What do you think?
Rate this book
Catherine the Great: A Revealing History of the Ruthless and Charming Empress and Her Absolute Power
Admired for her achievements and satirized for her personal life, Catherine the Great was one of the most celebrated monarchs in history, turning eighteenth-century Russia into arguably the largest and most powerful state since the fall of the Roman Empire. She promoted radical political ideas while emphasizing moderation in government. She could be ruthless when necessary, but she charmed everyone she met, joking at private dinner parties in the Hermitage, which she had built for her own use. Determined to endear herself to the Russians, she made religious devotions in which she never believed. Intimate and revealing, Catherine the Great examines the lifelong friendships that sustained the empress throughout her personal life and places her within the context of the royal its politics, its flourishing literature and the very culture that became central to her exercise of absolute power.
432 pages, Paperback
First published November 9, 2001
134 people are currently reading
1617 people want to read
About the author
Simon Dixon
41 books15 followersSimon Dixon is Sir Bernard Pares Professor of Russian History at University College London.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
June 11, 2015
Catherine the Great was the German born wife of Peter III. Peter was (the Ruler of Russia) The former ruler Empress Elizabeth’s handpicked successor. When Russia Nobles found Peter unacceptable they kidnapped and most likely assassinated him. He may have been killed in a struggle but in either event he was killed.
The Nobles afterward quickly put Catherine in power she being the next in line of succession. What they found in Catherine was somewhat of a surprise. She was swept up in the Enlightenment and was very ambitious. She wrote and had a lifelong correspondence with the French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire.
As Empress, she attempted to systemize and unify Russia’s laws which were an inconsistent at the time and had an odd combination of past laws. She also attempted to unify a country that had enormous diversity. She traveled to all parts of Russia to learn about these varying cultures. She also built schools and instructed at what should be taught.
She tried to write a book on Etymology which is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time. She even wrote to George Washington for help with English words.
She built and stocked the Hermitage Museum with world class art from artists Raphael, Giorgione, Titian, Veronese, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck et al. She turned St. Petersburg into one of the most beautiful cities in the world paying for and building magnificent buildings and architecture.
She also expanded the Russia Empire by waging war against the Ottoman Turks. Russia had engulfed the Crimea, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Courland. She extended the Russian border to the Black Sea.
She had a son, with Peter III, named Paul of whom she basically ignored. However, when Paul had children she became a doting grandmother. She bragged to everyone how smart her two grandsons were.
Her love life is well documented in this book. She had numerous affairs.
When she was younger someone told her she was cute. She remarked that that was the only time in her life that someone said that to her. I just found that touching.
I am betting there is a better book about her. The author tended to overload the reader with the cost of building and the cost of the various Balls which were customary of the times. The battles are not well discussed or her reasons for her disliking of the Turks so much. I think her story could be much more interesting. This book just left me somewhat underwhelmed.
The Nobles afterward quickly put Catherine in power she being the next in line of succession. What they found in Catherine was somewhat of a surprise. She was swept up in the Enlightenment and was very ambitious. She wrote and had a lifelong correspondence with the French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire.
As Empress, she attempted to systemize and unify Russia’s laws which were an inconsistent at the time and had an odd combination of past laws. She also attempted to unify a country that had enormous diversity. She traveled to all parts of Russia to learn about these varying cultures. She also built schools and instructed at what should be taught.
She tried to write a book on Etymology which is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time. She even wrote to George Washington for help with English words.
She built and stocked the Hermitage Museum with world class art from artists Raphael, Giorgione, Titian, Veronese, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck et al. She turned St. Petersburg into one of the most beautiful cities in the world paying for and building magnificent buildings and architecture.
She also expanded the Russia Empire by waging war against the Ottoman Turks. Russia had engulfed the Crimea, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Courland. She extended the Russian border to the Black Sea.
She had a son, with Peter III, named Paul of whom she basically ignored. However, when Paul had children she became a doting grandmother. She bragged to everyone how smart her two grandsons were.
Her love life is well documented in this book. She had numerous affairs.
When she was younger someone told her she was cute. She remarked that that was the only time in her life that someone said that to her. I just found that touching.
I am betting there is a better book about her. The author tended to overload the reader with the cost of building and the cost of the various Balls which were customary of the times. The battles are not well discussed or her reasons for her disliking of the Turks so much. I think her story could be much more interesting. This book just left me somewhat underwhelmed.
