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Peter the Great
- His Life and World
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 43 hrs and 38 mins
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Publisher's summary
This superbly told story brings to life one of the most remarkable rulers––and men––in all of history and conveys the drama of his life and world. The Russia of Peter's birth was very different from the Russia his energy, genius, and ruthlessness shaped. Crowned co-Tsar as a child of ten, after witnessing bloody uprisings in the streets of Moscow, he would grow up propelled by an unquenchable curiosity, everywhere looking, asking, tinkering, and learning, fired by Western ideas.
We see Peter in his 20s traveling "incognito" with his ambassadors to the courts of Europe; as the victorious soldier proclaimed Emperor; as the simple workman at his forge; and as the visionary statesman who single-handedly created a formidable world power. Impetuous and stubborn, bawdy and stern, relentless in his perseverance, he was capable of the greatest generosity and the greatest cruelty.
Critic reviews
Featured Article: The Best Biography Audiobooks to Educate, Fascinate, and Inspire
The best biographies are ranked not only by the scale and skill of their writing, but also by the strength of their subjects. In the audiobook world, these selections are also judged for the quality of their narrative performances, making those that rise to the top all the more excellent. From lighthearted entertainment to inspirational origin stories, these titles represent the best biography audiobooks now ready for your listening pleasure.
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- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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General Alex Dumas is a man almost unknown today, yet his story is strikingly familiar—because his son, the novelist Alexandre Dumas, used his larger-than-life feats as inspiration for such classics as The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.
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The story behind the greatest novelist of all time
- By Melinda on 01-13-13
By: Tom Reiss
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The White King
- Charles I, Traitor, Murderer, Martyr
- By: Leanda de Lisle
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Less than 40 years after England's golden age under Elizabeth I, the country was at war with itself. Split between loyalty to the Crown or to Parliament, war raged on English soil. Its casualties were immense. At the head of the disintegrating kingdom was King Charles I. In this vivid portrait - informed by previously unseen manuscripts, including royal correspondence between the king and his queen - Leanda de Lisle depicts a man who was principled and brave but fatally blinkered.
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Enlightening Stuart history
- By Adeliese Baumann on 01-25-18
By: Leanda de Lisle
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Defenders of the Faith
- Charles V, Suleyman the Magnificent, and the Battle for Europe, 1520-1536
- By: James Reston Jr.
- Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
- Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins
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In the best-selling Warriors of God and Dogs of God, James Reston Jr. limned two epochal conflicts between Islam and Christendom. Here he examines the ultimate battle in that centuries-long war, which found Europe at its most vulnerable and Islam on the attack. This drama was propelled by two astonishing young sovereigns: Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Turkish sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. Though they represented two colliding worlds, they were remarkably similar.
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Good account of interesting period of history
- By ItalCali on 03-11-22
By: James Reston Jr.
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The Black Prince
- England's Greatest Medieval Warrior
- By: Michael Jones
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As a child, he was given his own suit of armor; at the age of 16, he helped defeat the French at Crecy. At Poitiers, in 1356, his victory over King John II of France forced the French into a humiliating surrender that marked the zenith of England's dominance in the Hundred Years War. As lord of Aquitaine, he ruled a vast swathe of territory across the west and southwest of France, holding a magnificent court at Bordeaux that mesmerized the brave but unruly Gascon nobility. He was Edward of Woodstock, eldest son of Edward III, and better known to posterity as "the Black Prince".
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Outstanding history
- By Scott on 02-17-19
By: Michael Jones
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Isabella of Castile
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In 1474, a 23-year-old woman ascended the throne of Castile, the largest and strongest kingdom in Spain. Ahead of her lay the considerable challenge not only of being a young female ruler in an overwhelmingly male-dominated world but also of reforming a major European kingdom that was riddled with crime, corruption, and violent political factionism. Her pivotal reign was long and transformative, uniting Spain and setting the stage for its golden era of global dominance.
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Enlightening
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By: Giles Tremlett
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América
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At the conclusion of the American Revolution, half the modern United States was part of the vast Spanish Empire. The year after Columbus' great voyage of discovery, in 1492, he claimed Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for Spain. For the next 300 years, thousands of proud Spanish conquistadors and their largely forgotten Mexican allies went in search of glory and riches from Florida to California. Many died; few triumphed. Some were cruel; some were curious; some were kind. Missionaries and priests yearned to harvest Indian souls for God through baptism and Christian teaching.
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A Narration That is Difficult to Follow
- By Amazon Customer on 05-24-19
By: Robert Goodwin
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Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom
- China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War
- By: Stephen R. Platt
- Narrated by: Angela Lin
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Stephen R. Platt is widely respected for his incisive nonfiction, particularly in regard to his knowledge and understanding of China. With Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom, Platt details the absorbing narrative of the Taiping Rebellion, which resulted in the loss of 20 million lives. Occurring in the 1850s, this is the story of a cultural movement characterized by intriguing personages such as influential military strategist Zeng Guofan and brilliant Taiping leader Hong Rengan.
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InTOLerable Reader
- By Adam on 07-07-12
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Sicily
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- By: John Julius Norwich
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"Sicily," said Goethe, "is the key to everything." It is the largest island in the Mediterranean, the stepping-stone between Europe and Africa, the link between the Latin West and the Greek East. Sicily's strategic location has tempted Roman emperors, French princes, and Spanish kings. The subsequent struggles to conquer and keep it have played crucial roles in the rise and fall of the world's most powerful dynasties.
