Product Description
Diana's behaviour since her separation from Prince Charles has had the public, the Government and the Palace reeling in stunned amazement as each shocking action is quickly eclipsed by something even more daring and unpredictable. While outwardly fit and in control, there are clear signals of even more extreme behaviour to come and of impending crisis. Drawing on inside information and expert opinion, this book should be of interest to anyone who remains drawn to this woman. The book unfolds her key relationships with men, as well as her harsh treatment of the women, by whom she feels threatened. It also includes an in-depth analysis of Diana's words and body language in her "Panorama" interview. The key consultant on the state of her mind is Dr Sydney Crown, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and a consultant at the London Hospital. Christopher Hutchins is the co-author of "Sarah's Story", "Diana's Nightmare", "Elvis and Lennon" and "Athina". ... Read more

Product Description
A history of the Grimaldi family, rulers of the principality of Monaco, and a discussion of the many problems that have faced each of the three children of Prince Rainier and his wife, former US film star, Grace Kelly. It traces the decline of a tragic dynasty. ... Read more

Product Description
Acclaimed author Alison Weir brings to life the extraordinary tale of Katherine Swynford, a royal mistress who became one of the most crucial figures in the history of Great Britain. Born in the mid-fourteenth century, Katherine de Roët was only twelve when she married Hugh Swynford, an impoverished knight. But her story had truly begun two years earlier, when she was appointed governess to the household of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and fourth son of King Edward III. Widowed at twenty-one, Katherine became John's mistress and then, after many twists of fortune, his bride in a scandalous marriage. Mistress of the Monarchy reveals a woman ahead of her time—making her own choices, flouting convention, and taking control of her own destiny. Indeed, without Katherine Swynford, the course of English history, perhaps even the world, would have been very different. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (41)

Terriic read
I'd read one book about Katherine Swynford, and wanted to learn more.This book was excellent: well documented and interesting.

Genealogy and period interest
This book is very well written, informative, and especially good for those seeking genealogical information associated with the aristocracy of the time. While the main character is the thematic source, she is surrounded by the history and people of the time. I found the book very entertaining as well as a good reference for personal genealogical interests.

It's okay, but I learnt nothing new.
It was always going to be hard to write a book about a woman largely forgotten by history. Obviously I don't mean that literally, but rather the sheer lack of evidence of her existence is enough to make anyone shy away from Katherine as a topic for a non-fiction historical book. Alison Weir has yet again chosen a 'heroine' of history, a woman vilified by the public at large for questionable moral scruples and who on several occasions has been the victim of character assassination. Presenting the facts, or lack thereof, Weir has come up with some logical and at other times questionable conclusions as to the life of this fascinating woman.

This book has been reviewed several times already and so I will only rehash the basics. Weir has looked through history and found anything and everything to do with Katherine Swynford and like any historian has tried to piece the puzzle pieces together. She relies heavily on John of Gaunt's records, as well she should, afterall, Katherine was his mistress for a quarter of a century, eventually becoming his wife and the Duchess of Lancaster, thus it is only natural that she would be mentioned in varying degrees in his records. However, it is important to note that although interesting, reliance on a single source above all others can severely impact ones bias and objectivity. Having said that, the records of John of Gaunt practically hold the only surviving accounts of Katherine Swynford, and so you can see how anyone attempting to write about her life will have a difficult time.

I think Alison Weir has done a fairly okay job here. With the limitations she faced, she has managed to write a fairly readable account of Katherine's life, filling in the blanks as much as possible. Of course, most of her theories are unsubstantiated, but at the same time, they quite probably never will be, and so any biography of Katherine Swynford must be taken with a grain of salt. One can only surmise, and fill in the blanks with likely scenarios, basing those opinions on what is known about the period and the role of women of her particular status. I am no historian, nor do I know a great deal about Katherine's life, thus I cannot argue for or against the evidence provided, however I can say that for better or worse, of all Weir's non-fictional works, I have found this one to be the most interesting, accessible and attention-grabbing.

Thus, for this reader, this book is a solid 3.5 stars, it is interesting and readable, yet I learnt nothing new and I have read better.

Shadowy but significant historical character
Although I have an MA in ancient history, I have to admit that I actually became interested in this era when I read some murder mysteries by Candice Robb, The Cross-Legged Knight, that were set in it.I was so taken by the historical characters and the social background to the fictional story that I decided to follow up on some of them.This led me to books on Edward III, the Black Prince, Isabella, Roger Mortimer, and others.In following up the threads leading from book to book, I discovered some of those by Alison Weir.

