Description
Catherine strides authoritatively through her gilded halls, rustling the cream silk, the exquisite lace, and the taffeta fabrics of her gowns in this unique, sumptuous portrayal of imperial power. Constantly beset by enemy forces, whether from her own family, her rivals, other nations, or ambitious Russian nobles jealous of her intellect, her diplomatic skills, her grasp of their weaknesses, this Tsarina forges her beloved Russian Empire into her own ideal model, buttressed with the views of Voltaire and Diderot. Her Russia becomes at last a European power, still with the ballast of brutality, serfdom and corruption, yet iridescent with art, splendor, opulence and enlightened conversation. Catherine realizes that circumstance, conjecture, and conjuncture are the building blocks of politics and we come to a better understanding of the metamorphosis of a mighty nation. All the while, this Catherine is a woman depicted by a woman. We learn of her doubts, of her talents overlooked and dismissed by the men in her court, of her discipline and of her appetites as we follow her career from a precocious teenager, to a beautiful monarch admired by many, hated by others, to a matron “Little Mother” to her subjects seeking love as well as adulation. It is a splendid fictional, yet historical romp through the fragile crystal of the eighteenth century. —Dr. Dona Reeves-Marquardt, Texas State University
Catherine the Great of Russia was not only one of the most powerful women who ever lived, but also one of the most intriguing. Not even Russian by birth, this German princess married the feckless heir to the Russian throne, becoming Tsarina (empress) after he was deposed and killed. Whereas Peter the Great had opened a northern window to the west, Catherine outdid him in opening a central window (through Poland) and a southern window (on the Black Sea) as well. A Lutheran who converted to Russian Orthodoxy, she never wavered in her faith, though involved in numerous love affairs. Can any book do her justice? Sigrid Weidenweber s can! She has carefully researched the history of the times, and presented it so colorfully that one would think she was an eyewitness to all the intrigue at the Russian court in the 18th century. This was excellent, engrossing reading! —Dr. Paul L. Maier, Western Michigan University
With great skill and passion Sigrid Weidenweber unveils an epic and important historical journey, bringing to life the danger, violence, and intrigue of European royalty through the eyes of one of its most prominent and fascinating members. —Tim Green, New York Times Bestselling Fiction Author
Edition: Second edition
Publish date: Spring 2022
Print length: 423 pages (hardcover)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1934961000
ISBN-13: 978-1934961001
Weight: 1.4 pounds
Edition: First edition
Publish date: August 1, 2008
Print length: 423 pages (hardcover)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1934961000
ISBN-13: 978-1934961001
Weight: 1.4 pounds
Kindle Customer –
Great Book to Learn more about Russia
Being a History Buff, I really enjoyed Catherine and have purchased the next two of the Trilogy. Being of German decent I found the book so interesting about the Germans who went to live in Russia. From all the other reviews you have the story line but it is a must to read even though it is long if you enjoy history, I enjoyed the the description of the cloths and places Catherine visited. We really know so little about Russia and her leaders of the past and it made me appreciate what leaders of the foreign counties had to go through to govern. For a woman at that time to lead must have been a big problem…fortunately we have found today that women can be good leaders. If you like to read about other counties history I feel this is a must read. It is history made easy to understand and read. The research that went into the book must have been awesome!! Thanks for all the work you did Sigrid Weidenweber!! I for one appreciate it.
Granny –
I cannot praise this book enough
Sigrid Weidenweber has an amazing talent for making Russian history come alive with her astute word portraits of the characters. I am only halfway through the book, yet I linger over it, wanting to savor her rich and accurate descriptions. I’m glad that it’s only the first in a series because I will definitely be looking for the next ones.
I knew little about Catherine the Great and now through the magic wielded by the author, feel as if I know her intimately. There is a sub-plot about her trusted servant Svetlana which I’m enjoying as well.
Weidenweber has an elegant ,but not pretentious style of writing, Her observations about the peoples of Russia in that period are wonderful.
