October 27, 2013

Read This!: Catherine the Great

Challenge: Non-fiction over 150 pages

By Robert K. Massie

I took this out of the library on a whim.  I had been wanting to read a bio on Catherine the Great for awhile and this writer had gotten some good reviews.

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman covers Catherine's life beginning as Princess Sophie of a minor German principality to being the Grand Duchess Catherine, the wife of the future emperor of Russia, to being Empress Catherine, the sole ruler of Russia.

Catherine the Great had a fascinating life and Massie details not only about Catherine's political life, but her personal one.  I did think he waxed on a bit long in certain sections about snoozy subjects like philosophers and politics but the more personal info about her lovers and personality was fab.  It also didn't hurt that I was just at a few of the places mentioned so I felt more connected to the events.

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