Alison Weir's works illuminate some of the lives of influential women.While one might label her a "feminist" historian, and some have, the wise reader will look upon her with a respectful attitude as one who has filled in the "blank spaces" left by earlier, predominantly male historians who seem to see no place for women in history--to read some histories of ancient Greece is to suspect that there were no women in Greece.To some extent this oversight arises because of a lack of documentation with respect to women at all levels of society in some periods and cultures; it's simply difficult to get at their lives.This doesn't mean, however, that we shouldn't make every attempt to learn about them and their effect on the history of their time.Trying to explain some of the events of the Plantagenet rulers, for instance, would be totally impossible without referral to the character and behavior of Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life (Ballantine Reader's Circle).Similarly an understanding of the disastrous reign of Edward II needs a good close look at the life of his queen, Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England, while the lives of Richard II and of the War of the Roses is much forwarded by a look at the lives of some of the women present at that time in this and other volumes, as for instance The Wars of the Roses. By undertaking a study of these individuals the author has filled important lacunae, making far clearer the realities of the times in which these women lived.

Mistress of the Monarchy, the biography of Lady Katherine Swynford, must have been a difficult one to write.There is apparently little documentation, but what there is was well used.The author is reduced to almost continual inference with respect to much of the lady's life, drawing out of basic knowledge of the period, its architecture, land tenure, economic structure, etc. what she can to illuminate what her subject's life may well have been where there is no actual information.While I'm not always satisfied with some of her deductions, I am able to follow thelogic and have to agree that many of her observations are probably correct.My main complaint is that because of this dearth of information, Katherine comes out as a somewhat "soft," "shadowy" character hovering in the background.I'm not sure that this is because she was as mild and gentle as she seems or because we don't know enough about her to paint her in a more realistic light.The story comes across as very nearly a romance, but it is very definitely a realistic romance.It partakes something of the sense of time and the reality in time that the play Into the Woods by Steven Sondheim does.The latter is something of an adult fairy tale, because it points out the importance of time in "happily ever after" by revealing what happens after the "happy ending."It's one of my favorite plays for this reason.

In reading this and other histories, I find my story-telling self trying to identify the "good guys" and the "bad guys."I'm forever trying to root for the "righteous," a very modern concept and not a very realistic one at any time, all things considered.Although Katherine as a character is written with a great deal of sympathy by Ms Weir, there are points where her behavior is characteristic of her age--that is to say not nice--as when she ignores the issues with the locals in Lincoln over her enclosure of property and her unwillingness to clear a canal on her property.However, when put into the perspective of the behavior of the period, she definitely comes out the "heroine" of the piece, since everyone else is so much worse.More than anything else, the reader comes away with a very clear understanding of what happens when everyone in society simply looks only to their personal good.It reminds me of Matt Ridley's The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature, which explains why so much inevitably goes wrong despite the fact that everyone knows it will if they pursue their present course, and of Jered Diamond's COLLAPSE: How Societies Chose to Fail or Succeed which points up different historical outcomes for alternative societal decisions.I just wished we'd "get the point" of these histories, because modern society is not immune to the evil outcomes of the same types of behaviors.

For those of you with an interest in Medieval History, this is the period of Edward III, the Black Prince, and John of Gaunt; a very "active" period in English history and one that sets the stage for an even more active period during the War of the Roses that follows it.Reading piecemeal about the period as I have so far, I found that some of the politics of the era seemed haphazard and confusing--certainly the recurrent use of titles as opposed to personal names makes it seem so.In reading this book the issues that arose at the end of Richard II's reign made much greater sense.Katherine and her liaison with John of Gaunt, which produced a number of "bastard" children related to the royal house, created a sea of cross currents in personal and national history, a sort of "perfect storm" situation, that didn't resolve itself again until the death of Richard III and the ascension of Henry Tudor as Henry VII.

Illuminating.

This book is more about John of Gaunt than Katherine Swynford
I was really looking forward to reading this book. I read Anya Seton's historical novel of Katherine Swynford years ago and really enjoyed it. I was hoping to discover a lot more about Katherine and her life. Unfortunately that wasn't the case.

Almost nothing is known about Katherine Swynford. Her mother is unknown, as well as when she was born. No one knows exactly how many children she had and their birthdates. The only solid records of her are John of Gaunt's (her lover and then 2nd husband) household registers for a few years that record gifts he made to her and a few historical documents. One granting the Pope's dispensation that Katherine and John were allowed to marry, another making her children by John of Gaunt legitimate after they married, and one from John of Gaunt himself in regard to Katherine's property.

