Catherine the Great by Henri Troyat Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Catherine the Great
Book Review: Disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
Bad translation of a mediocre and sappy history. I couldn't stand it and have gone looking for a different biography of Catherine the Great.Book Review: Entertaining, fascinating and informative!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that this biography, unlike others I've read, was a page turner as well as an eye-opener. In fact,it was one of the best books I have ever read. Informative to the hilt, it takes the reader through the life of Catherine II from her birth to her death, with excerps from her Memoires and correspondences over the years. It read like some romance novels I've experienced, full of Court intrigue and brimming with affairs. Catherine the Great was truly deserving of her title. I would highly recommend this book to everybody. Even if you don't like biography, I guarantee you won't realize you're reading one.Book Review: Fantastic look at a misunderstood Woman/Ruler
Summary: 5 Stars
Catherine as described by Henri Troyat is a total complexity of virtues. Born into a noble family with little chance of rule she pounces at the opportunity to marry into the Romanov family. Described as more of a marriage of convenience than one of any true affection Catherine marries Peter III but before long had him murdered and took the role of Czarina for herself. While this murder in many ways defined the rule of Catherine it was on her part a calculated effort for the growth of the monarchy and strengthening of the Russian Empire. She further looks over her son Paul as a worthy heir to the throne and only after much reluctance does she allow that him to take rule upon her death. She does much to also ensure that her grandson Alexander is raised properly to take rule of the country and acts more like a mother to him than his actual birth mother. Besides this she is also an ardent follower of the enlightenment (before the French revolution) and imbues a sense of liberalism in her grandsonas she considers the thoughts of the philosophes in her decisions. Troyat also brings up the issue of her many lovers including the upstart Plato Zubov. These lovers did cause a great deal of controversy during her rule but by no means were they and all consuming passion of Catherine's as many believe.
This biography is very well written and serves as a great account of a Ruler who is widely known but very misunderstood. The works upholds the belief that Catherine was an able and strong ruler who did more to build the power of the Romanov dynasty in the 19th century. It is clear that the author did ample research and while he is not totally revisionist he is very apologetic of Catherine as he paints a balanced but overall favorable picture of the Empress. This is a very fine work and is definitely worth reading. After this you may wish to read his follow up "Alexander of Russia"
Book Review: Great Book
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a skillfully written story of a great Russian Czarina. This biography reads like a novel and keeps the reader's attention to the very end. This is one of the few historic books on Russia written by a non-Russian author that paints an honest and accurate picture of the Russian life and politics of that period. I recommend this book to everyone interested in history, intrigue and romance.Book Review: Great book of a women who knew what she wanted
Summary: 5 Stars
The daughter of a minor German prince, it almost easy to imagine Catherine the Great came to the throne by accident. But Catherine had a mission. Almost from the day she was chosen to be the wife of Grand Duke Peter, Catherine set her sights on greater power. She suceeded, some say by murdering her own husband, Tsar Peter III. Catherine lead the Russians in the battle for the Crimea, eventually winning the region for the empire. The book also goes extensively into the many loves of Catherine. But short of using them to define who the Tsarina was, Troyat treats them as the diversion that Catherine saw them as.
Catherine saw herself as a liberal monarch. In fact, she regularly corresponded with Volraire and Diderot. But in the end, Catherine's main accomplishment was the maintain the power of the monarchy.