Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman

By Robert K. Massie

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345408772
• ISBN13: 9780345408778
• Release Date: September 2012
• Publisher: Random House Trade
• Length: 639 Pages
• Weight: 1.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A lifelong treasure!

For readers 13 and above. I thoroughly appreciate that the way it reads is so easy to follow along and doesn’t feel like reading a text book. It’s almost as though you’re reading a well laid out conversation. I’d certainly recommend!