Most of the time her whereabouts and what she was doing at the time are nothing but pure speculation. Even contemporary resources are of little help because they don't even agree on dates or events. Many of these sources didn't like Katherine because she was John of Gaunt's mistress and a "fallen woman", so they were probably biased against her.

This book really isn't about Katherine Swynford, it's about all the famous people that she had connections with at the time. Her lover and then husband, John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster, Geoffrey Chaucer (he wrote The Canterbury Tales) who married her sister Phillipa, the kings, queens and other royalty of the time, etc. If you condense all the information that is actually about Katherine herself, it might cover a few pages, less than 5% of the book. I would say this is more a biography of John of Gaunt than anyone else.

I enjoyed reading it, because it was interesting, but it shouldn't be called a biography of Katherine Swynford.
... Read more

Product Description
Perhaps the most influential sovereign England has everknown, Queen Elizabeth I remained an extremely private personthroughout her reign, keeping her own counsel and sharing secrets withno one--not even her closest, most trusted advisers. Now, in thisbrilliantly researched, fascinating new book, acclaimed biographerAlison Weir shares provocative new interpretations and fresh insightson this enigmatic figure.

Against a lavish backdrop ofpageantry and passion, intrigue and war, Weir dispels the mythssurrounding Elizabeth I and examines the contradictions of hercharacter. Elizabeth I loved the Earl of Leicester, but did sheconspire to murder his wife? She called herself the Virgin Queen, buthow chaste was she through dozens of liaisons? She never married--washer choice to remain single tied to the chilling fate of her mother,Anne Boleyn? Amazon.com Review
The long life and powerful personality of England's belovedVirgin Queen have eternal appeal, and popular historian Alison Weirdepicts both with panache. She's especially good at evoking thephysical texture of Tudor England: the elaborate royal gowns (actuallyan intricate assembly of separate fabric panels buttoned together overlinen shifts), the luxurious but unhygienic palaces (Elizabeth got theonly "close stool"; most members of her retinue relieved themselves inthe courtyards), the huge meals heavily seasoned to disguise the tasteof spoiled meat. Against this earthy backdrop, Elizabeth'sintelligence and formidable political skills stand in vividrelief. She may have been autocratic, devious, even deceptive, butthese traits were required to perform a 45-year tightrope walk betweenthe two great powers of Europe, France and Spain. Both countries wereeager to bring small, weak England under their sway and to safelymarry off its inconveniently independent queen. Weir emphasizesElizabeth's precarious position as a ruling woman in a man's world,suggesting plausibly that the single life was personally appealing aswell as politically expedient for someone who had seen many ambitiousladies--including her own mother--ruined and even executed for justthe appearance of sexual indiscretions. The author's evaluations ofsuch key figures in Elizabeth's reign as the Earl of Leicester(arguably the only man she ever loved) and William Cecil (her mosttrusted adviser) are equally cogent and respectful of psychologicalcomplexity. Weir does a fine job of retelling this always-popularstory for a new generation. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Customer Reviews (147)

Elizabeth I
My introduction to the fascinating life of Queen Elizabeth I was Jean Plaidy's Queen of this Realm. I also really enjoyed The Queen's Bastard and Virgin: Prelude to the Throne by Robin Maxwell and the Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory and also watched Elizabeth I and Elizabeth the Golden Age starring Cate Blanchett and the television mini-series Elizabeth Istarring Helen Mirren so needless to say I am 1) fascinated by this Queen and 2) pretty well versed on the ins and outs of her story. That being said, there wasn't really much that Weir's biography could tell me that I didn't already know. Even so, I found her account of Elizabeth's life to be interesting and detailed. I especially enjoyed her account of the relationship between Elizabeth and Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. Weir made Elizabeth come alive and definitely left me with a sense of why she was so revered. The way she is described she reminds me of Princess Diana in that she had "common touch" and captured the hearts of her people. That she fended off all outside threats and managed to make her country prosper in a time when women were still looked upon as weak, feeble, and unfit to rule is remarkable.

There were a few things in this account that I didn't care for. Weir used some passages (speeches and the like) more than once to demonstrate her point which could be a bit confusing. I had a sense of déjà vu a couple of times and rightly so. Also I felt that the book was a bit narrow. It just briefly touched on Elizabeth's childhood, the cultural aspects of the reign and England's foray into the new world like they didn't rank as high in importance as her issues with Philip of Spain, Mary Queen of Scots and her numerous courtships. To those truly interested in all facets of Elizabeth and her reign these topics probably would have been of interest also.

