Catherine the Great

Massie, best known for Nicholas and Alexandra and Peter the Great, devotes much of the book to Catherine's early years, and it reads almost like a novel: a bright, lonely young woman, a hostile mother-in-law empress, a husband who preferred toy soldiers, and a court where every letter might be read. Her decision to act, and the night of the coup itself, are told with real suspense.

The second half covers her reign: her correspondence with Voltaire and Diderot, her attempt to draft a new code of laws, her vast art collection that became the Hermitage, wars with the Ottoman Empire, the terrifying Pugachev rebellion and her partnership with Grigory Potemkin, the great love and political partner of her life. Massie admires her but does not ignore her failures, especially her reluctance to free the serfs. Some readers find the detail heavy, but the storytelling rarely flags.

A rich, readable portrait of a ruler and a woman, and a good companion to other big biographies. Colour plates of portraits are included. About 672 pages in the Random House trade paperback.