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The month of November's choice for the library reading group I attend is Catherine The Great: Portrait Of A Woman by Robert K Massie. It was a challenge for me to read due both the length of the book and the Russian names throughout. But I got through it and gleaned some understanding. As a young girl Catherine's name was Sophia and when she was taken to Russia to marry the prince they renamed her Catherine. She was only 14 and her marriage was not happy. She spent a lot of years alone and read a lot of books. Since her reign was in the latter 1700s a great deal of what she read and studied had to do with the enlightenment era which is something she had in common with the men who founded the US. Unable to implement some of the principles she had read about she was horrified to learn what happened in France and changed her mind and felt she needed to keep a firm reign on the people. Because her marriage was so unhappy both she and her husband maintained other relationships. Later when she was a widow and a Empress she had a series of younger lovers through out her life. Catherine II is known for the social reforms she began in education and health care in her country. She is also famous for the art she brought to Russia. One thing that she valued was humor. I was impressed by her reading, her cougar behavior, and the importance she stressed in laughter. This book is a very well written informative book. Click on the links above on the title and author's name to learn more. And enjoy the video that follows.
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