Rating: 
Summary: Presents Great Character with Great Clarity
Review: 2003 -- the 300th anniversary of Pepys death -- accidentally turned into the year of Pepys for me after I bought the audiobook version of his diaries read by Kenneth Branagh. I fell in love with the diaries (read so well by Branagh), but was frustrated by my lack of knowledge about Restoration London. So, I did some reading in other history books, but eventually found this book. Tomalin has written a very clear biography that manages to give enough of the historical context without slowing down the personal narrative. Better educated, I listened to the audiobook diary again and enjoyed them even more than the first-time around! I highly recommend both the audiobook and this biography to anyone interested in becoming acquainted with a man who is fascinating and charming and frequently amoral, but remarkably honest! 1660 London doesn't seem so long ago or so foreign to me anymore!
Rating:
Summary: Presents Great Character with Great Clarity
Review: 2003 -- the 300th anniversary of Pepys death -- accidentally turned into the year of Pepys for me after I bought the audiobook version of his diaries read by Kenneth Branagh. I fell in love with the diaries (read so well by Branagh), but was frustrated by my lack of knowledge about Restoration London. So, I did some reading in other history books, but eventually found this book. Tomalin has written a very clear biography that manages to give enough of the historical context without slowing down the personal narrative. Better educated, I listened to the audiobook diary again and enjoyed them even more than the first-time around! I highly recommend both the audiobook and this biography to anyone interested in becoming acquainted with a man who is fascinating and charming and frequently amoral, but remarkably honest! 1660 London doesn't seem so long ago or so foreign to me anymore!
Rating:
Summary: Peppy Fellow
Review: A good biographer must tread a fine line. She must enable us to get beneath the skin of her subject. We have to be made to feel that we really understand what makes the subject tick. On the other hand (if you don't mind me mixing my metaphors!) she must maintain a critical perspective. The biography should not degenerate into "hero worship". In "Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self" the biographer, Claire Tomalin, has managed to achieve this balance. Admittedly, as far as getting beneath her subject's skin, Ms. Tomalin has been helped by one of the most famous diaries of all time- the one kept by Pepys from his late 20's until his late 30's. But I have seen other biographies of Pepys that relied too much on the diary- where the diary became a crutch that enabled the biographer merely to amuse us with its sometimes slapstick sexual content, rather than to thoughtfully present us with a well-rounded, flesh-and-blood human being. So, besides reporting on Pepys's crude and predatory amorous adventures, much of the book is devoted to Pepys's hard work over many years as a naval administrator. He devoted himself to modernizing the Navy by both the introduction of proper record keeping and by using the resultant statistical data to develop a more efficient procurement process. He also never stopped trying to get adequate funding so that more ships could be built. Pepys, who as a teenager witnessed the execution of Charles I and who was an admirer of Cromwell, was a great believer in meritocracy. However, Ms. Tomalin also shows us a Pepys who didn't fail to enrich himself by taking advantage of his position- he accepted numerous "gifts" from people who wanted government jobs or contracts. (The "gifts" weren't always in the form of money. One particularly ambitious ships' carpenter "loaned out" his wife to Pepys!) Pepys also used his position to help out friends and family members. Of course, the author points out that this was common practice at the time. But, we have to smirk a bit when Pepys puffs himself up and states he would never take a bribe! (He convinced himself that he wasn't being "bought" since he claimed that the decision making process was never influenced by the money or payment-in-kind that he received. He said he always did what was best for the country, and that the "gifts" were mere gestures of appreciation.) Ms. Tomalin is never heavy-handed in her presentation. She never fails to put Pepys's behavior in its proper context- we are always reminded of how people behaved in both their public and private lives back in the 17th century. Where some previous biographers have tended to zero in on either Pepys the diarist or Pepys the naval administrator, Ms. Tomalin gives us the whole man. We learn that Pepys was an intensely social person- he loved going out to the coffee-houses, to the theater and to concerts, etc. Although not a true scientist, he was a very curious man who wanted to know what made the world tick. He belonged to the Royal Society for many years and was delighted to attend the meetings and to learn about new theories and to hear of the latest experiments. He knew Newton, Boyle, Hooke and Wren. Ms. Tomalin also tells us of Pepys's lifelong passion for music. He grew up in a musical household and throughout his life he loved both to play music and to listen to music performed by others. He enjoyed good food and was an avid reader. He built up an impressive library, which he left to Cambridge University. The beauty of this biography is in the nuances- in showing us all the facets of this remarkable man.