September 30, 2025
Glitter in Grey
It is no secret that I love Russia history and I have tried to read everything I can from all periods. Empress Catherine II is one of the most fascinating periods for me, as it was Russia’s transformation from an almost backwater into a modern empire. As such, it was only natural that I turned to Simon Dixon’s Catherine the Great which has come so highly recommended by experts. My opinion is that this is a solid and well-researched biography that offers a balanced picture of Russia’s most famous female. In a sense the book is a success as Dixon is able to cut through the myths and scandals that often surround Catherine, instead presenting her as a pragmatic and intelligent stateswoman who balanced Enlightenment ideals with the realities of autocracy.
Dixon clearly knows his subject, and his careful attention to political, diplomatic, and institutional detail makes this a valuable resource for readers seeking a serious study of Catherine’s reign. His analysis of her achievements, such as the expansion of Russian territory and her role in strengthening imperial authority is balanced by an honest look at the contradictions of her rule, including her reliance on serfdom and her cautious approach to reform.
Dixon carefully traces Catherine’s journey from Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, a minor German princess to Empress of Russia, showing how she mastered court politics, consolidated power after the coup against her husband Peter III, and cultivated a powerful image as both enlightened monarch and autocrat. He emphasises her diplomatic acumen, military successes (such as the expansion into the Black Sea region), and domestic reforms, while not ignoring the contradictions of her reign, most notably her reliance on serfdom and her limited commitment to social change when it threatened the nobility’s support.
However, I felt that Catherine the Great was dry at times. Dixon’s writing style along with his heavy focus on politics and governance, meant Catherine’s personality and private life are less vivid than in other biographies. This is a disappointing as I usually lean towards the politics as this interests me most. Simon Sebag Montefiore’s Catherine and Potemkin is certainly more focused on this, although having been accused of being too much like gossip. Therefore if you are looking for a more gripping narrative or personal portrait of Catherine, Dixon’s book may come across as somewhat restrained and academic.
Overall, Catherine the Great is a competent and reliable history, but not the most engaging. It’s best suited to readers with a strong interest in Russian history rather than those looking for an entertaining or dramatic biography. In the end it is informative and balanced, but occasionally dull. I would say that it is a worthwhile read in any case.
It is no secret that I love Russia history and I have tried to read everything I can from all periods. Empress Catherine II is one of the most fascinating periods for me, as it was Russia’s transformation from an almost backwater into a modern empire. As such, it was only natural that I turned to Simon Dixon’s Catherine the Great which has come so highly recommended by experts. My opinion is that this is a solid and well-researched biography that offers a balanced picture of Russia’s most famous female. In a sense the book is a success as Dixon is able to cut through the myths and scandals that often surround Catherine, instead presenting her as a pragmatic and intelligent stateswoman who balanced Enlightenment ideals with the realities of autocracy.
Dixon clearly knows his subject, and his careful attention to political, diplomatic, and institutional detail makes this a valuable resource for readers seeking a serious study of Catherine’s reign. His analysis of her achievements, such as the expansion of Russian territory and her role in strengthening imperial authority is balanced by an honest look at the contradictions of her rule, including her reliance on serfdom and her cautious approach to reform.
Dixon carefully traces Catherine’s journey from Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, a minor German princess to Empress of Russia, showing how she mastered court politics, consolidated power after the coup against her husband Peter III, and cultivated a powerful image as both enlightened monarch and autocrat. He emphasises her diplomatic acumen, military successes (such as the expansion into the Black Sea region), and domestic reforms, while not ignoring the contradictions of her reign, most notably her reliance on serfdom and her limited commitment to social change when it threatened the nobility’s support.
However, I felt that Catherine the Great was dry at times. Dixon’s writing style along with his heavy focus on politics and governance, meant Catherine’s personality and private life are less vivid than in other biographies. This is a disappointing as I usually lean towards the politics as this interests me most. Simon Sebag Montefiore’s Catherine and Potemkin is certainly more focused on this, although having been accused of being too much like gossip. Therefore if you are looking for a more gripping narrative or personal portrait of Catherine, Dixon’s book may come across as somewhat restrained and academic.
Overall, Catherine the Great is a competent and reliable history, but not the most engaging. It’s best suited to readers with a strong interest in Russian history rather than those looking for an entertaining or dramatic biography. In the end it is informative and balanced, but occasionally dull. I would say that it is a worthwhile read in any case.
