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A review by ashkitty93
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
5.0
Historical Fictionistas Group Read starting 1Feb15!
Started reading this in February, got roughly 30 pages in and put it down... Found the audio through my library and I'm SO GLAD I did, otherwise I might never have finished this. Not because it's boring, but because the research is simply EXHAUSTIVE. If you're interested in Russian history, I highly recommend this book. It's my first Massie book but I have two more waiting at home (thankfully shorter than this one). He presents history from all angles-- you get to see Catherine through her own memoirs and the writings of others around her throughout her life. Every page makes clear how much research went into this book, and if this is so well-written I can only imagine how incredible his Pulitzer-winning book on Peter the Great is.
Before this book, the majority of what I knew of Russian history included Nicholas II's family (I've been obsessed with them since I first saw Anastasia as a child), the Bolsheviks, serfdom, and names like Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and Ivan the Terrible. Just because I knew their names didn't mean I necessarily knew anything about them. Having finished this, I can happily say that I know much more about Catherine's life and reign than I did after my European History class in high school. Again, I remember her name cropping up but I don't recall learning a whole lot aside from the whole serf thing.
It seemed to peter out (haha) toward the end a bit, probably because I have little interest in government and zoned out here and there because I was just ready to be DONE, but overall this was a fascinating book. As mentioned in my updates, I had no idea Catherine was so connected with people like Voltaire and Diderot, nor was I familiar with the circumstances that led to her reign. It was so refreshing to learn as I listened, and reminded me how much I like biographies. Kudos, Mr Massie. Portrait of a Woman, indeed.
Started reading this in February, got roughly 30 pages in and put it down... Found the audio through my library and I'm SO GLAD I did, otherwise I might never have finished this. Not because it's boring, but because the research is simply EXHAUSTIVE. If you're interested in Russian history, I highly recommend this book. It's my first Massie book but I have two more waiting at home (thankfully shorter than this one). He presents history from all angles-- you get to see Catherine through her own memoirs and the writings of others around her throughout her life. Every page makes clear how much research went into this book, and if this is so well-written I can only imagine how incredible his Pulitzer-winning book on Peter the Great is.
Before this book, the majority of what I knew of Russian history included Nicholas II's family (I've been obsessed with them since I first saw Anastasia as a child), the Bolsheviks, serfdom, and names like Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and Ivan the Terrible. Just because I knew their names didn't mean I necessarily knew anything about them. Having finished this, I can happily say that I know much more about Catherine's life and reign than I did after my European History class in high school. Again, I remember her name cropping up but I don't recall learning a whole lot aside from the whole serf thing.
It seemed to peter out (haha) toward the end a bit, probably because I have little interest in government and zoned out here and there because I was just ready to be DONE, but overall this was a fascinating book. As mentioned in my updates, I had no idea Catherine was so connected with people like Voltaire and Diderot, nor was I familiar with the circumstances that led to her reign. It was so refreshing to learn as I listened, and reminded me how much I like biographies. Kudos, Mr Massie. Portrait of a Woman, indeed.