historyh22's review against another edition
5.0
It took me a little over two weeks to do so, but I've finally finished this monolith. This was a fantastic overview of the life of Peter Alexeyevich and his rule of Russia. I particularly enjoyed the section covering The Great Northern War against Charles XII of Sweden, as well as how Peter Westernized both the army and navy of the Tsardom of Russia. This was well worth the read for the insight on Peter's reign.
mimima's review against another edition
4.0
As I noted below, there is a blurb on the cover of my edition that says, "reads like an novel." I wholeheartedly agree and would argue that the novel it reads like is [b:War and Peace|656|War and Peace|Leo Tolstoy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413215930s/656.jpg|4912783] - you can skim the war and really delve into the peace. The threads that Massie weaves of European history, Russia, Peter's personality, his family, all well done.
meefus's review against another edition
challenging
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Robert Massie always does well in writing history in an engaging and approachable manner. I liked this book; some parts were very slow (oftentimes the battle descriptions got confusing and tedious) but overall it was incredibly interesting and has me intrigued in Russian history for the future.
tbear36's review against another edition
It was good
It was good. It was long winded and went on tangents to build the backstory about why and to understand the choices that were made.
It was good. It was long winded and went on tangents to build the backstory about why and to understand the choices that were made.
khanjunatas's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
eweidl's review against another edition
I am firmly convinced that this book completely deserved the Pulitzer prize awarded to it. 909 pages did not feel like enough, and I will buy another of Massie's books as soon as possible
booksmarttn's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant, brilliant book. I knew nothing about Peter the Great and why he was considered great. This is a long book, but you will understand so much more about Peter, the transformation he made to Russia and the whole geopolitical situation of the entire era. Loved this book and well worth the time investment to read it.