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DISAPPOINTING
- By SRdto on 11-22-16
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The Borgias and Their Enemies
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- By: Christopher Hibbert
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The name Borgia is synonymous with the corruption, nepotism, and greed that were rife in Renaissance Italy. The powerful, voracious Rodrigo Borgia, better known to history as Pope Alexander VI, was the central figure of the dynasty. Two of his seven papal offspring also rose to power and fame. The Borgias were notorious for seizing power, wealth, land, and titles through bribery, marriage, and murder. The story of the family's dramatic rise from its Spanish roots to the highest position in Italian society is an absorbing tale.
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Covers the bases, but falls a little flat.
- By Chap Walker on 06-16-13
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What listeners say about Peter the Great
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Susan Miller
- 09-03-12
Peter was Great, the Narrator was Terrible
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Not this version. I buy a ton of audio books, read by people with accents (different than mine), but this narrator ruined the book for me.
My recommendation is to buy the hard copy.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Frederick Davidson?
The man who narrates Catherine the Great, Kenneth Branaugh, Liam Neeson...
Did Peter the Great inspire you to do anything?
Read and consider previous reviews more carefully.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Janey
- 12-19-11
Great story.
Where does Peter the Great rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Very High.
What did you like best about this story?
The telling of the story and the telling the story of Peter the Great.
Which character – as performed by Frederick Davidson – was your favorite?
Peter.
Any additional comments?
I was great history presented as never presented in school.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Grrr
- 08-22-17
Phenomenal Great
Couldn't put it down, as with other Massie tomes. Moving now to his Catherine the Great.
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- ryan
- 04-20-21
A Truly Phenomenal Biography
This giant biography does justice to the literal and figurative giant that is its subject. Massie does a truly incredible job of making you feel like you know Peter on a personal level, to the point that roughly a third of the way into the book you could confidently predict his reaction to events, even if you don't know anything about Peter before reading the book. If you are at all interested in Russia or its history, I cannot recommend this book enough. This is easily the best biography I have ever read.
That said, there are 3 criticisms I have about this audiobook that I feel are worth knowing before listening.
First, the complaints about the Reader are justified, with a caveat. The first few hours of the recording are at times frustrating because the Reader has a horrible tendency to not pronounce the last syllable of words at the end of a sentence. However, in this way he reminds me of Boomhauer from King of the Hill: after you spend some time with him you get used to it and can understand him just fine. After the first few chapters I had no problem understanding the reading.
Second, Massie has a tendency to make obnoxiously long lists while describing places. On multiple occasions, he lists all of the items available to buy at the bazaars of different cities to the point it became worthy of eye-rolling. You can get an example of this from the audiobook sample, and he does this for Constantinople and Amsterdam. He does it other times, but those are the only 2 I can remember off the top of my head. Massie probably got this criticism while he was still alive, as for his book on Catherine the Great he does not do the same.
Finally. Massie has a tendency to write long biographies of characters that are not completely necessary to the story. His biography and updates on Charles XII are necessary as Charles serves at Peter's primary antagonist, but he provides lengthy introductions for less important characters like William of Orange, Augustus the Strong, and several Ottoman Sultans. They drag, and again, I believe Massie was aware of this, as in his later works that I am familiar with he does not do this.
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- jtflag
- 12-10-21
Great tale, talented reading but takes adjustment
I read this book back when it first came out. It was hard to believe a man such as Peter the Great was a real figure I'm history, given his over-sized impact on Russia, the West, and even his over-sized stature. But is is a really fascinating tale, which is well written by Massie.
my one complaint with this audio book is that the voice actor has a very sophisitcated British accent. He tends to emphasize the ends of sentences with a classic lilt and hold his"n" constants a bit long when quoting characters. I am american, so this observation could just be from one person's limited experience. Still, it took a bit of getting used to. I felt that I was being 'talked down to.' But, he was a very clear and well-paced actor.
Back to the book: Read the Biography of Peter the Great and you will begin to understand why Russia, even with their communist origins, will likely never become a true democracy. Yet, his story is not dull.
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- Bryan
- 01-31-12
A good reading for a great book.
What did you love best about Peter the Great?
Peter the Great is a good starting point for delving into the history of Tsarist Russia under the Romanov Dynasty.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Peter the Great?
I enjoyed the the accounts of his trips to the West. How the monarch of a perceived barbarian and backwards land is received in the enlightened cities of Europe.
What about Frederick Davidson???s performance did you like?
I felt he did an exceptional job particularly with the Russian names. My only complaint is his speech seemed a little mumbled at times. Hence my 4 star rating. If 5 is perfect this is slightly under.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
There are parts of the book that are certainly funny.
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- Arbutus
- 04-12-15
Long and digressing, but fascinating.
You will learn more about Russia and Europe in the 1700's than you thought possible!
Long but very interesting.
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- Troy
- 06-17-12
Fascinating Character
If you could sum up Peter the Great in three words, what would they be?
Very well done
What did you like best about this story?
The book was exhaustively researched and the author presents a fluid and insightful presentation of Peter. Listeners not familiar with the time period are brought up to speed before the author begins the next chapter in the story. Fascinating characters and dangerous times combine for great storytelling!
Which character – as performed by Frederick Davidson – was your favorite?
Peter the Great of course. He made every effort to live like a common worker while still being the Czar and wielder of supreme power.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Peter the Great, the most powerful common man in history.
Any additional comments?
Very well written. Above all, a great story.
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- Ken Lund
- 05-13-24
The narration is unlistenable.
This is a good book that desperately needs a re-rerecording. Frederick Davidson as absolutely unlistenable. His ridiculously affected accent is such a distraction. Worst audio narration I have suffered through since my last Frederick Davidson narration.
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- Nancy A. Muldoon
- 08-22-24
The ability of Peter to rule even with adversity
I was fascinated by all that Peter accent during his time. He truly expanded Russia not only in territory but with the intricacies of Western ideas and ways of living.
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