A fascinating look into the mind of a young Catherine before she took on the moniker of 'The Great'. The book covers 18 years of her life, from arriving in Russia at 15 years old as Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, to the coup d'etat that deposed her husband and the coronation that made the 33 year old Empress Catherine the ruler of all Russia.

I read the first edition of this memoir on Project Gutenberg, which was released in 1859. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I learnt a lot of new words thanks to the edition being so old. 

One thing I was fascinated by as I was reading was how Catherine perceived herself. She points out other's characters readily, her supporters and herself being portrayed as flawless beings of intelligence and beauty, whilst her opponents as being ugly and disdainful. 

The reason Catherine wrote this memoir was to explain her reasoning and to make herself out to be the hero within this narrative, so that she'll be viewed positively by future generations. It's an excellent example of propaganda, although that may not have been her intention to begin with. 

Catherine II has been deified by history as one of the most important rulers of Russia, but after reading this memoir - I see her instead as an precocious and opinionated young woman who made the most of a bad situation.