Robert K. Massie
Hardcover | Pages: 625 pages Rating: 3.91 | 91372 Users | 3833 Reviews
List Based On Books Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (The Romanovs #2)
| Title | : | Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (The Romanovs #2) |
| Author | : | Robert K. Massie |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | First edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 625 pages |
| Published | : | November 8th 2011 by Random House, Inc. (NY) |
| Categories | : | History. Biography. Nonfiction. Cultural. Russia. Historical. Biography Memoir. Russian History |
Relation To Books Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (The Romanovs #2)
Pulitzer Prize winner Massie offers the tale of a princess who went to Russia at 14 and became one of the most powerful women in history. Born into minor German nobility, she transformed herself into an empress by sheer determination. Possessing a brilliant, curious mind, she devoured the works of Enlightenment philosophers, and reaching the throne, tried using their principles to rule the vast, backward empire. She knew or corresponded with notable figures of her time: Voltaire, Diderot, Frederick the Great, Maria Theresa of Austria, Marie Antoinette & John Paul Jones. Wanting to be the “benevolent despot” Montesquieu idealized, she contended with the deeply ingrained realities of Russian life, including serfdom. She persevered, and for 34 years the government, foreign policy, cultural development and welfare of the Russian people were in her hands. She dealt with domestic rebellion, wars & the tides of political change and violence inspired by the French Revolution. Her reputation depended on the perspective of the speaker. She was praised by Voltaire as like the classical philosophers. She was condemned by enemies, mostly foreign, as “the Messalina of the north.” Her family, friends, ministers, generals, lovers and enemies are vividly described. These included her ambitious, scheming mother; her weak, bullying husband, Peter (who left her sexually untouched for nine years after their marriage); her unhappy son & heir, Paul; her beloved grandchildren; and her favorites—the young men from whom she sought companionship and the recapture of youth as well as sex. Here, too, is Gregory Potemkin, her most significant lover & possible husband, with whom she shared a correspondence of love & separation, followed by 17 years of unparalleled mutual achievement. All the qualities that Massie brought to Nicholas & Alexandra and Peter the Great are present: historical accuracy, deep understanding, felicity of style, mastery of detail, ability to shatter myth & a genius for finding and expressing a human drama.Mention Books During Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (The Romanovs #2)
| Original Title: | Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman |
| ISBN: | 0679456724 (ISBN13: 9780679456728) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | The Romanovs #2 |
| Literary Awards: | PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography (2012), Andrew Carnegie Medal for Nonfiction (2012), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for History & Biography (2011) |
Rating Based On Books Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (The Romanovs #2)
Ratings: 3.91 From 91372 Users | 3833 ReviewsRate Based On Books Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (The Romanovs #2)
FROM THE MEMOIRS OF CATHERINE THE GREATFirst things first: that wasnt my real name. The Empress Elizabeth, who was Peter the Greats daughter (now, that is a man who truly deserves the Great after his name!), changed my name to Ekaterina when she converted me into the Russian Orthodox religion. As for that superfluous title that follows my new name, it was prematurely bestowed on me by the Legislative Commission that I convened to give Russia a more enlightened legal code (more on this later). I"She sat on the throne of Peter the Great and ruled an empire, the largest on earth. Her signature, inscribed on a decree, was law and, if she chose, could mean life or death for any one of her twenty million subjects. She was intelligent, well-read, and a shrewd judge of character. During the coup, she had shown determination and courage; once on the throne, she displayed an open mind, willingness to forgive, and a political morality founded on rationality and practical efficiency. She softened
This engaging and well-researched historical tome about one of Russias greatest rulers merits 4 full stars. Apart from painting a memorable and respectable portrait of the dramatic life of Catherine the Great, the book also accounts succinctly for the labyrinth of European/Eurasian politics at play in the 18th century, and depicts Russias participation in the Seven Years War, its carving up of Poland, its two major Wars with Turkey and its putting down the Pugachev Rebellion.As a child German
Maybe this book is very excellent at what it wanted to be, but I wanted it to be something different. I wanted a history book.1) In trying to be accessible, the prose comes off as simplistic at times. 2) A quibble is the repetition of statements from only a few chapters prior. Those statements do help set the scene for the current action, but are sometimes overdone and unnecessary if the reader had been paying any attention at all to what was just recently covered.3) At one point in the book
The late and revered historian Robert K. Massie has provided biographies on a phenomenal list of historical subjects, bringing some of Russias greatest leaders to the forefront of historyand he spares no expense with his intimate biography of Catherine the Great. He elegantly portrays a courtly woman with much more depth, power, and cunning than what is usually provided upon with the generic and typical musings on her romantic liaisons and exploits. Born in the shadow of royalty and with a
I enjoyed this book a lot: its an entertaining and accessible biography that is nevertheless serious and thorough, and with a fascinating subject to boot. Born a princess in a tiny German principality in the early 18th century, Catherine (actually named Sophia, until the then-Empress of Russia renamed her upon her conversion to Orthodoxy) was brought to Russia at the age of 14 to marry the heir to the throne. Unfortunately, her early friendship with her deeply damaged teenaged husband soon
Like probably every woman of note in history, open about and unashamed of her sexuality, Catherine the Great is primarily remembered as a power- and man-hungry, salacious, perverted woman. Try googling her name and see how high on the list of the results is the ever-pressing question - Did she really sleep with a horse? Does anyone care about her accomplishments in politics, art and science? Not really. But her sexual exploits? Oh, YES!That's why I appreciate Robert K. Massie's Catherine the
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