Book - Peter the Great

At nearly 900 pages this is a long but brilliant read.  It is, as one reviewer notes, as fascinating as a  novel and more so than most.  Massie sets Peter's story in the context of his time and with descriptive sketches of other characters in his play, such as George I of England and the ever present King Charles of Sweden, draws you into this violent European world of the later 17th, early 18th century when common men and women counted for nothing. As an aside, one Charles Whitworth, the 1st Baron Whitworth, was sent, in 1704, as the Extraordinary Ambassador to Russia. His reports home influenced the British view of Russia for over  a century. With the stay or leave the EU poll soon upon us, this was a timely read.  Together we stand, divided we fall.  5 on the door for Massie.