Used. Paperback. Henri Troyat masterfully maps the meteoric rise of a minor German princess who stormed the Winter Palace and seized the Russian soul. This sweeping biography chronicles Catherine the Great’s audacious ascent from a bewildered bride to an absolute autocrat who danced with Enlightenment philosophers while keeping her boots firmly on the necks of her courtiers. Troyat avoids dry dates in favor of juicy court intrigue, painting a portrait of a sovereign whose appetite for power was matched only by her taste for brilliant company. If you fancy a front-row seat to the most ruthless royal coup in history, this brilliantly researched volume reigns supreme.