The Night Sparrow: A Novel

For fans of Kate Quinn and The 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 Bruskina's 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 family's deaths.

Heading to Moscow, she enrolls in the Red Army's newly created Central Women's 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 mission-a 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 Sparrow is a portrait of friendship, resilience, courage, and sacrifice under extraordinary circumstances.

1146276781
The Night Sparrow: A Novel

For fans of Kate Quinn and The 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 Bruskina's 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 family's deaths.

Heading to Moscow, she enrolls in the Red Army's newly created Central Women's 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 mission-a 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 Sparrow is a portrait of friendship, resilience, courage, and sacrifice under extraordinary circumstances.

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The Night Sparrow: A Novel

The Night Sparrow: A Novel

by Shelly Sanders

Narrated by Gilli Messer

Unabridged — 10 hours, 26 minutes

The Night Sparrow: A Novel

The Night Sparrow: A Novel

by Shelly Sanders

Narrated by Gilli Messer

Unabridged — 10 hours, 26 minutes

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Overview

For fans of Kate Quinn and The 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 Bruskina's 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 family's deaths.

Heading to Moscow, she enrolls in the Red Army's newly created Central Women's 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 mission-a 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 Sparrow is a portrait of friendship, resilience, courage, and sacrifice under extraordinary circumstances.


Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"In The Night Sparrow, Sanders dazzles us with her impeccable research and engaging storytelling skills. Elena Bruskina’s stint in the Red Army’s all female sniper unit (and later as an interpreter) highlights the resilience, comradeship and the callous realities of war. This is a gripping and historically authentic novel, sprinkled with the 'delectable irony' of a Jewish woman stalking Hitler." — Lisa Brahin, author of Tears Over Russia: A Search for Family and the Legacy of Ukraine's Pogroms

"The Night Sparrow is a tense, engrossing tale of WW2 that follows Elena Bruskina, a Russian Jew who becomes a sniper. The women of Elena’s platoon endure appalling conditions and risk their lives, and only to face disdain from male comrades. When Elena’s 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 women’s 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 of The Paper Birds

"Daughters of the Occupation is 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

APRIL 2025 - AudioFile

A new contribution to the exciting stories of women who fought against the Third Reich, this audiobook is narrated by Gilli Messer with excellence. Providing various accents and voices, Messer brings honesty and insight to the story's characters. Elena Bruskina is a young Jewish woman who becomes a sniper for the Soviet Union after seeing her family murdered in the Minsk ghetto. Inspired by true stories of female snipers and interpreters in the Red Army, Elena Bruskina's story brings this important part of history to life. With expert diction, great tonal and pacing range, and a bevy of voices, Messer guides the listener through the brave journey of this young woman as she navigates the fight. C.F. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID: 2940190978780
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 07/01/2025
Edition description: Unabridged
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