Peter the Great

His Life and World

By: Robert K. Massie

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Length: 43 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

This superbly told story brings to life one of the most remarkable rulers––and men––in all of history and conveys the drama of his life and world. The Russia of Peter's birth was very different from the Russia his energy, genius, and ruthlessness shaped. Crowned co-Tsar as a child of ten, after witnessing bloody uprisings in the streets of Moscow, he would grow up propelled by an unquenchable curiosity, everywhere looking, asking, tinkering, and learning, fired by Western ideas.

We see Peter in his 20s traveling "incognito" with his ambassadors to the courts of Europe; as the victorious soldier proclaimed Emperor; as the simple workman at his forge; and as the visionary statesman who single-handedly created a formidable world power. Impetuous and stubborn, bawdy and stern, relentless in his perseverance, he was capable of the greatest generosity and the greatest cruelty.

©1980 Robert K. Massie (P)1991 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Enthralling.... As fascinating as any novel and more so than most!" ( New York Times Book Review)

Excellant !

The story of this mans life is fantastic. The reader however tends to drop off the volume at the end of a word or sentence. After replaying 3 times you still can not understand all of his words. I recommend this book be revised. On some occasions things are mentioned that a modern day reader doesnt know of that item of war or invention. There is a real opportunity here to modernize some of the descriptions. The story is still amazing in its own right.

A treat and a pleasure.

I take exception to the first reviewer's comments about the quality of the narration. I find Davidson's narration to be nuanced and enjoyable, and think it's a treat to experience Massie's thrilling biography as an audiobook. As I prepare for the publication of Massie's biography of Catherine the Great in the fall of 2011, it's a true pleasure to reencounter this classic work of biography/history as read by this accomplished narrator.

My Favorite HIstorian!

Here is another example of a masterful storyteller and historian at work. The Massie histories read like personal biographies—amply supported by contemporary letters and memoirs, they furnish memorable and personal accounts of the time. You will be much enriched by this book, as well as all others that Massie has authored.

Here one learns a number of unforgettable and vivid stories about Peter the Great. For example, his frequent habit of traveling abroad “incognito” in order to satisfy his insatiable curiosity about the technology and culture of the lands he visited without the waste of time and needless formality that he would have encountered on an official visit as Czar of Russia. A man of restless energy and great ambition, he recognized early on that Russia must learn from the West, rather than stay isolated in its own traditions (a lesson the current leader, Mr. Putin, might well ponder anew). We also learn that Peter was a man of good luck. His great victory over the Swedish King Karl XII was nearly thrown away two years later when the Ottoman Turks in loose alliance with the Swedes were in a position to destroy the bulk of Peter’s army and likely would have had Karl been on the scene. Instead, a very mild peace was agreed by a Turkish commander who did not fully understand the strength of his position.

You will enjoy this book for the many great insights on the period brought alive by personal stories, apt descriptions, and extremely well informed commentary of Mr. Massie, all supported by meticulous research and a very rare talent for interesting and engaging writing.

Peter was Great, the Narrator was Terrible

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Not this version. I buy a ton of audio books, read by people with accents (different than mine), but this narrator ruined the book for me.
My recommendation is to buy the hard copy.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Frederick Davidson?

The man who narrates Catherine the Great, Kenneth Branaugh, Liam Neeson...

Did Peter the Great inspire you to do anything?

Read and consider previous reviews more carefully.

Great story.

Where does Peter the Great rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very High.

What did you like best about this story?

The telling of the story and the telling the story of Peter the Great.

Which character – as performed by Frederick Davidson – was your favorite?

Peter.

Any additional comments?

I was great history presented as never presented in school.

Phenomenal Great

Couldn't put it down, as with other Massie tomes. Moving now to his Catherine the Great.

A Truly Phenomenal Biography

This giant biography does justice to the literal and figurative giant that is its subject. Massie does a truly incredible job of making you feel like you know Peter on a personal level, to the point that roughly a third of the way into the book you could confidently predict his reaction to events, even if you don't know anything about Peter before reading the book. If you are at all interested in Russia or its history, I cannot recommend this book enough. This is easily the best biography I have ever read.

That said, there are 3 criticisms I have about this audiobook that I feel are worth knowing before listening.

First, the complaints about the Reader are justified, with a caveat. The first few hours of the recording are at times frustrating because the Reader has a horrible tendency to not pronounce the last syllable of words at the end of a sentence. However, in this way he reminds me of Boomhauer from King of the Hill: after you spend some time with him you get used to it and can understand him just fine. After the first few chapters I had no problem understanding the reading.

Second, Massie has a tendency to make obnoxiously long lists while describing places. On multiple occasions, he lists all of the items available to buy at the bazaars of different cities to the point it became worthy of eye-rolling. You can get an example of this from the audiobook sample, and he does this for Constantinople and Amsterdam. He does it other times, but those are the only 2 I can remember off the top of my head. Massie probably got this criticism while he was still alive, as for his book on Catherine the Great he does not do the same.

Finally. Massie has a tendency to write long biographies of characters that are not completely necessary to the story. His biography and updates on Charles XII are necessary as Charles serves at Peter's primary antagonist, but he provides lengthy introductions for less important characters like William of Orange, Augustus the Strong, and several Ottoman Sultans. They drag, and again, I believe Massie was aware of this, as in his later works that I am familiar with he does not do this.

Great tale, talented reading but takes adjustment

I read this book back when it first came out. It was hard to believe a man such as Peter the Great was a real figure I'm history, given his over-sized impact on Russia, the West, and even his over-sized stature. But is is a really fascinating tale, which is well written by Massie.
my one complaint with this audio book is that the voice actor has a very sophisitcated British accent. He tends to emphasize the ends of sentences with a classic lilt and hold his"n" constants a bit long when quoting characters. I am american, so this observation could just be from one person's limited experience. Still, it took a bit of getting used to. I felt that I was being 'talked down to.' But, he was a very clear and well-paced actor.

Back to the book: Read the Biography of Peter the Great and you will begin to understand why Russia, even with their communist origins, will likely never become a true democracy. Yet, his story is not dull.

A good reading for a great book.

What did you love best about Peter the Great?

Peter the Great is a good starting point for delving into the history of Tsarist Russia under the Romanov Dynasty.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Peter the Great?

I enjoyed the the accounts of his trips to the West. How the monarch of a perceived barbarian and backwards land is received in the enlightened cities of Europe.

What about Frederick Davidson???s performance did you like?

I felt he did an exceptional job particularly with the Russian names. My only complaint is his speech seemed a little mumbled at times. Hence my 4 star rating. If 5 is perfect this is slightly under.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There are parts of the book that are certainly funny.

Long and digressing, but fascinating.

You will learn more about Russia and Europe in the 1700's than you thought possible!
Long but very interesting.