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A review by kcrawfish
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
5.0
This biography of Catherine the Great was a fascinating introduction to Russian history. Catherine’s own memoirs and plentiful letters and writings paint a vivid image of the monarch, which Massie combines with historical knowledge and the memoirs and writings of others to flesh out the context. I found her early life endearing and darkly humorous, and her later life the mature actions of a young idealist, and eventually the disillusioned actions of a cynic who had reversed her idealistic positions.
The vast life of someone so powerful, yet still human, shows the complexities the Russian government had to deal with as even someone as powerful and willful as Catherine tried and failed to effect change in the fates of the peasantry. France’s revolution devolved into butchery and brutality, and eventually Russia would follow. If there’s one thing we can learn, it’s that suppressing change through censorship can only lead to a darker reality further down the line.
A ruler of wit and wisdom, and a disillusioned woman who still tried to fight for a better future for her country. I really look forward to learning more about this time period and the rulers who shaped our current world.
(Also, we Americans have Catherine the Great and Austria to thank for our freedom from British rule, as 20,000 Russian troops were requested by, and denied to, King George)
The vast life of someone so powerful, yet still human, shows the complexities the Russian government had to deal with as even someone as powerful and willful as Catherine tried and failed to effect change in the fates of the peasantry. France’s revolution devolved into butchery and brutality, and eventually Russia would follow. If there’s one thing we can learn, it’s that suppressing change through censorship can only lead to a darker reality further down the line.
A ruler of wit and wisdom, and a disillusioned woman who still tried to fight for a better future for her country. I really look forward to learning more about this time period and the rulers who shaped our current world.
(Also, we Americans have Catherine the Great and Austria to thank for our freedom from British rule, as 20,000 Russian troops were requested by, and denied to, King George)