Peter the Great by Robert K. Massie Summary and Reviews
|
Our Price: $45.31 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.35 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Peter the Great
Book Review: Massie's insight into Russian history is remarkable
Summary: 5 Stars
"A foreigner cannot begin to understand and comprehend the mysterious soul of Russian people"--was the official dogma of the Soviet history and of Soviet Intellectuals. "Read Tolstoy, Turgenev, and Dostoevkiy to get a glimpse..."--my teachers said. Well I say, read Massie's "Peter the Great". He dispells that myth. His insight into the customs and history of Russia is remarkable. (For example, nowhere in "War and Peace" will you find an explanation of inherent Russian alcoholism problem that dates back centuries). The author manages to give detailed account of the life of one of the most influential figures in Russian history in a way that reads like a novel, and yet when you are finished you know you have read a scholarly work.Book Review: Not only History - but a great Business Book
Summary: 5 Stars
As noted in all previous reviews, this is a facinating book on Peter and Russian history.
However, it is a powerful book on organization skill. How do you bring in new cultures/learnings to an established environment. How do you manage your executives and the staff.
Was able to learn much.
There is much to digest, as it is long and has hundreds of characters. But a worthy work.
I regret that I am unable to find the NBC mini-series for purchase, As I have heard that it is just as well done.
Book Review: One of the best
Summary: 5 Stars
I think it is one of the best biographies ever written, a classic. Helps to a deep understanding of Russia.Book Review: Peter probably had ADHD and Tourette's syndrome
Summary: 4 Stars
The author concluded that Peter had a type of seizure disorder, however, his endless energy and inability to sit still are very suggestive of attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder. Many individuals with ADHD also suffer from Tourette's syndrome which is characterized by ticks and involuntary movements that they can control only to a certain degree. As opposed to true seizures, these involuntary movements can be suppressed by placing the individual in a less stressful environment or by going to sleep. True seizure disorders cannot be controlled at all and the individual usually loses conciousness at the initiation of the seizure.The book reads like an action novel. Being born of Russian parents many of the situations descirbed in the book are very familiar.
Having a medical background and a relative who has a similar disorder it is quite easy to interpret Peter's problem. Tourette's generally begins in adolescence or a little earlier and can progress to a quite uncomfortable disorder, such as Massie descibed in Peter.
Book Review: Peter the Great
Summary: 3 Stars
This is well written and carries the reader along. It is not just about Peter the Great, but tells a lot about what was happening in Europe at the same time. I was a little frustrated that we didn't learn more about what was happening in Russia during all those years when Peter was off learning shipbuilding, making war, laying siege....I wanted to know how the Russian people were faring during all that time. I would have been willing to sacrifice one or two of the detailed descriptions of military campaigns (each wall scaled) to have this. Still, I enjoyed the book, learned a lot, and would recommend this book to anyone who had time to read 880 pages!