russian text of her book published in 2015. While she does describe her time in the war, the memoir does not divulge many details about her childhood, the birth of her son, her first husband, and her personal life. This leaves Quinn to fill in those details in her novel.
Quinn starts the book with Pavlichenko caring for her son and studying for her career in history. She learned to shoot at a shooting club, which was part of the Soviet Union’s rise in paramilitary and sporting organizations during the interwar period. At the outset of the war, Pavlichenko was attending Kiev University and volunteered for Red Army service. She took part in both the Battles of Sevastopol and Odessa, then was sent to Washington D.C. to meet with the Roosevelts. Pavlichenko embarked on a U.S. tour discussing the importance of opening a second front in Europe against the Axis powers. Upon her return to the Soviet Union, she became a sniper instructor. After the war, she returned to her studies and became a historian.
The novel explores three relationships: namely with her commander Lt. Alexei Arkadyevich Kitsenko, her sniper partner, Konstantin Shevelyov, and her friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt. Pavlichenko’s short-lived romance with Kitsenko and subsequent grief after his death is the main storyline and based on her actual time with him. Eleanor Roosevelt’s friendship is also based in fact. We know that they kept in touch and that Roosevelt did indeed visit Moscow and Pavlichenko. The one relationship that raises questions is that of Shevelyov. Quinn admits to fabricating this relationship. We know that Pavlichenko does marry Shevelyov after the war, but the details of their life are hazy and there is no evidence that they met on the frontlines. The addition of another romantic partner so soon after loosing Kitsenko seemed a little unrealistic to me, and I found myself getting annoyed at the inclusion of yet another romance. This is probably a personal opinion, but women do not need to be romantically involved with someone to move the plot forward.
I will point out that the side plot that involves framing Pavlichenko as Pres. Roosevelt’s assassin is entirely made up. I’m not sure why Quinn felt the need to add this side plot, but I felt that it was unnecessary. Pavlichenko’s life is fascinating and I did not feel like this storyline added anything to the story, aside from a sense of urgency and to further demonize her husband, Alexei Pavlichenko. In Lady Death Pavlichenko is very clear that she did not see her husband Alexei during or after the war. This was another exaggeration of Quinn. She added more scenes with Alexei Pavlichenko and really makes him one of the villains of the story. Another shortfall is the lack of political officers on the front lines. The komsomol would’ve had more of presence than is portrayed in the story.
Aside from these critiques, there many things that The Diamond Eye got right or effectively illustrated. Quinn uses real names of combatants for her story, like Olena Ivanova Paliy and Nina Onilova (who you can read about in a previous newsletter here). Those real women have amazing stories that Quinn gets to highlight. Some of the issues that these women dealt with were sexual harassment, especially from officers. This is something that comes up time and time again in the research. Many people fear that women will get harassed by all men, but anecdotes illustrate that the main perpetrators of harassment were officers, not fellow soldiers. Dialogue also brings up the very real possibility of gang rape at the hands of the Germans. One scene describes saving one bullet for herself in the event of capture. This was an accurate concern and one that was not unfounded.
Quinn also does a good job of showing how the Soviet Union used Pavlichenko for their propaganda purposes. In the story, Mila wonders if her son ever hears of her exploits, and there is a real chance that he did from the Soviet press.
Shown above are some of the actual newspaper headlines from Pavlichenko’s US tour. One of the things I really liked about The Diamond Eye is that is shows how disrespectful and preposterous the American press really was. Reporters did, in fact, ask Pavlichenko about her beauty routine at the front, what kind of underwear she dons under her uniform, and other ridiculous questions that exhibit how little they knew of war or what to make of a woman at the front. Meanwhile, American, British, and Canadian governments were squabbling about how to employ women in the military. Concerns over what women would wear, perceived promiscuity, and if women would actually pull the trigger in anti-aircraft emplacements threatened to disbar women from military service all together. As a result, the women’s auxiliary units were restricted to rear duties and nothing that would have them from pulling any triggers.
Arguments against allowing women in combat cite reasons that women are physically not as strong as men, that women disrupt unit cohesion, and that women cannot handle the stresses of combat. Stories like this, although historical fiction, work to refute those arguments and show capable women in thriving in combat situations. Pavlichenko’s story illustrates her desire to serve and defend her country from invasion, protect her unit, and survive one of the most brutal theaters of war. Some scholars question Pavlichenko’s kill count, but at the end of the day, her official number doesn’t matter. Her story is still remarkable and her presence in the U.S. opened up American eyes to the realities of war. So while this novel has some flaws, it also dispels common arguments against women and works to present more representation of women in combat. Soviet women on the eastern front is still something that few know about and Quinn’s book helps spread the word about these amazing women. It was an enjoyable, quick read, inspired by one of the most deadly women from history.
I want to tell you that we will win. There is no such force that can stand in the way of the victorious march of the free people of the world. We have to unite. As a Russian soldier, I offer my hand to you, the great American soldiers. Hello soldiers, forward to victory!
Pavlichenko also graced the cover of Collier’s magazine in May 1944, albeit she has been altered to appeal to the western beauty ideals.
Some of the photos from the photoshoot that Quinn mentions in the book. Most of these were used in Soviet propaganda prior to Pavlichenko’s US tour. One has been colorized. Her trusted 91/30 Mosin-Nagant is shown prominently, and often referred to in the book as the 3-line. The exception is the top left and middle photos, which show the SVT-40 rifle.
Miss Pavlichenko by Woody Guthrie
Miss Pavilichenko's well known to fame
Russia's your country, fighting is your game
The whole world will love her for a long time to come,
For more than three hundred nazis fell by your gun
Fell by your gun, yes,
Fell by your gun
For more than three hundred nazis fell by your gun
This is not the only Kate Quinn publication I’ve reviewed. Her 2019 novel The Huntress features a fictional character wo served with the Night Witches. At the time, I wrote a brief review for the short-lived Cat’s Meow Quarterly managed by historian Dr. Stephanie Hinnershitz. The idea was to write historical reviews from the perspective of the cats owned by historians. It’s a silly idea, but it was a lot of fun to write from the POV of my cat, Artemis. The power of twitter also means that Kate Quinn saw the review, which is an added bonus. You can read the review here: Hisssstorical Fiction.