The Life of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia: Book Review

The aliveness of Catherine the big Empress of Russia By Carolly Erickson The Life of Catherine the Great is a 400-page accommodate written by Carolly Erickson that details the enkindle life of Catherine. The book was published in 1994 and printed by St. Martins Press in New York. Readers argon able to purchase/check-out this book in a hardback copy with the ISBN of 0312135033 and also a paper-back book copy with an ISBN of 978-0312135034. The book features a full-length photo of Catherine in her royal attire on the take care cover of the book.Erickson begins the novel about Catherine, born Sophie, when she was a young four-year old girl. From the beginning of the book, she gives an account of Catherine the Greats life chronologically. Erickson apply primary sources to collect information on Catherine and even used several(prenominal) autobiographies that were written in French by Catherine herself from different periods in her life. From these memoirs, Erickson was able to inte rpret that Catherine was a full-bodied, educated, lovable, muliebrity who was born to a German family and occupied prestigious titles early on into later stages of her life.Carolly Erickson performed rigorous interrogation and provided some of the most intimate details about Catherine from Russia. Erickson spent much time interviewing different informants (diplomats, guards, unlike visitors) and quoting material from journalists and others journals. With this particular book, a reader will definitely get a well-written biography of this notorious historical figure and learn a great deal about the times of Russia as well as unknown information about Catherine.This book was intended for readers that precious to get a split grasp of Catherine the Great, but also can be an appealing piece of work that is out of the popular for readers not quite familiar with Catherine. Erickson made sure to capture her audiences attention with the matter to facts of Catherines being and managed to bring Catherines character to life. Catherine the Great of Russia was ru more(prenominal)d to have been a crazy nymphomaniacal believed to have had a hand in her husbands murder. Erickson made an effort to dissolve her tarnished understand and uncover who Catherine really was.She was very empathetic regarding Catherines reputation. Erickson discussed how Catherine dressed and her attitude. She explained how she married a duke at the peeled age of 14 and how their marriage was troublesome. She also mentions how charming and intelligent Catherine was and provides insight on how she made accommodative changes to Russia but very little was written about how she ruled as Empress. Erickson demonstrated Catherines specialness and willpower to rule without the presence of a man.Readers are definitely provided a vivid description of what is occurring so much that they will more than likely feel they were present during these times. Erickson reveals Catherines insecurities, downfalls, yearn for love and indispensable sorrows but also commends Catherines accomplishments that gained her fame and allowed her to become one of Russias renowned leaders. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and discovered pieces of information that usually would not be mentioned in a traditional history class. I felt that the book was interesting in the very beginning and the middle until I reached the end.I was world-weary beyond tears and could not believe this was the same book that I started out reading. Aside from my apprehension that the ending would be just as exciting as the beginning, I learned that the book wasnt as interesting because Catherine no longer wrote memoirs or autobiographies once she became an empress which was closer toward the end of the book. The author, Erickson, obviously began arrive at once she ran out of Catherines material. Because the focus of this book was face-to-face, I feel that it would be useless if it was used as an educational tool.I feel th at it should be recommended primarily for personal enjoyment. Therefore, I wouldnt apprise this book to a Russian scholar, to someone who was interested in the politics of Russia, or to someone that wanted heavy details on other aspects of Catherines rule. Erickson is a great writer and an expert on writing biographies. I felt that she constructed The Life of Catherine the Great well, but I feel that she should be more conscious of making sure to keep her audiences attention all the way to the end.It was a letdown and I struggled to finish the book because my interest diminished greatly towards the end. I also feel that, in the future, she should focus on all aspects of a persons life rather than just the personal details in order to receive a well-rounded assessment. Instinctively, I admired Carolly Erickson for her dedication in finding first hand information on Catherine the Great (which wasnt much) and putting together a well-written account of her life.