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A review by annabellee
Catherine: The Great Journey, Russia, 1743 by Kristiana Gregory
3.0
The entire Royal Diaries series is near and dear to my heart as I grew up reading most of them. Recently I discovered that there were four that were published after I moved on from the series, and I have acquired them to read for nostalgia's sake (and, as a member of the Pokemon generation, have the compulsive need to complete my set). That said, I was disappointed with this novel.
This young-adult/children's novel follows the story of Catherine the Great, starting from her home in Prussia and following her through her journey and subsequent year in Russia. It ends shortly after her engagement to the man who would become Peter II.
The novel does a good job finding a voice for Catherine, who views all of the characters through the eyes of a teenager. The key characters, specifically Catherine's mother, Peter, and the Empress Elizabeth (who is, frankly, the most interesting character in the story, historically, besides Catherine herself) are characterized through her eyes and follow their historical counterparts well. However, the method of writing does not manage to immerse the reader as well as other Royal Diaries books have done, and the ending, most of all, was disappointing. Most of the other books tend to end at at a strategic point, as though this "episode" of that ruler's life had ended, and where it made sense to end the novel. Not so for this one; the story just kind of trails off into the sea. In this I was disappointed.
Additionally, the book touched on several subjects that I would expect ought to have been more fleshed out. For instance, Catherine's name change, or her decision to convert from Lutheranism to Orthodoxism. Her struggle with the date changes, etc. Catherine mentioned each of these things so lightly that it seems as though they have no impact on her, though they must have as a person and certainly would have as a teenager. One thing that managed to stay within the bounds of the historical character was Catherine's eagerness to please and ingratiate herself into the court from the beginning, as well as her quest to learn Russian and her dislike for her future husband. These things I am satisfied with about the character.
I would recommend this book for upper elementary and middle school readers. There is no graphic sex, of language, and though there is some violence, it is not terribly graphic. Three stars.
This young-adult/children's novel follows the story of Catherine the Great, starting from her home in Prussia and following her through her journey and subsequent year in Russia. It ends shortly after her engagement to the man who would become Peter II.
The novel does a good job finding a voice for Catherine, who views all of the characters through the eyes of a teenager. The key characters, specifically Catherine's mother, Peter, and the Empress Elizabeth (who is, frankly, the most interesting character in the story, historically, besides Catherine herself) are characterized through her eyes and follow their historical counterparts well. However, the method of writing does not manage to immerse the reader as well as other Royal Diaries books have done, and the ending, most of all, was disappointing. Most of the other books tend to end at at a strategic point, as though this "episode" of that ruler's life had ended, and where it made sense to end the novel. Not so for this one; the story just kind of trails off into the sea. In this I was disappointed.
Additionally, the book touched on several subjects that I would expect ought to have been more fleshed out. For instance, Catherine's name change, or her decision to convert from Lutheranism to Orthodoxism. Her struggle with the date changes, etc. Catherine mentioned each of these things so lightly that it seems as though they have no impact on her, though they must have as a person and certainly would have as a teenager. One thing that managed to stay within the bounds of the historical character was Catherine's eagerness to please and ingratiate herself into the court from the beginning, as well as her quest to learn Russian and her dislike for her future husband. These things I am satisfied with about the character.
I would recommend this book for upper elementary and middle school readers. There is no graphic sex, of language, and though there is some violence, it is not terribly graphic. Three stars.