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Catherine the Great

Portrait of a Woman

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Catherine the Great

By: Robert K. Massie
Narrated by: Mark Deakins
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About this listen

 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An “absorbing” (Los Angeles Times) biography of one of the most remarkable, powerful, and captivating women in Russian history—from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Peter the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, and The Romanovs

“[A] compelling portrait not just of a Russian titan, but also of a flesh-and-blood woman.”—Newsweek

ONE OF ESQUIRE’S BEST BIOGRAPHIES OF ALL TIME • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Salon, Vogue, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Providence Journal

Robert K. Massie returns with another masterpiece of narrative biography, the extraordinary story of an obscure German princess who became Catherine the Great. Born into a minor noble family, Catherine transformed herself into empress of Russia by sheer determination. For thirty-four years, the government, foreign policy, cultural development, and welfare of the Russian people were in her hands. She dealt with domestic rebellion, foreign wars, and the tidal wave of political change and violence churned up by the French Revolution. Catherine’s family, friends, ministers, generals, lovers, and enemies—all are here, vividly brought to life. History offers few stories richer than that of Catherine the Great. In this book, an eternally fascinating woman is returned to life. 18th Century Modern Politics & Activism Royalty Russia Women World Biography French Revolution Imperialism War Soviet Union

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Critic reviews

“What Catherine the Great offers is a great story in the hands of a master storyteller.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Dense and detailed, enriched by pages of full-color illustrations, Massie’s latest will transport history lovers.”—People

“What a woman, what a world, what a biography.”—USA Today
“[Massie] hasn’t lost his mojo. . . . A consistently nimble and buoyant performance. . . . [Massie] has always been a biographer with the instincts of a novelist. He understands plot—fate—as a function of character, and the narrative perspective he establishes and maintains, a vision tightly aligned with that of his subject, convinces a reader he’s not so much looking at Catherine the Great as he is out of her eyes. . . . Juicy and suspenseful.”—Kathryn Harrison, The New York Times Book Review

“A meticulously, dramatically rendered biography.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
“[A] rich, nuanced examination of Russia’s lone female leader.”—The Daily Beast

“What a woman!”—Elle
“Massie once again delivers a masterful, intimate, and tantalizing portrait of a majestic monarch.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“[A] meticulously detailed work about Catherine and her world. . . . Massie makes Catherine’s story as gripping as that of any novel. His book does full justice to a complex and fascinating woman and to the age in which she lived.”—Historical Novels Review
All stars
Most relevant
My history education was really limited to the Roman occupation of Britannia (I live in Bath - Aqua Sulis - so it made some sense) but I wish it had been broadened to include the 18th century as this would have given me a far better understanding of the current political European woes. A great listen and I fully intend to find out more of the 18/19 centuries.

Great listen

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Slightly distracting narration when doing other people’s voices but you get used to it and it eventually becomes helpful to distinguish the many characters, especially if you’re listening from gaining an overall perspective about this time and listening at x2 speed.

Fascinating and insightful. A real taste of history.

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A window not only into Russian and European history, but the story of a remarkable woman, her life and loves, as she grows from innocent bride into the foremost figure of her times, negotiating the corridors of power and the intricacies of personal relationships, revealing a fully rounded character examined and set amidst a well researched cast of players whose intricate dance of hopes, loves, aspirations, disappointments, frustration and fears make each character fully rounded and engaging. A brilliant and easily accessible biography, of a woman and her times, well researched and engagingly written. The narration was also excellent, in as much it didn't distract from the story... The only times I 'noticed' the narrator was when he used an English accent for the ambassador, although a good accent, I couldn't help 'listening' to his rendition instead of the content!

Fascinating and detailed history of a remarkable woman living in remarkable times

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Well written. Well read. Too many facts to absorb in one listening but the overall awesome woman of Catherine the Great shines out indeed.

Amazing Woman worthy of these hours of listening

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Catherine II of Russia is one of the greats in history, a smart impressive woman who overcame a dominant mother, controlling mother in law and imbecile for a husband. Robert K. Massie tells the ultimate story of an outsider who came to dominate the period she lived in and has become one of the most important people in Russia’s history.

The book was well written, coherent and face paced. It followed Catherine rather than deviating to others too much, such as Peter III her husband or her lovers Grigory Orlov or Prince Potemkin two of her most famous lovers. So much happens in her story, it is truest fascinating and surely will be which has inspired many stories over the years.

Peter the Great made Russia a great power and she expanded it. In placing her well meaning, ex-lover Stanislaw August Poniatowski on the throne of Poland she kept it weak and then eventually partitioned it, giving Russia 96,000 square kilometre of new territory. She also took hold of the coast of the Black Sea, seizing Crimea and establishing the important towns of Odessa (where controversially her statue still stands today) and Sevastopol. She believed in enlightened autocracy and truly built a great system.

Her main failure was her son, Paul who was taken away from at birth to be raised by the Empress Elizabeth, a jealous but able woman. He would reject her Russian outlook much as Peter III rejected Elizabeth’s and would sow the seeds for Russia’s downfall in 1917. She also weirdly repeated the mistake of Elizabeth by having soul influence over the heir, this time Alexander, which again caused division between her and Paul.

As I have said above, the story is told on a great way by a literary master. Really enjoyed it and even managed to learn more than I already knew. Can’t recommend enough!

A Great Woman. A Great Monarch.

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