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  • Catherine the Great

  • Portrait of a Woman
  • By: Robert K. Massie
  • Narrated by: Mark Deakins
  • Length: 23 hrs and 52 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (53 ratings)

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Catherine the Great

By: Robert K. Massie
Narrated by: Mark Deakins
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Publisher's Summary

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.

©2011 Robert K. Massie (P)2011 Random House

Critic Reviews

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

“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)

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Definitely an interesting read

Not a typical pick for me to read and whilst lengthy & at times required complete concentration to follow, I actually thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The content was clearly well researched and I learnt more than I expected not only about Russian history but also about Catherine’s personality which was evident throughout the entire book.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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She was Great

Loved this wonderfully crafted history of Catherine the Great! She was truly a maverick! I would have loved it more if a women has been the narrator. But still riveting

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Too much detail

Struggled to finish. Too much detail. Need more focus on only big events of her life. I don't need to know this room has got a peep hole that becomes an entertainment piece for the grand duke. The part on her impact on policy such as the Nakas and abolition of feudalism was good.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

what a shame

What a shame it was narrated by a man, a man who puts on a woman voice, what a shame.

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