May 10, 2011
Have to agree with the comments about this book being obsessed with physical details. He seemed to spend more pages on the credentials of the architect who build a palace that Catherine stayed in for a couple of months in her youth than on the reasons why a really minor German princess was invited to the Russian court as a prospective wife for the future Tsar. So many lists, so many roubles. I can understand that a historian many want to ground his work in facts and those sorts of facts are the ones that are irrefutably documents but it was too much. I wanted politics, I wanted insights and explanations not numbers of beads. Ended up putting it back - clearly meticulously researched and with a remarkable knowledge of subject, but too many trees, not enough forest!
April 22, 2012
This is the second biography I have read this spring about a Russian monarch, the other being Peter the Great. There is a kind of sameness to biographies of monarchs who have enjoyed long reigns -- as opposed to something like Tacitus's The Histories, about the Year of the Four Emperors in A.D. 69. The ruler comes to power, by fair means or foul, establishes himself or herself, issues numerous reforms, conducts several wars, weakens, dies, and is repudiated by his or her heirs. I think that is about enough for me for at least another year or so.
Simon Dixon does a creditable job marshaling his facts and footnoting his assertions. What he fails to do is step back and assess the contributions of his subject from his vantage point more than two centuries after Catherine's demise. There are some interesting illustrations, but no maps, which would have been helpful considering the many far-flung wars and royal visits to provincial cities.
A few weeks ago, I read George Bernard Shaw's short play Great Catherine, which, in its limited way, was as helpful as Dixon's 500-page biography.
Simon Dixon does a creditable job marshaling his facts and footnoting his assertions. What he fails to do is step back and assess the contributions of his subject from his vantage point more than two centuries after Catherine's demise. There are some interesting illustrations, but no maps, which would have been helpful considering the many far-flung wars and royal visits to provincial cities.
A few weeks ago, I read George Bernard Shaw's short play Great Catherine, which, in its limited way, was as helpful as Dixon's 500-page biography.
July 27, 2009
I had wanted to know more about her politics and the changes she made, but I learned way too much about how many roubles she spent on what person and what building project. *sigh* It was a good start, though.
March 31, 2017
I was going to wait to get the Robert K. Massie bio of Catherine the Great from my library as my first introduction to her, but I saw this one for $3 at Half Price Books and thought I'd start here... I really wish I had waited for the Massie book and saved myself this reading experience.
I finished the whole thing and feel like I hardly know anything about Catherine or her life. What I do know a whole heck of a lot about is architecture and budgeting. Most of the book was spent discussing various palaces she ordered constructed and an in-depth dissection of their building features; also lots and lots of lists of items bought with their listed amounts in rubles. It was, excuse my language here, boring as fuck. Most of Catherine's policies and intrigues were hardly discussed, her love affairs were quick mentions, and freaking POTEMKIN, one of the pivotal figures of her life, is barely present - and when he is, it has to do with whatever he was doing for her government and relates almost nothing about their personal relationship. There was also a lengthy section describing a war that Russia was in but I don't know why or what about, just that Catherine didn't like the Turks and I don't know why that was either.
Honestly the only reason I gave it 2 stars is because from what I can tell, everything is factually correct. Dixon doesn't make any unverifiable claims or wild conjectures. It does its job as a history book. It doesn't do its job as either a personal biography or as entertainment of any kind. Its focus was totally wrong, and I hated that. If I wanted to learn about a construction or money, I'd read an architecture book or a business book. If I pick up a book called "Catherine the Great", I expect to learn about Catherine the Great. I don't think that's too much to ask.
I finished the whole thing and feel like I hardly know anything about Catherine or her life. What I do know a whole heck of a lot about is architecture and budgeting. Most of the book was spent discussing various palaces she ordered constructed and an in-depth dissection of their building features; also lots and lots of lists of items bought with their listed amounts in rubles. It was, excuse my language here, boring as fuck. Most of Catherine's policies and intrigues were hardly discussed, her love affairs were quick mentions, and freaking POTEMKIN, one of the pivotal figures of her life, is barely present - and when he is, it has to do with whatever he was doing for her government and relates almost nothing about their personal relationship. There was also a lengthy section describing a war that Russia was in but I don't know why or what about, just that Catherine didn't like the Turks and I don't know why that was either.
