The Night Sparrow: A Novel

(Paperback)

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For fans of Kate Quinn andThe Nightingale, a gripping story of a young Jewish girl who joins an elite Russian sniper unit and embarks on a mission targeting the highest prize of World War II: Adolph Hitler.

With the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, Elena Bruskinas world collapses. The ambitious university student and her Jewish family are quickly forced into the Minsk ghetto where thousands are immediately murdered, including her father and brother. Then her younger sister is publicly executed on false charges and her mother is shot. Alone with her grief, Elena escapes the ghetto, determined to avenge her familys deaths.

Heading to Moscow, she enrolls in the Red Armys newly created Central Womens Sniper Training School.After rigorous training,she becomes a member of an all-female sniper platoon, a community of brave young women willing to give their lives to defend their country. Then Elena is chosen for a secret missiona daring and highly dangerous plan to capture the face of evil itself: Hitler.

Inspired by the real-life female snipers and interpreters in the Red Army during World War II,The Night Sparrowis a portrait of friendship, resilience, courage, and sacrifice under extraordinary circumstances.

Reviews

"The Night Sparrow is a tense, engrossing tale of WW2 that follows Elena Bruskina, a Russian Jew who becomes a sniper. The women of Elenas platoon endure appalling conditions and risk their lives, and only to face disdain from male comrades. When Elenas injuries force her to work as a translator, she finds herself on a team tasked by Stalin to hunt down Hitler during the final weeks of the Third Reich. Inspired by true events, this is an improbably beautiful novel about a brutal episode in history." Janie Chang, bestselling author of The Phoenix Crown "A gripping wartime story, Sanders page-turning narrative recounts womens comradeship and courage in the face of carnage and peril from both outside and inside their ranks. With each turn of the page, the author's unwavering compassion for her characters shines through. Meticulously researched, Sanders illuminates a little-known chapter of women in combat and their astonishing contributions during WWII." Jeanette Lynes, author ofThe Paper Birds "Daughters of the Occupationis a neatly crafted saga of personal and national trauma, a story of tentative hope in a world of menace, as three generations of women strive to understand who they are, where they came from, and how they can feel free." Lucy Adlington, author of the New York Times Bestseller, The Dressmakers of Auschwitz, on Daughters of the Occupation A riveting story that will keep you turning the pages way into the night. Joy Fielding, author of All the Wrong Places, on Daughters of the Occupation "A gripping historical saga that skillfully addresses the trauma of the Holocaust." Kirkus Reviews(starred review) on Daughters of the Occupation

Author Bio

Shelly Sanders is the bestselling author of the adult novelDaughters of the Occupationand the acclaimed young adult historical novels The Rachel Trilogy. She began her writing career as a freelance journalist working for major publications, including theToronto Star, National Post, Macleans, Canadian Living, Readers Digest, andTodays Parent. She lives in Ontario.