Catherine the Great

Portrait of a Woman

By: Robert K. Massie

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

Length: 23 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2011 Robert K. Massie (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

“What Catherine the Great offers is a great story in the hands of a master storyteller.” (The Wall Street Journal)

“What a woman, what a world, what a biography.” (USA Today)

“[Massie] hasn’t lost his mojo. . . . A consistently nimble and buoyant performance. . . . [Massie] has always been a biographer with the instincts of a novelist. He understands plot—fate—as a function of character, and the narrative perspective he establishes and maintains, a vision tightly aligned with that of his subject, convinces a reader he’s not so much looking at Catherine the Great as he is out of her eyes. . . . Juicy and suspenseful.” (Kathryn Harrison, The New York Times Book Review)

Good book on Russian history. Problematic performance

Book is very interesting and full of good details, but many geographical and people names are ridiculously mispronounced. How difficult would it be for narrator to figure out the correct pronunciation?

Fantastic!!

I found this book very interesting and much easier to absorb than many biographies. I will be looking for other Robert Massie books to read.

Great!

I personally found this biography fascinating, intriguing, and well-researched. Catherine the Second accomplished much especially for her time . I am sad, however , that some of these accomplishments are repeating today . The reader was also extraordinary!

great book

great narration throughout. never boring. intensely interesting. well written and detailed. highly recommend taking a listen!

Spectacular!

This book kept me interested and involved. The narration was spectacular! Would listen again!

Fantastic

If you have listened or read anything else by Massie you know that detail is in no short supply. This title gives an in depth look at the life of Catherine the Great and is worth the time. If you like this I would suggest Peter the Great by Massie which is about double the length.

Greatful to increase my understanding of Russia.

This passed the test of a great book. Even though it was long, I regretted when it came to an end.

Captivating!

I highly recommend this book. It was captivating and well written, and the narration is excellent. I didn’t want it to end!

Good overview of Catherine's reign

though I found it off-putting that the author constantly calls the Ottoman Empire just 'Turkey'

Very informative and interesting

Could have done without the entire chapter on the French Revolution. I understand it’s contemporaneous but added unnecessary length to the book.