Great Catherine : The Life of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia - Hardcover

Erickson, Carolly

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0517590913 ISBN 13: 9780517590911

Publisher: Crown, 1994

Synopsis

The author of Bloody Mary presents a popular biography of the legendary Russian empress that emphasizes Catherine the Great's political ability, humanitarian inclinations, and other accomplishments. 20,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author:

Distinguished historian Carolly Erickson is the author of Rival to the Queen, The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots, The First Elizabeth, The Hidden Life of Josephine, The Last Wife of Henry VIII, and many other prize-winning works of fiction and nonfiction. Her novel The Tsarina’s Daughter won the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. She lives in Hawaii.

From AudioFile:

A neglected child and wife, Catherine seized the throne of Russia from her abusive, alcoholic husband and went on to rule her eighteenth-century empire with skills that would do credit to a twentieth-century CEO. Porter's strong voice leaves no doubt of Catherine's mettle and intelligence; it also powers a long narrative, little of which is broken by dialogue. Strong diction and dramatic pronunciation of words like "gleaming" and "lashing" illuminate scenes of court life, amorous intrigues, city squalor and peasant rebellion. At home with Russian names, Porter switches deftly from admiration for the empress to audible scorn for her enemies. A grand portrayal of a great lady. J.B.G. An AUDIOFILE Earphones Award Winner. (Reviewed in Feb 96): She decreed that her nobles desist from calling her the Great Most Wise Mother of the Fatherland. Catherine II, otherwise known as Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, seems almost modern in her independence, her voracious reading, her humanity, her desire to codify the laws of the realm and her apparent sexual freedoms. Davina Porter's reading enhances this biography, which mimics a romantic, historical novel. Porter's narration is articulate and benefits from her mellifluous voice. While the first person is fairly rare in history books, she does a good job with it and with gender differentiation. The author's depiction of eighteenth-century Russian cities comes alive in Porter's narration. J.D.N. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Crown
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0517590913
• ISBN 13: 9780517590911
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400