Although a little daunting in size, I found it to be a worthwhile read. Some histories tend to be so dry and boring I would rather gouge my eye out with a rusty spoon than continue to read them. This book was definitely not in that category. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to read a detailed account of Elizabeth's reign but I'm not sure I would tackle this if it is your first foray into Elizabeth's world. I suggest reading a few other books about this Great Lady (fiction or non-fiction) first.

The Life of Elizabeth I
Book was received in excellent condition and as I love the Tudors I really enjoyed the author's perspective based on historical fact, expanded where necessary by fiction.

A Scholarly work but a pleasurable read
My wife and I have very different tastes in reading material but we both enjoyed this book. I have read it several times and we both refer to it from time to time when a 'period' movie prompts us to check a fact or two. The work is obviously very well-researched but there is a novel-like quality to the read that is very refreshing.

Weir does indulge in a bit of speculation occasionally, but never to the point of being far-fetched. She addresses the issue of whether Elizabeth was, in fact, the virgin queen she is reputed to be (ie: actually a virgin as opposed to simply a lifelong spinster). Weir concludes she was and considers why this might have been. Her conclusion is, as I say, speculative but still reasonable.

The aspect of this book that makes it so good is that the reader is able to get the sense of Elizabeth as an actual person, not just a larger-than-life historical figure. I rather found myself feeling a bit sorry for her in some ways.

Highly recommended.

C.John Thompson

Surprisingly attractive
I initially bought this book to educate, not to entertain, myself, about UK's royal family; however, I found it very interesting, better than some of the well plotted novels I have. I can't put it down now.

Weir's Life of Elizabeth
Another of Weir's books on the Tudor period.Great starting place for people interested in Liz I, though not the greatest for a professional historian. ... Read more

Product Description
During his long reign (1953–1999), King Hussein of Jordan was one of the most dominant figures in Middle Eastern politics and a consistent proponent of peace with Israel. This is the first major account of his life, written with access to his official documents and with the cooperation (but not approval) of his family and staff, and also extensive interviews with international policy makers.

For more than forty years, Hussein walked a tightrope between the Palestinians and Arab radicals on the one hand and Israel on the other. Avi Shlaim reveals that, for the sake of dynastic and national survival, Hussein initiated a secret dialogue with Israel in 1963 that encompassed more than one thousand hours with Golda Meir, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Shamir, Yitzhak Rabin, and countless others. Shlaim reconstructs this dialogue across battle lines from previously untapped Israeli records and the firsthand accounts of key participants, and makes clear that it was Israeli intransigence that was largely responsible for the failure to achieve a peaceful settlement between 1967 and 1994.

At Hussein’s memorial service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Prince of Wales hailed him as “a man amongst men, a king amongst kings.” Lion of Jordan illuminates the triumphs and disappointments, the qualities and character of this extraordinary soldier and statesman, and significantly rewrites the history of the Middle East over the past fifty years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Great Book
Few born as kings, some are made others had thrones bestowed upon them. King Hussein was all of them. The book is great in describing the hard time and few good times king Hussein experienced during his reign. As a middle eastern reader this bring more insight about the mis-shief of the region and the policies drafted upon us.

Great book by all means !

Ali Asaad
Saudi Arabia

A master-piece.
The book is a master-piece and must be read by every Jordanian!!
It is a detailed description of not only the life of the late King Hussein, but also a description of the history and politics of Jordan since its early establishment in 1921. Although the book tends to advocate that the late king was a victim to Israeli, PLO and other states' intransigence ( and thus the book is accused of not being objective) but it nevertheless quotes some incidents which reflect the late king's mis-judgements and flaws during his reign. I was pleasantly surprised at how accurate and real the author describes the tense relationship between the Jordanians and the Palestinians either in the West Bank or in Jordan itself. The mere description of this made reading the book a real and vivid experience for me, as opposed to the numerous litrature that I have read on the subject which give the impression that the author is nothing but a mere observer or a reporter who does not have a real understanding of the true situation on the ground. The book is written as a tribute to the late king Hussein, who was truly a very well respected figure in and outside Jordan, and is expected to highlight his positive achievements. It is up to the reader to search other books on either Israel, the PLO, or other states to reach the desired balance.

