Catherine The Great - book review

Catherine The Great; Portrait of a Woman by Robert Massie is a biography well worth reading. The book is well researched and full of historical information from Catherine’s childhood in Germany to her many years as a Russian monarch. Catherine was greatly influenced by many individuals in her life. As a young child, Catherine yearned to be accepted and loved by a harsh, distant mother.  Her father, although caring, had little say in Catherine’s upbringing.  This strong desire for acceptance lead Catherine to embrace all things Russian when she went to Russia to marry Peter, heir to the throne.  Her immersion in the Russian culture eventually enabled her to become loved by the Russian people. As monarch, she had numerous lovers throughout her life, a testament to her desire for love. Although Massey described Catherine as enlightened, there were differing opinions about this among the members of our book group. Catherine had strong interests in art and literature, and even desired to free the serfs; however, she was still a monarch who conquered neighboring nations in a quest to broaden her Russian empire.  Although she was a friend of Voltaire and shared many of his views, she was ultimately constrained by the desires of the Russian nobility to maintain the status quo.  While she may have done little to change the day-to-day life of the average Russian, she is still remembered as one of the greatest Russian monarchs.