Customer Reviews

Ivan the Terrible

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I read this book as a requirement for an upper division history course. From the introduction, I thought this book would be interesting. But unless you like to wade through pages upon pages of Russian names, I would select a different source to learn about Ivan the Terrible. Even though names are important in history, this book seemed to insert names many times when they were not necessary to understanding the point being made. The flow of the narrative was also severely broken up. You will find yourself reading a paragraph with fifteen different names in it, and at the end, you will ask what was the paragraph even trying to say. Overall, I was disappointed in the book. If it was not a required reading, I would have not finished it. From other sources that I have read, this period in Russian history is filled with exciting and intriguing events, yet you would not know that from this book.

The book, in my opinion, is very good. Do keep in mind, it's not a historical fiction, but rather scolarly(is that a word? :) work, which is pretty thorough. Do give it a chance.

This provides a good overview of the reign of Ivan IV. The boyars who surrounded his throne and his activities in the Oprichnina. Sources are more than adequate for those interested in the topic. It is not as thorough as the recent biography of Elizabeth Mondraga. I would have appreciated more of an examination of Ivan's psyche. I know that it is hypothetical but I felt that it deserved more attention than this study provided.

Book came in really bad conditions. Pages were missing and it clearly had water damage. Some of it could not be read and the book smelled bad.