Journey of Middle East Histrory through the life of King Hussain
Just finished reading this amazing narrative of Middle East Histroy throught the life of King Hussain. While I am not really much of a history guy, I found this to be a compelling read much more exciting than I had expected. Avi Shlaim style of vivid story-telling of events and colorful command of the language makes this an interesting journey; much of it I can relate to from my early childhood growing up in Jordan. Avi also resonates a tone unbiased ringing of fairness & seeking the truth, not political statements. He introduces a new element from the intellectual side that exposes hidden truths about a people's suffering in Palestine and Israeli state bent on controlling, occupying and doing whatever it takes to emerge a winner at whatever cost to its surroundings, the people they took the land from and its neighbors. Some of the pages read straight from the story pages of "Avatar'.
I highly recommend it if you can stand a 700 page history trip of middle east starting from the early 50's.
an excellent read.

Lightweight biography - but beware the bias of the author.
As a light biography of King Hussein, this book is passable.However, the reader should be aware that the author has an axe to grind against Israel, and misses no opportunity to do so.Sometimes it seems as if this is the primary purpose of the work, and poor Mr. Hussein has to wait patiently until Shlaim has vented his rage.

A few examples -
Page 163, referring to 1958, when Jordan was unable to get oil except by having it flown over Israel:
"Israel's behavior in Jordan's hour of need was erratic and unhelpful..."
But on the next page he says: "Hussein was grateful for Britain's help and for Israel's part in facilitating it". Hussein is then quoted as saying: "When an Arab nation [Saudi Arabia] refused [to help], an enemy [Israel] agreed.

So which is it, helpful or unhelpful?Fortunately, there is a footnote on the first comment, so we can see what the source of the "unhelpful" opinion is, and guess what?It's a paper written by the author in May 1999.

I guess Shlaim knows better than His Majesty who is helpful and who isn't.

The book is replete with such examples of pure and unadulterated objectivity, so I won't bother to quote any more.But Shlaim also plays fast and loose with the facts when it serves his purpose.

For example, this is how he describes the opening of the tunnel (25/9/96) which set off the 1996 riots:
"Of no great import in itself, the new gate to the second century BC tunnel constituted a symbolic and psychological affront to the Palestinians and a blatant Israeli violation of the pledge to resolve the dispute over Jerusalem through negotiations, not via the fait accompli."

To stuff so many distortions into so small a passage is quite an accomplishment.Let us count them:
First, the tunnel is not from the second century BC.It runs along the base of the herodian wall which was built in the first century BC to support the enlarged temple mount.
Second, in the first century BC the level of the tunnel was above ground, because the ground level was much lower.There was no tunnel, merely an open area along the wall.All this is explained to visitors when they come to see the tunnel.It is quite plain that the author has never been there, or was not paying attention.
Third, the opening of a second exit to a tourist attraction (which is what the tunnel actually is) on the outside of the temple mount in no way prejudices the status of Jerusalem, and it is ridiculous to describe this as a fait accompli which violates a pledge.

The reason for these distortions on the author's part is that he is embarrassed to give the true reason for the riots:The Palestinians were deliberately incited by their leaders with false rumors that the tunnels were going *under* the temple mount (rather than alongside it), and that their purpose was to blow up the mosques.Explosives were used to create the opening, and the sound of their detonation led credence to the rumors.
The author has copied a piece of Palestinian propaganda and presented it as fact.

These examples (and more - many more) suggest that nothing that the author says about Israel ought to be taken at face value.Presumably, he may be relied upon regarding purely internal Jordanian affairs, or its relations with other Arab countries.However, as the book progresses, Israel plays a larger and larger role, and what was an initially pleasant read turns into a tiresome exercise in sifting through bias and distortions.

A lion on a tightrope

Hussein's life was principled on the premise that " King Hussein was fundamentally and structurally a client king ...for all practical purposes the Hashemite legacy inherited from his grandfather was one of continuing dependence on the West." P.154

His wide recognition, acclaim and complexity were due to " the principle of balancing applied at all levels: the inter -Arab, the regional, (domestic) and the global...this meant balancing between Arab and conservatives and Arab radicals, between the Arab world on the one hand and Israel on the other, and the global level between the West and the Soviet bloc...The survival of the Hashemite dynastic interests were paramount(and) the guiding principle behind his foreign policy, the key to constant shits and maneuvers , to all the alliances and realignments " P.212

With these two elements as the deciding factors in Hussein's life, Avi Shlaim delivers a superb biography that is well written, researched, revealing, passionate and to a great extent objective.

