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A review by treylusk
Catherine the Great by Zoé Oldenbourg, Anne Laurel Carter
2.0
If you are vaguely interested in Catherine II of Russia and her exploits, this is not the book for you.
If you have a general understanding of what makes her great and want to learn about her childhood and life leading to the coup, then this may be the book for you.
But its not even a book for experts on Catherine. What it reads like is a poorly paced biography that hyperfocuses on certain details and skips over others completely.
Zoe, for her beautiful writing style and unique voice, seems like a fresh fish in salt water with her first biography. The book is often redundant and contradictory. Sometimes, the author says Peter III is stupid, Sometimes, he's witty. It seemed almost like Oldenburg was less of an historian giving an analysis but an unreliable narrator subjectively commenting on the story as it unfolds
The takeaway from this book is that Catherine is not great but, at best, an effective burocrat. The author showed bias by their commentary but chiefly by their omission of the 30-year reign of the queen.
If this book were entitled Peter and Sophia and was marketed as a book detailing their personal life and relationship, i would have enjoyed it much more because that is what it is. But when a book is titled "Catherine the Great," the greatness in question must be addressed, and I feel the main theme of the book.
Frankly, I was disappointed and bored. I would give it 1.5 stars but were robbed of that pleasure on goodreads, so I'll round up.
If you have a general understanding of what makes her great and want to learn about her childhood and life leading to the coup, then this may be the book for you.
But its not even a book for experts on Catherine. What it reads like is a poorly paced biography that hyperfocuses on certain details and skips over others completely.
Zoe, for her beautiful writing style and unique voice, seems like a fresh fish in salt water with her first biography. The book is often redundant and contradictory. Sometimes, the author says Peter III is stupid, Sometimes, he's witty. It seemed almost like Oldenburg was less of an historian giving an analysis but an unreliable narrator subjectively commenting on the story as it unfolds
The takeaway from this book is that Catherine is not great but, at best, an effective burocrat. The author showed bias by their commentary but chiefly by their omission of the 30-year reign of the queen.
If this book were entitled Peter and Sophia and was marketed as a book detailing their personal life and relationship, i would have enjoyed it much more because that is what it is. But when a book is titled "Catherine the Great," the greatness in question must be addressed, and I feel the main theme of the book.
Frankly, I was disappointed and bored. I would give it 1.5 stars but were robbed of that pleasure on goodreads, so I'll round up.