Honestly the only reason I gave it 2 stars is because from what I can tell, everything is factually correct. Dixon doesn't make any unverifiable claims or wild conjectures. It does its job as a history book. It doesn't do its job as either a personal biography or as entertainment of any kind. Its focus was totally wrong, and I hated that. If I wanted to learn about a construction or money, I'd read an architecture book or a business book. If I pick up a book called "Catherine the Great", I expect to learn about Catherine the Great. I don't think that's too much to ask.
September 4, 2018
I am surprised by the amount of reviewers who left three stars or less on this biography while critiquing the lack of political intrigue or focus on Catherine's romantic relationships. Dixon clearly states on the second page that he "sought to recover a sense of place, situating Catherine in the context of the Court society" As such, his work focuses on the Court institution and all the laborious details involved. If you want political intrigue, Madariaga's biography would be more fitting.
While I personally found a good part of his writing to be quite dry and overladen with figures and details that I had little interest in, it cannot be denied that Dixon did a good job of describing the court life of Catherine's time and all the nuances at play. Though this book is certainly not for everyone—I would say the work is closer to an academic biography more so than a popular one—it is well written for what it is and offers meticulously researched detail and well-deserved attention to the unreliability of Catherine's own memoirs that he quotes throughout his book.
While I personally found a good part of his writing to be quite dry and overladen with figures and details that I had little interest in, it cannot be denied that Dixon did a good job of describing the court life of Catherine's time and all the nuances at play. Though this book is certainly not for everyone—I would say the work is closer to an academic biography more so than a popular one—it is well written for what it is and offers meticulously researched detail and well-deserved attention to the unreliability of Catherine's own memoirs that he quotes throughout his book.
February 3, 2010
I'm a little disappointed in this book. I find the idea of Catherine the Great very fascinating but don't know much about her reign. This book really didn't give me much of a better sense about the monarch. It took some 120 pages before we even got to her reign, and then the book seemed more obsessed with all the buildings she had commissioned and how much everything cost.
I'll kindly take any suggestions anyone has for more illuminating books about her rule.
I'll kindly take any suggestions anyone has for more illuminating books about her rule.
September 3, 2021
It can be difficult to pick a biography of someone with relatively unparalleled fame. I chose this one because it was currently available at my library and had made a few lists of good bios about the titular subject.
Overall, I enjoyed Catherine the Great. Dixon demonstrates thorough research and thoughtful application of his findings. We get a fairly full understanding of the empress as a ruler, woman, wife, and more.
One element I particularly enjoyed was that the author did not shy away from classifying certain figures with less than savory descriptions where appropriate. I have certainly read historical works where the researcher comes across as too hesitant to step on any toes, thus brushing over transgressions and making endless excuses for terrible behavior. None of this book takes place in the present day, and it is important to contextualize and clearly state potential negative realities.
I really like when historians move chronologically but weave in tidbits to either keep you waiting for something you know will be important later or vice versa. Dixon kept it simple by not jumping around in time, but he also added how someone was fated or why a person may become relevant deeper into Catherine the Great’s story.
Yet there was one large drawback that took this from ‘pretty good if not necessarily anything spectacular’ biography territory into something quite a lot less memorable: the author is obsessed with costs.
On many occasions, I have found the insertion of prices and purchase histories useful. They can offer greater understanding of an individual’s place in society, help demonstrate the values of the time, and so much more.
But Dixon really went above and beyond, and not in a good way. At least every few pages, he included what felt like exhaustive lists (though I’m sure he would think he barely scratched the surface) of how much the empress (Elizabeth or Catherine, depending on when) paid for palace construction or parties. This was interesting at first, but had to have made up at least a fifth of what was really a rather short biography.
I cannot tell if this came about because Catherine the Great has been studied so many times that Dixon felt he really didn’t have anything more nuanced to add, or if purchase histories are really his passion. Either way, they became unnecessarily cumbersome and felt like fillers after the first four or five appearances.
This is a well-researched biography of Catherine the Great that paints her in a positive light without being too laudatory or hesitant to acknowledge her many faults. I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the topic, perhaps limited biographies from which to choose, and is either willing to skip price lists or very fascinated by them. The empress is a constantly researched figure with decades of intrigue to study, and absolutely worth learning more about for anyone who may wish to do so.
Overall, I enjoyed Catherine the Great. Dixon demonstrates thorough research and thoughtful application of his findings. We get a fairly full understanding of the empress as a ruler, woman, wife, and more.
