Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman

Truly fascinating biography

Could not put this biography down. Catherine's transition from young bride to the ruler of Russia was amazing. I highly recommend this biography to anyone interested in strong women and/or history.

Very informative. Great to learn about the great men who worked with her, like Potemkin. I skimmed through another book called Romanovs, which connects Peter the Great's work with Catherine the Great, and explores how the whole business of serfdom, the Bolshevik Revolution, and the nature of the Russian monarchy link to future dictatorships under Stalin and Putin.

This is a masterpiece. I loved it!

I greatly enjoyed this examination of the life of Princess Sophie, the German girl from the backwater who was whisked off to Russia to marry her cousin, and who deposed him and ruled for 34 years instead. The placement of the story in the context of wider European history is well done, the descriptions of court life are vivid; overall a good read. The single most amazing thing about this book, for me, was realizing how young Sophie/Catherine was when she began her life of court intrigue, in which she rarely put a foot wrong; I have children that age. A reminder, yet again, that the past is truly a foreign country.

Fascinating. Flowed beautifully. Robert Massie's books are a joy to read.

I think I need to read all of Robert Massie's biographies.