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Rating: 
Summary: The Best Biography of Catherine II I've Seen
Review: Alexander does a marvelous job retelling history without sensationalizing it. Many past biographers undertaking the job of writing about Catherine the Great have often focused too much on her sexuality, rather than her political prowess. John T. Alexander, however, thoroughly examines the political and cultural context of her life, and refuses to insult the reader's intelligence by dishing gossip or repeating long-held opinions. Having read four other biographies of Catherine the Great, I can assure you this one is probably the best. Impartial, informative, and interesting.
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Summary: Catherine the Great: Rent the Movie
Review: I have read history books more interesting than this book. When i purchased the book i thought that it would be an interesting work. The book started off interesting. Then, as it progressed it got worse. Rent the movie. It would be much better. Trust me.
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Summary: The book wasn't great!
Review: I have read several books on the history of Russia, like Peter the Great, and the Romanovs, but this book frankly bored me. The author definetly knows his stuff about Catherine, but I got so tired of reading about all the political stuff in this book. I wanted to know more about her personal life, more details about her comings and goings, not about how she ruled her Russian cabinet officers. Also the use of vocabulary was way over my head, so it made it hard to enjoy reading because many times I needed to get the dictionary, and I feel I have a fairly good vocabulary. I would not recommend this book unless you want to know about Russian administration in her time.
Rating:
Summary: The book wasn't great!
Review: I have read several books on the history of Russia, like Peter the Great, and the Romanovs, but this book frankly bored me. The author definetly knows his stuff about Catherine, but I got so tired of reading about all the political stuff in this book. I wanted to know more about her personal life, more details about her comings and goings, not about how she ruled her Russian cabinet officers. Also the use of vocabulary was way over my head, so it made it hard to enjoy reading because many times I needed to get the dictionary, and I feel I have a fairly good vocabulary. I would not recommend this book unless you want to know about Russian administration in her time.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not Great
Review: This is a good book to read to get a handle on the reign of Catherine the Great and late 18th C. Russia. Alexander covers the court intrigues, the attempts at reform, the complexities of foreign policy. He also avoids treating Catherine's personal life in a sensationalistic way.So if you read this book, you will learn a lot. On the other hand, the book doesn't really come to life in the way Massie's "Peter the Great" or Avrich's "Russian Rebels" did. It is recommended only to those with a serious interest in the time of Catherine, such as students, and not the casual reader.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not Great
Review: This is a good book to read to get a handle on the reign of Catherine the Great and late 18th C. Russia. Alexander covers the court intrigues, the attempts at reform, the complexities of foreign policy. He also avoids treating Catherine's personal life in a sensationalistic way. So if you read this book, you will learn a lot. On the other hand, the book doesn't really come to life in the way Massie's "Peter the Great" or Avrich's "Russian Rebels" did. It is recommended only to those with a serious interest in the time of Catherine, such as students, and not the casual reader.
Rating: 
Summary: Enlightened Despot?
Review: This is a scholarly work, telling of the life of Catherine II of Russia in one relatively short volume. The author covers court intrigues and domestic and foreign policy in an economic, yet informative style. He leaves the examination of the more sensationalist stories surrounding Catherine for the final chapter, attempting to debunk the weirder myths. The most interesting parts of the book were the ones in which Alexander concentrates on the nature of government in eighteenth century Russia: Catherine's hold on power was never really sure -there was constant rivalry from her own family, from courtiers and the armed forces. Indeed, Catherine achieved power via a coup against her own husband, Peter III. It's also a study of "enlightened despotism" - Alexander portrays Catherine as being relatively progressive (at least in intent), and gives her credit for reforms. Yet Russia was light years removed from anything which might be termed liberal in the modern sense. Rule was the prerogative of a small social class. The French Revolution came as a considerable shock, yet Russia was not immune from class turmoil: the Pugachov uprising being the main one. Perhaps this highlighted how Russia and other states depended on coercion and disempowerment of the mass of their own people for social stability. I felt that the author could have examined this in more depth than he did. An interesting, balanced and serious study. G Rodgers
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