Peter the Great

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Summary: An incredibly riveting journey back in time
Review: This book is the best of all worlds in historical writing. It is powerfully written and so incredibly interesting that I found it difficult to put down. Never would I have believed that the story of one man's struggle to bring a country out of the dark ages and carry it almost single-handidly to the world stage as a power to be reckoned with could be so engrossing. Palace intrigue,war,empire building, it's all there and more,written in a style that has you wanting to read faster so you can get to the next page. If you haven't read this book one of life's true reading pleasures awaits you.

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Summary: A biography that reads like an outstanding novel
Review: I was ridiculed by my friends when I exited a bookstore with a copy of Peter the Great in my hands. Ridicule all they want but after reading this gargantuan book I was certain this was the best book I had ever read. Massie's description of Peter's life and of Russian society in the early 1700 bring to life ghosts long since gone. Massie brings history to life, the friendships, the deceits, love affairs, diplomacy etc. Massie's Peter the Great is much more than the biography of one man, it tells the story of a country's transformation from one of the most backward states of Europe to one of it's forerunners. It also explains in great length the going ons all over Europe in the time of Peter. Peter the Great, always interesting, always fun to read, reads more like a novel than a biography. That's one reason why I always recommend it to people regardless of wether the person likes or loathes history.

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Summary: Absolutely outstanding.
Review: Being an avid reader, Soviet by upbringing and education and half-Russian/ half-Ukrainian by roots, I am absolutely astonished by the quality and sheer scope of this book written by an Western author. Very well written. Historical materials and documents used by the author make it very realistic and show that a human being and politics have little changed in a few centuries. It was interesting to find out that Russia had more contacts with foreign countries at that time that I could have imagined. Many details of the court life (both in Russia and abroad) give very human touch to the book. Huge thanks to Mr. K. Massie.

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Summary: Massie's insight into Russian history is remarkable
Review: "A foreigner cannot begin to understand and comprehend the mysterious soul of Russian people"--was the official dogma of the Soviet history and of Soviet Intellectuals. "Read Tolstoy, Turgenev, and Dostoevkiy to get a glimpse..."--my teachers said. Well I say, read Massie's "Peter the Great". He dispells that myth. His insight into the customs and history of Russia is remarkable. (For example, nowhere in "War and Peace" will you find an explanation of inherent Russian alcoholism problem that dates back centuries). The author manages to give detailed account of the life of one of the most influential figures in Russian history in a way that reads like a novel, and yet when you are finished you know you have read a scholarly work.

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Summary: Brian Wayne Wells, Esquire Reviews Peter the Great
Review: This is a thoroughly readable book by the same authore who, with his wife-Suzanne Massie, first brought us "Nicolas and Alexandra" (1967). "Peter the Great" first appeared in 1980 and later served as the basis for the television mini-series of the same name.

Peter I, Czar of the Russian Empire from 1682 until his death in 1725, was a major influence on making Russia what it is today. Massie's book emphasizes this idea without falling into the trap of the "great man theory of history." With such a strong dynamic charater as Peter Romanov, it surely is tempting to overemphasize his impact on history by saying that the entire course of history would have been different had Peter not become Czar. This is the great man theory of history. This theory overlooks the fact that great men do not act in a vacuum. They act in concert with other people and in the light of certain events occurring independently during their lifetimes. It is enough to say about great political leaders, that they were successful in ralleying people and toward a particular goal which would might not have been accomplished as efficiently had a particular political leader not come along at a particular time in history.

Massie's book reads just like a novel just as "Nicolas and Alexandra" did. Yet the scholarship of the book is very much intact. Learning history and reading for pleasure become one in this book.

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Summary: Peter probably had ADHD and Tourette's syndrome
Review: The author concluded that Peter had a type of seizure disorder, however, his endless energy and inability to sit still are very suggestive of attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder. Many individuals with ADHD also suffer from Tourette's syndrome which is characterized by ticks and involuntary movements that they can control only to a certain degree. As opposed to true seizures, these involuntary movements can be suppressed by placing the individual in a less stressful environment or by going to sleep. True seizure disorders cannot be controlled at all and the individual usually loses conciousness at the initiation of the seizure.

