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A review by shan1212
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
3.0
I really enjoyed learning about Catherine the Great, but I found the format of the book (thematic essays instead of chronological order) confusing and distracting. I really wish this book were written in chronological order and the reader was trusted to trace the evolution of themes such as her relationship with her son, conflicts with other countries, and personal relationships as they moved through time. Near the end of the book was an essay/chapter on the guillotine, which was only tangentially related to Catherine (she was concerned about the revolution in France and what it could mean for her own crown). Did I really need to know about experiments done on guillotined heads a hundred years after Catherine died? No.
In my mind I was comparing this to Alison Weir's great biography of Elizabeth I and wishing that this biography were done in her style, including her insight into the psychology of her subjects, which I felt lacking here. Catherine was mostly a one-dimensional character as presented in this book. Since this biography has many more reviews than any others of Catherine, I wonder if an excellent biography of this important woman is still to be written.
In my mind I was comparing this to Alison Weir's great biography of Elizabeth I and wishing that this biography were done in her style, including her insight into the psychology of her subjects, which I felt lacking here. Catherine was mostly a one-dimensional character as presented in this book. Since this biography has many more reviews than any others of Catherine, I wonder if an excellent biography of this important woman is still to be written.