One element I particularly enjoyed was that the author did not shy away from classifying certain figures with less than savory descriptions where appropriate. I have certainly read historical works where the researcher comes across as too hesitant to step on any toes, thus brushing over transgressions and making endless excuses for terrible behavior. None of this book takes place in the present day, and it is important to contextualize and clearly state potential negative realities.
I really like when historians move chronologically but weave in tidbits to either keep you waiting for something you know will be important later or vice versa. Dixon kept it simple by not jumping around in time, but he also added how someone was fated or why a person may become relevant deeper into Catherine the Great’s story.
Yet there was one large drawback that took this from ‘pretty good if not necessarily anything spectacular’ biography territory into something quite a lot less memorable: the author is obsessed with costs.
On many occasions, I have found the insertion of prices and purchase histories useful. They can offer greater understanding of an individual’s place in society, help demonstrate the values of the time, and so much more.
But Dixon really went above and beyond, and not in a good way. At least every few pages, he included what felt like exhaustive lists (though I’m sure he would think he barely scratched the surface) of how much the empress (Elizabeth or Catherine, depending on when) paid for palace construction or parties. This was interesting at first, but had to have made up at least a fifth of what was really a rather short biography.
I cannot tell if this came about because Catherine the Great has been studied so many times that Dixon felt he really didn’t have anything more nuanced to add, or if purchase histories are really his passion. Either way, they became unnecessarily cumbersome and felt like fillers after the first four or five appearances.
This is a well-researched biography of Catherine the Great that paints her in a positive light without being too laudatory or hesitant to acknowledge her many faults. I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the topic, perhaps limited biographies from which to choose, and is either willing to skip price lists or very fascinated by them. The empress is a constantly researched figure with decades of intrigue to study, and absolutely worth learning more about for anyone who may wish to do so.
September 25, 2023
One of the most dreadful books I have ever read. I would rather crawl through sand than read it again. The author Simon Dixon tried to add as much as possible in the shortest chapters, instead of actually saying something interesting or developing any ideas he took forever to speak about the carpets, toilets, and balls of Catherine. Unnecessary details, blocks of statistics and checkbooks, nice extracts from different primary sources, but not any thoughts on them, used as a part of the narrative, instead for explanation and question raisers. The actually useful bits are annoyingly few, but not that much to be concerning for the book’s role in my essay. Even if there are not a lot of direct quotations and explanations, some of the casually thrown facts are quite useful to prove the point (her reading of the classics, the close relations with Voltaire and Diderot, and her relationship with the church). I don’t know what to do with over-the-top information about her sexual encounters and their significance in her life, because I don’t think that they deserve the level of recognition. For me, it’s an interesting link to develop, how was she influenced by her time in Elizabeth’s court, because it is obvious that it left a mark on how she later organised her own aristocracy. I also think that important things were thrown in one sentence and then never mentioned again, for example, the diplomatic revolution, her pregnancies, the reforms she made regarding vaccination, and really obvious connections that were not mentioned and felt like missed opportunities. Big parts of the book felt like jumping from one thing to another without any relevance to the main story. Tell me why he spent more than 40% of the book talking about some random aristocrats that are relevant for exactly one sentence, but instead get three pages for their entire family, preference of the weather, cost of the undergarments, etc. Honestly, the whole book was a big yawn, I am sorry. Completely lost the mark and the point.
June 10, 2025
I rather enjoyed this biography of Catherine II of Russia - clearly it is not like 'Catherine the Great: A Short History' by Isabel de Madariaga but the Simon Dixon makes clear what sort of book he is going to write in the introduction when he says "(I) sought to recover a sense of place, situating Catherine in the context of the Court society" . I enjoyed it and I didn't expect to. But then I read a lot of Romanov biographies in my youth and was expecting the same old thing plus I didn't expect it to enjoy it as much as the superb 'The Prince of Princes: The Life of Potemkin' by Simon Sebag Montefiore. But I was very surprised this is definitely a new worthy biography of Russia's last female ruler.
October 31, 2012
A book for those who like courtly glitter, pagentry, discription of royal balls, flamboyant expositions of life in medieval courts and of course easy reading. It wasn't my cup of tea and I struggled to get to the data I needed to find but I have given it 3 stars for achieving what it set out to do. Its reasonably well researched too. If you are not trying to contextualize Catherine within the larger Russian or European political environment, and you do like entertaining historical reads, this is it.
