Eva Stachniak's Blog: On the absence of stories... - Posts Tagged "russia"

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have read all biographies of Catherine The Great I could find and they all have something in them that is unique. Robert K. Massey's Catherine includes extensive excerpts from her memoirs, letters, and other primary sources--adding authentic voices to the narrative. Massey calls his biography "a portrait of a woman" and he is consistent in showing Catherine's feminine side.
I found his discussion of historical background very illuminating--he cleared a few mysteries for me--however I found that the last years of her life did not get as thorough a treatment as earlier periods. I was looking forward to his take on Platon Zubov, Catherine's last favourite, but got little there beyond a tantalizing statement that Zubov was different than her other lovers. Her earlier liaisons have been discussed with more details and are far more developed.
With all these flaws, the book is splendid and a true complement to the existing biographies of this enigmatic, fascinating, and powerful woman. I heartily recommend it.



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I have just been sent a link to the YouTube site with the US trailer for The Winter Palace.
Many thanks Bantam Books!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChwoJz...

Bookreporter is offering free review copies of The Winter Palace.
Here are the contest details:

http://www.bookreporter.com/features/...

Hello,
The Winter Palace is out and is doing well. It has made it to The Globe and Mail Bestsellers's list as #3.
To my delight I am also being hosted by wonderful blogs.
Please take a look at my website to get a sense of what we are talking about when we are talking about The Winter Palace:
http://www.evastachniak.com/blogs/

And there will be more, I promise!

Eva

I was able to talk about my inspiration for The Winter Palace with Marci Ien at CTV Canada AM, today.
Enjoy!
Eva

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/top-picks/ev...

This is a link to a conversation I had with Craig Rintoul- the executive producer of Bookbits:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9TXzu...

Hope you enjoy it!
Eva

CBC Studio One invited me to take part in their Book Club session. I was interviewed on stage by host Sheryl MacKay and co-host Jen Sookfang Lee.

Here is an audio recording of this wonderful Vancouver evening.

http://www.cbc.ca/nxnw/studio-one-boo...