Regardless if one agrees or not with the King's inherited role, he was able to save his dynasty and country.
Although King Hussein's life revolved on the previous mentioned principles, not all of the King's actions can be aligned with those principles if one takes a simplistic view of those actions without serious reflection and reading between the lines. Avi Shlaim does an excellent job on analyzing the King and his actions from the day he reached the thrown until the last moments on his deathbed.
For example, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, the King sided with Iraq, which is contradictory to King's " balancing principle." However, after reading the author's analysis and the foreign/domestic challenges facing the King, the King through careful policies and outstanding foresight was able to save his country and dynasty from Iraq, Israel and from domestic upheavals.

Even though the King had a "special" relationship with Israel for many reasons, which are explored in the book, the King realized the only way to have the support of Washington was through Israel. This is revealed when King Hussein gave Bush I a memo that stated in part, in his (the king's) judgment the Arab-Israeli conflict was not a foreign policy for the US but rather a domestic US issue due to the domestic influences in the US on the issue. P 478Although not comprehensible to the King, this an obstacle to peace in the region.
Another example is when President Clinton at the request of King Hussein was unable to sway congress to forgiveJordan'sdebt to the US.Clinton in turn asked for the help of Rabin. " Yes Mr. President," replied Rabin slowly we will do our best. To the Jordanians present at this brief exchange provided a remarkable demonstration of the political clout wielded by Israel and its friends on Capitol Hill" p 545

During the peace negotiations with Israel, King Hussein was very calculating with extreme foresight, Unlike Arafat who in my judgment was incompetent to lead his people's cause and prone to miscalculation and countless poor judgments before and after the peace treaty.To Israel's satisfaction, Arafat committed a huge blunder by going behind the King's back to negotiate with Israel a separate peace treaty with Israel.

King Hussein, in his correct judgment believed the agreement Arafat reached with Israel was vague, imprecise, and that substantive issues (Jerusalem, borders, refugees) were not addressed in the accord but left for future negotiations. " No one with any sense would sign a treaty first and discuss its technical clauses afterwards." P 533 King Hussein told Rabin when he asked the King to follow in the footsteps of the Peace treaty reached with the PLO.
These are some of the examples, perhaps not the most important, but nevertheless revealing on why I thought this an outstanding book on the life of King Hussein. ... Read more

Product Description
Born a little German princess without a drop of Russian blood in her veins she came to embody Russia and as the country moved from war to war and conquest to conquest it was Catherine who became great. Those who served her throne, or her bed, were well rewarded while the serfs were condemned to ever-worsening conditions. Men were instruments of pleasure. The weak had to perish. The future belonged to men - and sometimes a man could have the outward appearance of a woman. She was proof of that. This literary tour de force paints an enthralling picture of Catherine, her seductions, her coaxings and her phenomenal devotion to politics and work, but it also brings the Russian court- with all its intrigues - brilliantly to life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Catherine the Great by Henri Troya
This book will give you an inside look into the soul of Russia as it is developping into the nation it is today. Fascinating!

One of the best books I've ever read!
I'm not quite finished with the book - about 80% of the way through, but I think this book is FANTASTIC.I don't want it to end despite the fact that I am devouring it, ravenously.I have infinite admiration for the author and plan to read his other books. He researched his subject to the nth degree, it seems and he writes so well (even in translation). AlsoCatherine was a fascinatingly interesting character.Her relationship with Potemkin is the highlight of this book for me so far and may remain so. The relation between sensuality and agape (def #2) has long puzzled and intrigued me.Catherine II had found an answer by which she lived her life without compunction.Sensuality "was a natural function, neither something to be ashamed of nor something to boast about."And sheaccepted that ardor usually wears off with time and reblossoms with new flowers.However, this is not the only aspect of the book and of her character which I found so interesting. Because I don't like long reviews, I won't go into the other aspects. I am planning to recommend this book to everyone I talk to and I shall remember it with pleasure the rest of my life.

the strongest leader ever
i hard to believe a little german priness would become the most powerful woman in europe.but that catherine story .married to a stupid czravish who had no sense. he was determine to stay greman in russian,but katherina made show she learn langauge ,religion and people.she learn the art of policital when the time was right she took over.brought a new age not seen since peter the great.i would had like more about here early life in german but this book was well done.

Troyat's Catherint the Great
This is one of the very best biographies I have ever read.Troyat has takena very interesting but not particularly palatable historical figure ( My mother-in law referred to Catherine as "that awful person")and brought her to life with all of her fascinatingly complex character in a well wrought historical background.

Disappointing
Bad translation of a mediocre and sappy history. I couldn't stand it and have gone looking for a different biography of Catherine the Great. ... Read more