August 6, 2011
It's a potentially fantastic biography...rendered merely "good" by (1) a strange apologist tone for Catherine, making her seem positively genteel, considering the autocratic hold she held over Russia, and (2) an obsession with too much court & religious ceremonial detail...which drove me to distraction numerous times.
May 16, 2020
Very scholarly with lots of details. If toilet paper had been available, we would know how rolls the royal court used, whether single or two-ply and how many roubles it cost. We learn about Catherine's extravagant spending on palaces, balls, theater, celebrations, travel and war. We also learn how she rewarded a succession of young lovers. Talk about friends with benefits! In an era before birth control, I was surprised to learn that she had only one illegitimate child. We learn in detail about the extravagant lives of the Russian aristocracy. What Dixon fails to report is about the lives of the other 99 percent of the Russian population - the serfs and peasants. Compared to her predecessors, Catherine was a reformer. But as a usurper, she needed the support of the nobility to maintain her monarchy.
June 6, 2023
I’ve been reading this book, found in a little library, between overdue library books. I wanted to read a biography of Catherine the Great, more powerful than Elizabeth I, more self-reflective than Victoria, for a while. She killed her husband and her son Czar Paul may have been the result of an affair (she certainly had another son out of wedlock). More substantially, she was friends with the philosophes but still didn’t free the serfs. She tried to bring in codified laws and a better educational system, but mostly she hung out in her multiple estates and faffed around, like the super-rich today. Dixon isn’t a particularly engaging writer. He doesn’t seem to have a main theme and spends much of his time relating details rather than sinking his teeth into personality. But I did learn more about Russia.
April 23, 2018
This was my first book, which I've read, in regards to the history of Russia and its monarchs. I still have a long way to go.
This book was very eye-opening though, as it gave some insight into the hearts and minds of, not only Catherine, but also the people surrounding her.
This was a very quick read, but it did give a great amount of detail about Catherine's beginnings, reign, and post-reign.
Since Catherine's reign was relatively close to the beginnings of the Russian Revolution, I have more books to read, both pre and post Catherine's reign. I am wondering if going back to Peter The Great's reign would be far enough. I'll have to do more research, which means, more books!
This book was very eye-opening though, as it gave some insight into the hearts and minds of, not only Catherine, but also the people surrounding her.
This was a very quick read, but it did give a great amount of detail about Catherine's beginnings, reign, and post-reign.
Since Catherine's reign was relatively close to the beginnings of the Russian Revolution, I have more books to read, both pre and post Catherine's reign. I am wondering if going back to Peter The Great's reign would be far enough. I'll have to do more research, which means, more books!
October 22, 2024
Simon Dixon’s Catherine the Great offers an in-depth and scholarly exploration of the life and reign of one of Russia’s most remarkable rulers. Dixon presents a well-rounded portrait of Catherine, emphasizing her political acumen, intellectual curiosity, and personal challenges. The book is rich in historical detail, making it both informative and engaging. However, at times, a bit too quick. Nonetheless, it’s a thoroughly researched and balanced biography that provides a comprehensive understanding of Catherine’s lasting legacy. Perfect for history enthusiasts seeking a detailed and nuanced account.
April 4, 2019
I'm not likely to finish this. I wanted a biography of her but this is way too tedious for me. Normally, long books don't intimidate me and if they hold my interest, I'm in for the long haul. This one tells me way more than I want to know. I am interested in her personality, how she came to the throne, her life, her decisions, her interaction with Russia and her impact but not all those tiny details. I realize she is a difficult person to write about though because she was a very complicated person. I saw a miniature reproduction of her palace and became intrigued with her.
December 4, 2022
A bit of a dry read based on historically documented facts (50 pages of citations). A lot of detail on roubles spent for various palaces, excursions, and other affairs. For me the most interesting parts were the inclusions from Catherine’s letters. Perhaps a book of her letters would be a better choice for me.
October 31, 2025
This book can be a long hard slog unless you are really enthused by Russian history, and its historical royal lines. Some highlights do stand out. Things like where a Potemkin Village and Beef Stroganoff come from. However, other than the usual royal court intrigue, there is not a huge amount of knowledge to be obtained. The book is as well written as the topic can provide or allow.
August 7, 2019
The book is a bit dry. A lot of factual information and more like this is what happened. I only read it when doing cardio so small increments worked for this book. I knew nothing before reading and learned a lot!
did-not-finish
March 17, 2023Gave up on this one at around 100 pages because (as other reviewers have also noted) by that point the book was turning out to be mostly an account of expenses, and I'd learned very little about Catherine.
