Mohammed Arif từ Prairie VIC , Australia

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05/15/2024

Dữ liệu người dùng, đánh giá và đề xuất cho sách

Mohammed Arif Sách lại (10)

2019-09-20 16:31

Từ Điển Cụm Từ Việt - Anh (Vietnamese-English Phrase Dictionary) Thư viện Sách hướng dẫn

Sách được viết bởi Bởi: Nguyễn Huỳnh Điệp

If you read just one book on Peter the Great, this should be it. If you read two books on Peter the Great, let me know how the other one turns out (just kidding, there are probably other good books on Peter the Great, but none likely as well written as this one). This book succeeds not just because it deals with a fascinating person in a time where the landscape of the world was ever changing, but it succeeds because the author, Robert Massie, is a fantastic and engaging writer. Seriously, to make 850+ dense pages of Russian history read like a novel, you have to be doing something right, and Massie clearly is so don’t be intimidated by the size or weight of the book as it is well worth the read. Massie doesn’t just do a terrific job of following the life of Peter the Great, but he paints a detailed picture of late 17th century and early 18th century Russia, he delves in to the intrigue of Europe and the Ottoman Empire with substantial portraits of other leaders such as Charles the XII of Sweden (and note to readers, apparently Sweden kicked a lot of ass back then, who knew?), The Sun King Louis the XIV, Augustus of Poland, Frederick William of Prussia, and numerous others. In fact the bulk of the book focuses on the 20 year Baltic War between Russia and Sweden (which lasted for most of Peter the Great’s reign and established Russia as a new power in Europe) where the role of Charles the XII is as integral to the story as the role of Peter. So while this section involves a deep look at Peter the Great, it also spends almost as much time on Charles the XII. Anyway, this is a lively, engaging, and expansive look at Peter the Great who changed the thinking and the standing of an entire country. Peter turned an isolated and backward Russia that was an afterthought to most of Europe, in to a world power simply by the drive of his own will. He had no role model for what he did which was essentially bringing European culture to Russia and catapulting Russia out of the dark ages. Whether it was his desire for a Russian navy (which he built from nothing to a formidable power by his demise, and quick spoiler, but Peter does die at the end of the book), to have Russians adopt European dress and standards, or to gain land to push Russia’s influence further in the world, Peter never stopped, even if the toll was great (the taxation on Russians was immense, not to mention all of the torture, killings, and deaths associated with putting down rebellions, waging war, and building the entire new city of St. Petersburg. To be honest, the amount of torture and death back then really was overwhelming, heck, Peter even had his own son killed for discussing a rebellion and fleeing Russia rather than choosing to follow in Peter’s footsteps). Through all of the uncertainty and limited information, Peter refused to accept defeat and in the end created a new power. So if you have a free week or twenty, I highly recommend reading this book as it is well written, informative, and doesn’t just provide great insight in to a fascinating historical figure, but provides an expansive look at Europe and its leaders at the beginning of the 18th century.

2019-09-20 22:31

Thành Ngữ Tục Ngữ Việt Nam Thư viện Sách hướng dẫn

Sách được viết bởi Bởi: Thùy Linh

Lawrence Wright (the journalist and author of "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11) back in 1993 (the date in my copy) undertook the task of comprehending the major religious forces in America and his feelings about religion. He did this by profiling 6 prominent religious leaders of the time and studied them, much as a scientist studies wild animals: with awe, with trepidation, and with emotion. This is not the objective report I expected it to be. Nor is it a scathing indictment of Christianity and its leaders. It is a relatively balanced, incredibly insightful, and simple book about the natures of these 5 men and 1 women as Wright sees them and what they reflect of himself, American society, and humanity in general. Even though Wright purports that he wrote this book in order to have a vehicle for his own religious/spiritual journey, he is usually quiet on the subject of himself. He wrote about the subjects in the same order as he interviewed/hung out with them and therefore we get a clear picture of his path without him saying much. However, when an idea of his mental state is needed he provides it and this makes the book much more than journalism. It paralleled my own mental state; in consequence I was much more connected to Wright and the religious leaders he wrote about. Therefore, the book changed me and it has the power the change other people. I thought some of the profiles were more insightful than others, but in general they were amazing. He became a little too enamored with one of the figures and I thought that might have compromised his reporting despite it being one of the best profiles (and me liking the guy too). The reason I gave it four stars was simply for the end. Up until the last five or so pages, I would have rated it slightly higher than "The Mole People" as an interesting view into the heart of American religion. The ending completely changed that. I think I could read this book over again as if it were a novel. The characters are even more entrancing because they are real. The religious figures profiled go in this order: Walker Railey, Jimmy Swaggert, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Anton LeVey, Will Campbell, Mathew Fox. They are all Christians except for O'Hair, who was rebelling against Christianity mostly. I think he chose Christian leaders because they overwhelmingly represent the American population (especially in 1993) and because Wright was raised a Christian. Interesting note: The new Pope (Benedict) is mentioned in the profile of Mathew Fox. Back when he was Cardinal Ratzinger he was Fox's ultimate foe. It sheds a little bit of light on the new Pope for those who don't know too much about him.

Người đọc Mohammed Arif từ Prairie VIC , Australia

Người dùng coi những cuốn sách này là thú vị nhất trong năm 2017-2018, ban biên tập của cổng thông tin "Thư viện Sách hướng dẫn" khuyến cáo rằng tất cả các độc giả sẽ làm quen với văn học này.