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

The vitality of Catherine the expectant Empress of Russia By Carolly Erickson The Life of Catherine the Great is a 400-page bulk written by Carolly Erickson that expatiate the interesting life of Catherine. The book was published in 1994 and printed by St. Martins Press in New York. Readers are equal to purchase/check-out this book in a hardback copy with the ISBN of 0312135033 and in addition a paperback copy with an ISBN of 978-0312135034. The book features a full-length movie of Catherine in her royal attire on the front cover of the book.Erickson begins the tonic about Catherine, born Sophie, when she was a young four-year old girl. From the beginning of the book, she gives an reputation of Catherine the Greats life chronologic bothy. Erickson apply primary sources to collect selective culture on Catherine and even used several autobiographies that were written in cut by Catherine herself from different periods in her life. From these memoirs, Erickson was able to in terpret that Catherine was a full-bodied, educated, lovable, cleaning woman who was born to a German family and occupied prestigious titles early on into later stages of her life.Carolly Erickson performed rigorous research and provided some of the most intimate details about Catherine from Russia. Erickson spent much time interviewing different informants (diplomats, guards, foreign visitors) and quoting visible from journalists and others journals. With this particular book, a reader will decidedly get a well-written biography of this infamous historical figure and learn a gigantic deal about the times of Russia as well as unheard-of information about Catherine.This book was intended for readers that wanted to get a better grasp of Catherine the Great, but also can be an harmonic piece of work that is out of the ordinary for readers non quite familiar with Catherine. Erickson made sure to capture her audiences attention with the intrigue facts of Catherines being and manag ed to bring Catherines character to life. Catherine the Great of Russia was ru more thand to claim been a crazy nymphomaniac believed to have had a hand in her husbands murder. Erickson made an effort to dissolve her tarnished image and let on who Catherine really was.She was very(prenominal) empathetic regarding Catherines reputation. Erickson discussed how Catherine dressed and her attitude. She explained how she married a duke at the tender age of 14 and how their marriage was troublesome. She also mentions how catch and intelligent Catherine was and provides insight on how she made helpful changes to Russia but very little was written about how she ruled as Empress. Erickson demonstrated Catherines strength 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 l ove and unavoidable sorrows but also commends Catherines accomplishments that gained her fame and allowed her to become one of Russias historied 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 up that the book was interesting in the very beginning and the middle until I reached the end.I was bored beyond tears and could not believe this was the equal book that I started out reading. Aside from my anticipation 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 erst she became an empress which was closer toward the end of the book. The author, Erickson, obviously began reaching once she ran out of Catherines material. Because the focus of this book was in-person, I feel that it would be useless if it was used as an educational tool.I feel that it should be rec ommended primarily for individualised enjoyment. Therefore, I wouldnt suggest this book to a Russian scholar, to psyche who was interested in the politics of Russia, or to someone that wanted laborious details on other aspects of Catherines rule. Erickson is a great generator 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 qualification sure to keep her audiences attention all the focal point 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 cast of her life.