It’s a chunky book, coming in at around 450 pages, and there’s a fair bit of details regarding guns, weaponry, and technical details like that, which some readers may find the least interesting part of the book. It is quite a lengthy read, isn’t it? But you didn’t lose interest, did you?

But she finds an unlikely ally in the President’s wife, who, as an intelligent woman herself, is used to having her opinions dismissed, so can relate to Mila’s experience. The US representatives are somewhat gobsmacked at the idea of a female sniper – to them, women don’t belong on the front line. They’re looking for more help from the US specifically, arms as well as other equipment.

The book opens with Mila in Washington as part of a Russian delegation. It’s a good way to appeal to American readers and give more of a “worldwide” view of WWII. Yes – the thoughts of Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of American President Franklin D Roosevelt, and of course her thoughts give us the view of the US leader, given that she has his eyes and ears, as it were. Mila received advanced training as a sniper from Captain Sergienko and managed to enlist – and soon proves herself a valuable asset to the Red Army.Īnd there’s a well-known American who also features in the book, correct? His only interest is in his career and it’s no surprise when Mila decides to divorce him, but he does his best to stop that from happening.

She’s a student with a passion of history, as well as being mother to young Slavka, as well as the wife of an arrogant and ambitious surgeon called Alexei. Now, probably at the moment most Ukrainians want to forget they were ever part of the Soviet Union, but, current events notwithstanding, Mila’s story is certainly one of the most compelling I’ve read for quite some time. To be honest, they’re pretty phenomenal.too.- they’re based on the memoir of Lyudmila “Mila” Pavilchenko, a Ukrainian Russian woman who was a sniper in WWII in Stalin’s Red Army with over 300 kills of Germans to her credit. What a beautiful cover! But what about the contents…?

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