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)

wonderful narration

the narration was wonderful, and there was a clear distinction when having to read a quote from someone.

excellent story. I learned so much about Catherine the Great.

A Delight: very long book that was never boring

The reader was incredible, the subject matter fascinating and despite the historic accuracy it was never boring. It read like a fascinating novel. Now we are planning a trip to Russia to visit the sites portrayed in this book !!!

Great biography when you don’t love biographies

Catherine’s life and the way it was told in the book made listening to this book something to look forward to. I love how much of her own memoirs were included with enough background information and context to make you feel you know exactly how things went and her perspective. Loved it.

An important character in European history

I looked forward to listening to this book every day throughout the many weeks it took me to complete it. For a novice to Russian history there was too much information to absorb in one pass and I will probably have to register again in the future.

One of my favorite history audiobooks

Wonderfully researched, beautifully told. I keep coming back to this one even when I'm in the middle of other books.

A Great Listen

Any person that is frightened of history books should listen to this. You will be fascinated by this woman and the story is easy to listen to. Not like a Dostoyevsky novel at all so don't worry about being confused by the number and sound of names.

Interesting Biography

It was a great read, but I specifically got this book because I googled "Biography that doesn't read like a biography" and got this recommendation. The beginning chapters, I thought, were really interesting about her betrothal. And her promiscuity with other Russian men was interesting. Overall, it was a great book, but by the end I was ready to get back to my psychological thrillers :)

Great Biography by Robert Massie

If you love historical biographies then this is a must. I am tearing through the minutes I am halfway through in 2 days this rarely happens in non-fiction for me. I am usually overwhelmed by all the information pouring forth or it’s a bit dry. But neither is true in this volume Catherine’s life is full of interesting moments and the writing is beautifully written. I also recommend Benjamin Franklin by Walter Issaccson pushed sadly to number 2 by this book. Couldn’t recommend more for those who love history and biographies

the story of Catherine

very well written and read. i enjoyed learning about Catherine. Others could learn from some of her methods.

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?