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Catherine The Great

Portrait of a Woman
Series: Great Lives
3.94 goodreads logo

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( 106,923 ratings, 4,636 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Catherine The Great by Robert K. Massie explores the fascinating life of Catherine II of Russia, from her early years as a minor German princess to her transformative reign as one of Russia’s most significant and powerful rulers. The author delves into her political acumen, personal relationships, and the extensive reforms she enacted that modernised Russian society.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2999
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy vivid, well-researched biographies that dive deep into the life of one of history's most influential female rulers. The author paints a captivating portrait of the empress, her personal and political life, and the profound impact she had on Russia.

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The extraordinary story of an obscure German princess who became one of the most powerful women in history.

The extraordinary story of an obscure German princess who became one of the most powerful women in history.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The fascinating true story behind HBO's Catherine the Great starring Dame Helen Mirren as Catherine the Great awaits readers in Robert K. Massie's masterful biography. Born into a minor noble family, young Sophia transformed herself into Catherine, Empress of Russia, through sheer determination and political acumen. Her ascent to power is nothing short of extraordinary, marked by strategic marriages, cunning alliances, and an unwavering resolve that eventually led her to the throne. For thirty-four years, Catherine governed with a blend of enlightened ideas and ruthless pragmatism, steering the vast empire of Russia through tumultuous times.

Massie delves deeply into Catherine's personal and political life, painting a comprehensive portrait of a woman who was both a despotic ruler and a progressive thinker. Her reign saw significant advancements in Russian cultural development, education, and arts, leaving an indelible mark on the country's history. She faced down domestic rebellions and led Russia through pivotal foreign wars, continually expanding her influence and territory, all while navigating the treacherous waters of the French Revolution's political upheavals.

In Catherine the Great, Massie brings to life not only the empress herself but also the vibrant array of characters who surrounded her. The narrative springs to life with vivid descriptions of her family, friends, ministers, generals, lovers, and enemies, all of whom played critical roles in her story. Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, Massie captures the essence of an era and the complexities of a woman who was both feared and admired.

Few historical tales are as rich as that of Catherine the Great, and Massie's biography offers an unforgettable exploration of her life and legacy. For readers interested in the intricacies of Russian history, the dynamics of power, and the extraordinary life of a woman who changed the course of history, this book is an essential read.

Series: Great Lives

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  • Catherine The Great
    The fascinating true story behind HBO's Catherine the Great starring Dame Helen Mirren as Catherine the Great awaits readers in Robert K. Massie's masterful biography. Born into a minor noble family, young Sophia transformed herself into Catherine, Empress of Russia, through sheer determination and political acumen. Her ascent to power is nothing short of extraordinary, marked by strategic marriages, cunning...
    Paperback
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives
    Join pastor and bestselling author Charles Swindoll as he explores the lives of 13 biblical hidden figures whose stories have remained in the shadows of history for long enough. Somehow life has taught us poorly. We're trained to think that the most significant people are star athletes, actors, and musiciansβ€”the ones we applaud, those whose autographs we seek, or those...
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  • The Black Russian
    The extraordinary story of Frederick Bruce Thomas, the son of former slaves who fled America to build a life in Tsarist Russia. 'A fascinating tale' Anne Applebaum'Thoroughly enjoyable' Spectator'Extraordinary and gripping' Adam Hochschild After the brutal death of his father when he was a teenager, Frederick Thomas fled the stifling racism of the American South and headed for New York...
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  • Peter the Great
    The Pulitzer prizewinning biography of Peter the Great, the ruler who brought Russia from darkness into light. Against the monumental canvas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia, Robert K. Massie unfolds the extraordinary story of Peter the Great. A volatile feudal tsar with a taste for barbaric torture; a progressive and enlightened reformer of government and science; Peter the...
    Paperback
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Catherine The Great by Robert K. Massie has been praised for its novelistic instincts by the New York Times. Publishers Weekly commended it as a masterful portrait of a majestic monarch, and Newsweek highlighted its sensitive and compelling depiction of Catherine as both a significant historical figure and a real woman.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781789544534

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 08 August 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Apollo

Illustration: 1 x 8pp colour

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 580g

Pages: 768

About the Author

Robert K. Massie was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and studied American history at Yale and European history at Oxford, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. He was president of the Authors Guild from 1987 to 1991. His books include Nicholas and Alexandra; Peter the Great: His Life and World (for which he won a Pulitzer Prize for biography); The Romanovs: The Final Chapter; Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War; and Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea.

Also by Robert K. Massie

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  • Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
    Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie is an enthralling and meticulously researched biography that captures the life and legacy of one of the most powerful women in history. Massie transports readers back to the 18th century, where an obscure German princess, born Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst, ascended to the Russian throne to become the...
    Paperback
    $4900
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Peter the Great: His Life and World
    Peter the Great: His Life and World by Robert K. Massie is an epic biography that transports readers into the fascinating world of one of history’s most remarkable figures, Tsar Peter I of Russia. Set against the grand tapestry of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia, the narrative traces Peter's meteoric rise from a shared throne as a ten-year-old co-tsar...
    Paperback
    $6600
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Nicholas and Alexandra
    A β€œmagnificent and intimate” (Harper’s) modern classic of Russian history, the spellbinding story of the love that ended an empireβ€”from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Peter the Great, The Romanovs, and Catherine the Great. β€œA moving, rich book . . . [This] revealing, densely documented account of the last Romanovs focuses not on the great events . . . but...
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  • The Romanovs: The Final Chapter
    The compelling quest to solve a great mystery of the twentieth century: the ultimate fate of Russia's last tsar and his family. In July 1991, nine skeletons were exhumed from a shallow grave near Ekaterinburg, Siberia, a few miles from the infamous cellar where the last tsar and his family had been murdered seventy-three years before. Were these the bones...
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  • Nicholas & Alexandra
    Nicholas & Alexandra is the internationally famous biography from Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Massie. Massie shows conclusively how the personal curse of the young heir's haemophilia, and the decisive influence it brought Rasputin, became fatally linked with the collapse of Imperial Russia. As an engrossing account of one of the century's most dramatic episodesβ€”and an intimate portrait of two people caught...
    Paperback
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  • Peter the Great
    The Pulitzer prizewinning biography of Peter the Great, the ruler who brought Russia from darkness into light. Against the monumental canvas of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe and Russia, Robert K. Massie unfolds the extraordinary story of Peter the Great. A volatile feudal tsar with a taste for barbaric torture; a progressive and enlightened reformer of government and science; Peter the...
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