The book reads like an action novel. Being born of Russian parents many of the situations descirbed in the book are very familiar.

Having a medical background and a relative who has a similar disorder it is quite easy to interpret Peter's problem. Tourette's generally begins in adolescence or a little earlier and can progress to a quite uncomfortable disorder, such as Massie descibed in Peter.

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Summary: Absolutely outstanding book.
Review: I can't recommend this book highly enough. Robert Massie has the gift of being not only a first-rate historian, but a terrific writer. Peter the Great is more gripping than most novels I've read.

Massie gives you the feeling that you intimately know this fascinating historical character. He doesn't shy away from Peter's faults, but in spite of them we see why Peter the Great was such a heroic, world-changing man.

In addition, we learn that Russian history before and mostly after Peter is more closely intertwined with European history than we might have thought.

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Summary: The most insightful and riveting book on Russia I've read.
Review: Robert Massie is a great historian who is an even better storyteller. This book sets Peter's life in the context of Russian and European history in a way that makes all three come to life. Massie's account of how Peter confronted the dread of "Swedish steel" is especially fascinating. A must read for anyone who is interested in Russia, or who wants to understand the way the world works. Steve Godfrey ([e-mail])

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Summary: A fascinating book that you won't be able to put down
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book that Robert K. Massie wrote about the life and personality of Peter the Great and the challenges he faced in trying to make Russia a major power on the European stage of the 18th century. Although Peter is accurately described as being a driven, uncompromising, and oftentimes ruthless man, this book also presents his softer, warmer side that usually opened up only to his second wife Catherine and to his inner group of trusted friends.

In reading the biography of Peter, a great deal of insight is also gained into the society and politics of 17th-18th century Russia and Europe, which in the hands of any other historian might be written in a dry and abstract manner. With Massie, however, he has such an engaging narrative style that the book reads like an action novel at times (such as in describing the Battle of Poltava).

Each personality of monarchs that Peter dealt with in Europe and the Middle East is given an ample introduction in "Peter the Great", which is entertaining reading in its own right. For example, we learn that Augustus II, King of Poland and useless ally of Peter in the Great Northern War, was a sexual philanderer of extreme proportions and that Frederick Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, had his famous collection of giants and suffered from pains that almost drove him to insanity.

Of course, a major portion of the book is devoted to the conflict between Peter and his archnemesis Charles XII in the Great Northern War. Massie recounts how Charles' fanaticism and his legendary aura of invincibility eventually brought the Swedish empire to its knees.

All in all, this is a book that would appeal to the general interest reader, as well as to the Russophile and to the person interested in European history. If you do get this book, try to get the hardcover edition, because a 915+ page book in paperback starts to fall apart after awhile. And you definitely want to have a nice-looking copy of this book to grace your bookshelf for a long time.

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Summary: A Masterpiece and epic in it's telling
Review: This volume is simply one of the very best, most exciting, interesting, and highly charged biographies I have read. Fortunately for me, a pending visit to Saint Petersburg provided me with the motivation to pull this twenty four-year-old 1st Edition copy from my bookshelf. Its 850 pages had seemed a daunting task no matter how many people had recommended this as a "must read". Robert Massie has created a masterpiece of story telling. Each chapter is the equivalent of a short story and compelling in it's own right. And each is presented with an introduction that places you, the reader, in context. Massie also places you both in Peter the Great's time but populates his world with many other sovereigns and characters of interesting historical note. Most notably a large part of the book is devoted to King Charles XII of Sweden. Upon completion of this wonderful book I had a much better understanding of Russia, the Baltic States history and the origins of may Russian cultural traits. Peter the Great was a massive personality who's impact was both awful for those he ruled and passed judgement on, and visionary for pushing Russia into a modern and westernized nation. Overall, the book reads like an epic Russian Novel, deep in character study, action, adventure, and compelling social observation. Massie is just an excellent writer. I highly recommend this book as others have recommended it to me.