Catherine the Great: portrait of a woman by Robert Massie 625 pages 9780679456728

While Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia was not an artist, herself. She possessed among other virtues, great vision. It was this vision that helped transform the very landscape of Russia and the establishment of the Hermitage. Massie, is nothing if not a meticulous biographer. (I remember reading his definitive biography of Nicholas and Alexandra many, many years ago. He does a grand job of painting not just Catherine, but many of the leaders, soldiers, enemies, relatives who entered her circle at some time during her illustrious life. She was a woman of enormous appetites and was probably one of the earliest female collectors of art. I don't think of this as a beach book, as much a book to enjoy in front of a roaring fire.