Catherine the Great & Potemkin

The Imperial Love Affair

By: Simon Sebag Montefiore

Narrated by: Sophie Roberts

Length: 27 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

A widely acclaimed biography from the bestselling author of The Romanovs: "One of the great love stories of history” (The Economist) between Catherine the Great and the wildly flamboyant and talented Prince Potemkin. • "Captures the genius of two extraordinary Enlightenment figures—and of the age as well." —The Wall Street Journal

Catherine the Great was a woman of notorious passion and imperial ambition. Prince Potemkin was the love of her life and her co-ruler. Together they seized Ukraine and Crimea, territories that define the Russian sphere of influence to this day. Their affair was so tumultuous that they negotiated an arrangement to share power, leaving each of them free to take younger lovers. But these “twin souls” never stopped loving each other.

Drawing on the pair’s intimate letters and on vast research, Simon Sebag Montefiore restores these imperial partners to their rightful place as titans of their age.

"Biography in the grand tradition...Riveting...The author [is] a gifted storyteller." —The Washington Post

©2002 Simon Sebag Montefiore (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"One of the great love stories of history...Excellent with dazzling mastery of detail and literary flair." —The Economist

"Montefiore conveys [Russian] history with vivid detail and narrative momentum...Captures the genius of two extraordinary Enlightenment figures—and of the age as well." —The Wall Street Journal

"Biography in the grand tradition...Riveting...The author [is] a gifted storyteller." —The Washington Post

good in-depth book

it really does just focus on their love. years only after Catherine is empress basically. I didn't know much about Potemkin, and the author was ODVIOUSLY a fan of him.. and set out to deliver ALL the facts with a zeal to the truth about t this man and women, whos real history have previously been passed down unfairly.
but I wasn't aware of any of the bias and ended up seeing Potemkin was really a great man.
so while I could clearly see the author was sort of defending these figures, overall, instead of being annoyed by what could be seen as 'one sided efforts ' of author; I actually found his information well researched. He had A LOT of info that really supported all the admiration the author has for his books subjects.
it has lots of clear detail, delivered in a pretty easy-to-follow presentation of it. and as I said , I am weary of authors who set out to'defend' a personage I didn't feel this was the case here. as the book went on, I agreed with the author that this mans life deserved a closer look, and the facts he shared made me agree that Potemkin was a great man and history seems to have jaded the truth of him and Catherine. In this book, facts are laid bear with wonderful sources of great ACTUAL archived letters between them and contemporarys.
but it only follows the events important to Catherine and mostly Potemkin. it does not cover anything else happening in that time period unless it involved them.
but it was performed well, and the info was entertaining and inspired. I liked it. Catherine an Potemkins relationship was TRUELY a unique relationship by all means. I found that interesting and appreciated that aspect more seeing it unfold. the people in the story are unique and they don't let you down but surprise you .
I appreciate the work the author did to present this vast and extensive work.

Excellent

This is a wonderful book peryou're full book. Wonderfully performed and very informative on a little known period of history particularly to Americans. It is quite informative formative regarding the history of the Southern Empire in Russia which interestingly enough is quite relevant today given the war in the Ukraine.

Somewhat disappointing

I expected more about Catherine’s rule and achievements. Instead I got the intimate details of their relationship and their relationships with others ad nauseam. I am still in the dark about how she earned the “Great” sobriquet.

Sheds light on subject

I've read books on Catherine the great but never on Potemkin and I'm so glad I got this book because I now have a wider view on this wonderful man.

Potemkin- a force of Nature

For a non Russian like me that has read many Russian History books, a great education on Prince Potemkin. A great man that left an incredible contribution to his nation. A builder of such scale, that people had trouble believing their own eyes. A General, Statesman, and a personal Maximalist. Potemkin was basically an overlapping life (birth and death) to George Washington. Readers of GW will be amazed how these guys were similar and so different. They almost personify their national identities. How did Russia get to the Black Sea. What they sacrificed and what they risked to push their frontier to the Danube and into the Caucuses. Russia moving South was like the USA moving West and South.

Simon Sebag Montefiore is excellent as expected. Captures the time of Potemkin and Catherine. The culture, domestic politics, and international politics. The influence of France, Britain, Prussia, Austria, America, and Ottomans on Russia. To spice up the timeline - Potemkin was at his best as the USA won independence, France destroyed itself, Europe was in full "enlightenment", Austria was at limits, and Britain entering its Golden Age. This book is like a prequal to War and Peace. Many of the hero's of 1812 making an appearance in the late 18th century - Bagatrion, Subarov, and Kutuzov. Even the complex Russian love lives. I thought Anna Karenia was an oddity, but not an oddity if Catherine was an influential role model in the culture.

Liked the book, hated the narrator

I found the book to be very interesting and it filled in a lot of details about Catherine and Potemkin. However the narrator is awful. She changes how she pronounces names and cities, has a poor cadence and an uneven inflection, and at times made listening to the book very difficult. Her Russian pronunciations are dreadful and her French isn't great either (yes, I speak both - semi-fluent in French and enough Russian to get by). The poor and inconsistent pronunciations are jarring and at times interrupt the flow. At other times, you have to stop and try to figure out if she is talking about the same place she mentioned 5 minutes earlier.