Title: Peter the Great: His Life and Work
Author: Robert K. Massie
Published: 2016
Language: English
Pages: 640
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
This is a biography about the life of Peter the Great, from childhood until his death.
Review:
As you may know, I read another biography by Massie about Catherine the Great earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I decided to pick this one up as well. And it did not disappoint.
The best thing I've found in reading Massie's books is how easily read and enjoyable they are. He manages to bring facts to life and life to the people without it seeming dull. The way it's written feels effortless and it doesn't overexplain things, nor does it leave you with a feeling of there being anything missing. I think part of my enjoyment of this is the fine balance between historical details and more character driven stories. The whole thing is simply very well crafted.
That being said, it is a long book (as it should be) and I do wish I had taken a longer break between reading this and the book about Catherine the Great, as I constantly felt a need to give it a bit of a rest. Other than that, top notch. And the best part is perhaps that you need no previous knowledge of Russian history, so you can literally just dive in.
You can get this book at The Book Depository.
You can read more about it on Goodreads.
Author: Robert K. Massie
Published: 2016
Language: English
Pages: 640
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
This is a biography about the life of Peter the Great, from childhood until his death.
Review:
As you may know, I read another biography by Massie about Catherine the Great earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I decided to pick this one up as well. And it did not disappoint.
The best thing I've found in reading Massie's books is how easily read and enjoyable they are. He manages to bring facts to life and life to the people without it seeming dull. The way it's written feels effortless and it doesn't overexplain things, nor does it leave you with a feeling of there being anything missing. I think part of my enjoyment of this is the fine balance between historical details and more character driven stories. The whole thing is simply very well crafted.
That being said, it is a long book (as it should be) and I do wish I had taken a longer break between reading this and the book about Catherine the Great, as I constantly felt a need to give it a bit of a rest. Other than that, top notch. And the best part is perhaps that you need no previous knowledge of Russian history, so you can literally just dive in.
You can read more about it on Goodreads.
