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kymme's review against another edition
5.0
!!!!
I learned more about the political history of the world from reading this book than from anything I ever learned in school. Catherine II is positively fascinating, and I’m grateful to the lovely, deeply fictional romp that is the show “The Great” for sparking an interest that led to my reading this incredible book. Phenomenal research and an indescribably cool way of blending sweeping historical information and complex political machinations with intimate, seemingly secret private information in a compelling and often hilarious manner. Incredible writer, Massie was. I read on both paper and Kindle and also listened to parts of the audio book, and across those three modalities was able to not spend half the year on this very long, very wonderful book.
I learned more about the political history of the world from reading this book than from anything I ever learned in school. Catherine II is positively fascinating, and I’m grateful to the lovely, deeply fictional romp that is the show “The Great” for sparking an interest that led to my reading this incredible book. Phenomenal research and an indescribably cool way of blending sweeping historical information and complex political machinations with intimate, seemingly secret private information in a compelling and often hilarious manner. Incredible writer, Massie was. I read on both paper and Kindle and also listened to parts of the audio book, and across those three modalities was able to not spend half the year on this very long, very wonderful book.
pocketvolcano's review against another edition
5.0
Robert Massie is one of my favorite authors. His book on Peter the Great was magnificent so I expected nothing less from this. Massie exceeded expectations. I enjoyed every page and considering I have three other books on Catherine, the fact that this one is better than the others is a testament. I wholeheartedly encourage anyone interested in Catherine, Russian history and the Romanovs to pick this up.
joshisreading's review against another edition
4.0
Vivid read, excellent details. A truly fascinating look not only into Catherine the woman but also Russia in her time. I felt the organization towards the end of the book was a little all over the place, but it was still a very good read.
desiree_mcl's review against another edition
5.0
Such a good book. I knew very little about Catherine the Great before picking this up. I basically knew she was an empress of Russia for a few decades...and that was it.
Normally with non-fiction books I have to take it in chunks, 3-6 chapters at a time, set it down, read something else for a week or more, then go back to it.
However much to my surprise, I could not stop listening to this audiobook. All I wanted was to keep reading/listening and just learn everything about Catherine. Part of that was the narration, the narrator was fantastic, I hope he does the other books by Massie too, but Massie really wrote this in a way that made it easy and exciting to continue.
I cannot wait to read the other books by Massie.
Normally with non-fiction books I have to take it in chunks, 3-6 chapters at a time, set it down, read something else for a week or more, then go back to it.
However much to my surprise, I could not stop listening to this audiobook. All I wanted was to keep reading/listening and just learn everything about Catherine. Part of that was the narration, the narrator was fantastic, I hope he does the other books by Massie too, but Massie really wrote this in a way that made it easy and exciting to continue.
I cannot wait to read the other books by Massie.
elisespieces's review against another edition
4.0
This was dense, and I probably wouldn’t have stuck it out if it weren’t for watching The Great on Hulu. I enjoyed reading the true stories the show is *very* loosely based on. I’m totally in awe of Catherine and her accomplishments, and it was just really fun reading this and realizing how well such a fictionalized show captured her spirit and idealism!
mwalter15's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
sailorgold_'s review against another edition
4.0
Removed a star for some sexist sentences, but otherwise a very good and comprehensive biography
erikars's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting but long. Part of the reason for the length is because Massie did a thorough job of explaining the context of various people and events that effected and were effected by Catherine. On the one hand, this is valuable. On the other hand, it adds a lot of bulk to the book. Massie is also quite detailed in his exploration of Catherine's life.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. It's a fascinating look at a fascinating women[1], but I personally would have been better served by an abridged version (oh, how I hate admitting such a thing =).
[1] What makes Catherine fascinating to me is not that she was a powerful empress, it's that she was an empress at a time of huge ideological transition. She was truly a student of the Enlightenment, yet she had to face the reality that much of her world was directly at odds with Enlightenment ideals and there was only so much she could or even wanted to do to change this. It's a valuable case study for those of us -- all of us, at times -- who condemn too harshly the actions and beliefs of those who live in different ideological contexts.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. It's a fascinating look at a fascinating women[1], but I personally would have been better served by an abridged version (oh, how I hate admitting such a thing =).
[1] What makes Catherine fascinating to me is not that she was a powerful empress, it's that she was an empress at a time of huge ideological transition. She was truly a student of the Enlightenment, yet she had to face the reality that much of her world was directly at odds with Enlightenment ideals and there was only so much she could or even wanted to do to change this. It's a valuable case study for those of us -- all of us, at times -- who condemn too harshly the actions and beliefs of those who live in different ideological contexts.
alundeberg's review against another edition
4.0
Massie brings Catherine and 18th century Russia to life with a behind the scenes look into the Empress and how she became a great leader. Very engaging look at how she shaped her country into being an advanced, intellectual power.