Mary Anne Lewis –
Readable but with problems
I think you have to look at the title to get an accurate view of the book: “Inside the Heart and Mind of a Great Monarch.” The author does not take a journalistic approach to writing this book at all, thus we are left wondering how much is fact and how much is fiction. We get the sense that Catherine basically has no flaws, that the author is cheering for Catherine every step of the way, no matter her actions. There is some criticism of Catherine as she ages, but that is overridden by the opinionated narrative throughout the book. Also it’s unclear which characters are real and which are fictional, particularly as it relates to a pair of young servants introduced early in the book who marry and move to the steppes to settle. Did they really exist? Or is this a figment of the author’s imagination? An author’s note would have helped clarify this. Also this book needs a thorough edit. I am not sure if English is her second language, but the author has a habit of inventing words that do not exist. There are also numerous grammar problems and a few spelling errors. This detracts from the book. Despite everything, the author has a lilting style, and she does manage to simplify some of the complicated renderings of characterizations I’ve read in a biography of Catherine. I think this book should be rewritten, and some of the problems cleared up, and then I would give it a five star review.
bibliophile –
Great subject, disappointing account
The author has taken a fascinating subject and made it reasonably dull. I did not find a translator’s name on the book, but I have a hard time believing the author is a native speaker of English: there are too many malapropisms and awkward turns of phrase. No domestic violence occurs, although you can’t talk about 18th century Russia without talking about violence—battles, assassinations, Cossack attacks. Sexual content is actually minimal, described accurately but without porn-like detail, so I have no problem with that. The narrative perspective is “third person omniscient,” which is perfectly legitimate, but the account of Catherine’s last thoughts (when she was comatose and unable to speak) seemed a bit much.
Clarinetist –
Not My Cup of Tea
It was difficult for me to choose how many stars to give this book. This was the first book I have ever wanted to put down unfinished, and I only finished this book on principle. I am a voracious reader but found myself doing other things so as not to read. The book seems to be told from the perspective of an omnipresent fly on the wall, which I disliked immensely and consequently couldn’t become invested in the characters. So for me, this book wasn’t worth reading; however, if you don’t mind the format, this mediocre book is interesting and worth reading.
Danielle VanDyke –
Well researched, thorough, but dull
Highly informative and grand in scope, but lacking a cohesive story or clear vision. It’s chapters are a series of vignettes, sometimes related, in roughly chronological order. Facts change or are revised without enough context. Interesting characters, but goes for breadth rather that focused depth.
The author is a fantastic researcher and observer of the details of life in the Russian court. Her writing would have benefited from stronger editors and more time to craft a cohesive story. The author has a vocabulary of obscure adjectives that are used repeatedly to make the same points, rather than writing for clarity or choosing more varied, creative descriptions. Unexpectedly, given the depth of research, a significant amount of words are spent on describing Catherine’s appearance and dress while only occasionally describing the Russia beyond Catherine’s view of her palace walls. The author’s personal opinions about weight also creep into the writing, given the frequent reminders of Catherine’s obesity.
Irene R –
A look into my family lineage.
I choose to read this book because Catherine is in my family line on both my mother and fathers side and I just wanted to know more about her. I knew she was from a small town in Germany where part of the name of the town was “Zerbst”, which is my maiden name. I found her life to be very interesting and strange at the same time. Their customs in child rearing for instance is not what I would have expected. Not being a big history buff, at times I found it hard to follow what war was going on where and that sort of stuff and for that reason it became a slow read for me.
GrammieB –
Enjoyed very much
I found this book quite well written and to the point. Catherine was totally loved by the Russian people even though she was a German born. She had the interest of the people at heart and mind. The chapters are a series of vignettes in roughly chronological order. The author is a fantastic researcher and observer of the details of life in the Russian court. The wars and history of Russia and the different characters kept me spellbound, the lives of the Russian society gave me insight into Russia and its people, different clans and tribes! I enjoyed being taken back in time!
Amazon Customer –
I enjoy reading historical novels because I learn a lot about …
I enjoy reading historical novels because I learn a lot about life during those times, if the people writing the novel do a good job researching the background historical information. and I believe Sigrid Weidenweber did that with this book. At times it got somewhat tedious but historically speaking it was a bit of an eye-opener. I learned things about the old Russian culture and history that really surprised me.
Sandy’s Collectibles –
Everything you could possibly want to know about Catherine the Great
The author thoroughly researched the facts about Catherine. She obviously has also been to all the places mentioned in the book because she gives very thorough descriptions of each. Since I have been to some of these places, I know that they are accurate. She does a good job of creating believable situations and encounters between the historical characters. However, I found many grammatical and spelling errors which should have been corrected before publishing. The author’s writing style is a bit flowery and loaded with too many metaphors, I thought. But I did learn all I wanted to know about Catherine the Great.