Catherine the Great by Troyat, Henri (1980) Hardcover

I finished this thick book in four working days. This story of one of the most efficient Autocrat of All Russias is extremely compelling. I'll leave aside all moral judgement but, there is no question that Catherine the Great had tremendous ambition and the means for it. This biography of hers helps readers understand an important chunk of Russian history at a crucial time of wars and revolutions. Troyat's writing is crystal clear in style. Having read it in French, if it is translated as well as it should be, it will be excellent in English as well. I recommend all his books. A good follow-up, if you don't mind the 1200 pages or so: "War and Peace" by Tolstoy for the context during the napoleonic war.

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"

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.

Catherine the Great was a wonderful read. It masterfully followed the intrigues of court life and all its complexities. One learned a great deal of information regarding Catherine, some through personal letters of her own. Troyat did a remarkable job with this biography. Anyone interested in Russian history, or even someone merely interested in a twisting tale such as one you might find in a work of fiction--Catherine is definitely a go!

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.