July 1, 2018
I quit half way. Too many figures, boring. I never got to learn About her. Why was she so great?
October 5, 2018
Dissapointing. An uninteresting account of an incredible figure.
October 14, 2019
Dixon explains how Catherine perceived and used power.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
March 11, 2021
Very interesting and smooth read about an important and influential ruler.
February 6, 2022
DNF. A fascinating woman, but the prose was really dry. I will look for another author's biography.
Want to read
April 24, 2024SM
May 11, 2018
This is the worst history book I've ever read, and considering the subject matter at hand, I'm not sure how is that even possible. Thanks to some really admirable lack of basic storytelling skills, and his utter misunderstanding of concept of being interesting, this guy Simon Dixon has somehow managed to tell an incoherent, boring, pointless, dry, shallow and outright stupid tale about one of the most fascinating characters and one of the greatest rulers in human history. And that really requires a special level of failurism, that one could only dream (or have nightmares) about.
Simon Dixon's abomination of a book is filled with endless lists of repetitive quotes, with randomly chosen segments from Catherine's letter correspondences, with rows upon rows of names of Russian nobles who are just being mentioned for the sake of it, and whose roles are almost never explored any further. There are tons and tons of meticulously listed prices in roubles for numerous projects or activities, but they don't MEAN anything because we are never told how much is one rouble worth, or how much could a person in Russia usually earn at that time, so we have nothing to compare those numbers to, and nothing to give them scope or relevance.
On the other hand, this is a perfect book for everyone who always wanted to know what was the color of Catherine's favorite chair in a certain room in her palace, or if she ran her nose a lot in the early March of 1787, or what was the opera she was listening to during the prince of Prussia's second visit. But while it provides plenty of trivial bits of useless information, the book completely neglects to even attempt to explain some of the biggest and most crucial questions about Catherine's reign. For example, the fascinating coup of 1762, which brought Catherine to power, is covered in literally one page, without ever elaborating on any reasons that led to it, or introducing any factions on the court, or providing any detailed analysis about this unlikely event. Instead, we are just told in passing that the tsar was dethroned and soon killed, and that Catherine will be crowned, and yay, let's talk about what kind of dress will she wear at her coronation, and spend an entire chapter listing who gets to sit where during the big event.
This is just complete worthless crap. It's obvious that Simon Dixon did not have a clue about the subject he was writing about, and instead of analyzing or explaining things, he was just throwing out a bunch of numbers and data, and hope that his shit will stick to as many walls as possible. Disgusting and disgraceful.
Current score: 34/100
Current ranking: 41st (out of 45) on my list of non-fiction books.
Simon Dixon's abomination of a book is filled with endless lists of repetitive quotes, with randomly chosen segments from Catherine's letter correspondences, with rows upon rows of names of Russian nobles who are just being mentioned for the sake of it, and whose roles are almost never explored any further. There are tons and tons of meticulously listed prices in roubles for numerous projects or activities, but they don't MEAN anything because we are never told how much is one rouble worth, or how much could a person in Russia usually earn at that time, so we have nothing to compare those numbers to, and nothing to give them scope or relevance.
On the other hand, this is a perfect book for everyone who always wanted to know what was the color of Catherine's favorite chair in a certain room in her palace, or if she ran her nose a lot in the early March of 1787, or what was the opera she was listening to during the prince of Prussia's second visit. But while it provides plenty of trivial bits of useless information, the book completely neglects to even attempt to explain some of the biggest and most crucial questions about Catherine's reign. For example, the fascinating coup of 1762, which brought Catherine to power, is covered in literally one page, without ever elaborating on any reasons that led to it, or introducing any factions on the court, or providing any detailed analysis about this unlikely event. Instead, we are just told in passing that the tsar was dethroned and soon killed, and that Catherine will be crowned, and yay, let's talk about what kind of dress will she wear at her coronation, and spend an entire chapter listing who gets to sit where during the big event.
This is just complete worthless crap. It's obvious that Simon Dixon did not have a clue about the subject he was writing about, and instead of analyzing or explaining things, he was just throwing out a bunch of numbers and data, and hope that his shit will stick to as many walls as possible. Disgusting and disgraceful.
Current score: 34/100
Current ranking: 41st (out of 45) on my list of non-fiction books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews