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kaylascoffeeplot's review against another edition
4.0
Her life was so interesting that this read like fiction. Highly enjoyed it & makes me want to know even.
henrismum's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Non-series / Non-fiction
Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
Why I added this book to my TBR pile: This came up on Hoopla and it looked interesting enough to listen to.
Will I read more by this author / about this subject? Probably Not Maybe Definitely I think I'm okay with Catherine the Great for now. This was a good overview of her life, and let's face it, I don't need to write a thesis about the woman. I am interested in the time period though, perhaps for a romance novel.
I was most struck by the abuse Catherine suffered from her mother-in-law. Catherine was left alone after having her babies. The children were taken from her and cared for by her husband's mother. It's also shocking that Catherine and her husband never seem to have consummated their marriage. Catherine's mother-in-law took it upon herself to ensure Catherine was impregnated other men.
The narrator was Davina Porter. I've listened to other books by Ms. Porter and I always enjoy her.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Colonisation, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Infidelity, Bullying, Pregnancy, War, Confinement, Grief, and Emotional abuse
encyclopediabritanika's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this because I enjoy histories of Russian royals. So this is sort of a niche rec. But it was well researched and I enjoyed the messy scandals
todayitsthis's review against another edition
4.0
For me, this book was interesting because I knew virtually nothing about Catherine the Great before picking it up. Because it was based on her memoirs and seemed well researched, it was very in-depth and managed to show events in historically accurate ways. The beginning of the book really allows the reader to connect with the young Catherine and to sympathize with her; however, I feel that this is not as true for the end of the book, where I felt less of a connection with the empress. It seemed slighty rushed near the end, but still enjoyable. I would recommend this book to anyone who knows nothing of this empress, or who would like a different perspective than Catherine's memoirs.
thaiscarreiraafonso's review against another edition
3.0
This was a great, quick read, but it got a bit muddled at the end. I had a hard time keeping track of what was happening when, which might have been an issue only I had--I will freely admit I hate when nonfiction starts linear and then there are three chapters about different things happening in the same five years, and then it's a decade later. It's more of a pet peeve than a dig on the writing.