Rating:
Summary: Glorious Gossip!
Review: As a lover of well written biography and history, it's wonderful to indulge in a such a well-informed, witty and charming picture of one man's life in the London of Cromwell and the Restoration. I think Pepys would have loved the internet, chat rooms, gossip columns in the Sunday papers and probably reality TV. Tomalin has introduced me to a man who had inexhaustible curiosity about the world around him but, most significantly of all, curiosity about himself. Everything and anything was worth noting down for Pepys and the minutiae of his daily life is a treasure. I've never read the diary itself but after reading this, I don't see the need. The author has captured exquisitely Pepys's life and times including plague, fire, war, peace, domesticity, ill health and extended family - all coloured by Pepys's endearing self-examination (and self-importance!!). Fortunately, Pepys loved himself and I found myself liking him as he liked himself. As such, we get a wonderful picture of a man's life and times without politically correct, turgid self-examination and self-criticism; this man loved life! Hooray for him! For a micro and macro view of the London of Cromwell, the Restoration, the coming of age of the British Navy, the evolution of literature, art, science, architecture and the embryo of the British empire, you can't beat this book. Highly recommended - Tomalin gives a fresh, clear view of a man who seems so immediate you can well imagine him living next door!
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Paean to a Talented Diarist and Administrator
Review: Claire Tomalin is quite taken with Samuel Pepys, warts and all, comparing his Diary to the works of Milton, Bunyan, Chaucer, Dickens and Proust. She often calls him Sam in her biography, "Samuel Pepys: The Unequaled Self." Less formidable than H.W. Brands, "The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin," her biography is every bit its equal in verve and the sheer fun I had in its reading. It is more of a true biography than, say, Grazia's analysis of Machiavelli's political and social theories in, "Machiavelli in Hell" with details of his life included more for context than storytelling. Many, including myself, are probably already familiar with Pepys in the context of his Diary. Indeed, I was first introduced to him in high school where I was required to read his accounts of the plague and the great fire in London. Robert Loius Stevenson compared the "fullness and...intimacy of detail..." found in Pepys' diary with another great self-examiner of a half-century before, Michel de Montaigne. Though Tomalin points out that the two were different in their approaches, and indeed Pepys probably was not even aware of Montaigne's work, she acknowledges that the writings of both contain a uniqueness not found in contemporary literature. Her fascination with Pepys does lead Tomalin to forgive some of his more odious faults, painting them in soft-edges. But, in her defense she is also quick to point out his hypocrisy and does not shy away from the telling of his most shameful deeds. I think Barzun got it right in his book, "From Dawn to Decadence: 1500 To The Present": "It is a waste of breath to point out that every observer is in some way biased. It does not follow that bias cannot be guarded against, that all biases distort equally, or that controlled bias remains as bad as propaganda." I think Tomalin's bias is not one of omission but rather one of feeling, rather like a mother's bias toward her recalcitrant son. She goes well beyond the Diary in digging into a past that encompasses no mean achievements for a tailor's son. She tells the story of this extraordinary life against the backdrop of an England suffering from civil and international wars and plagues without ever letting Pepys leave center stage. The man who had been the simple diarist I was introduced to in high-school, Tomalin transforms into a critical, and at times caustic, man of great administrative and oratorical talents. But for all of that he might have slipped into obscurity had it not been for the system of patronage that many great men of the past owe their lasting memory to. Her narrative loses some of its stride during the years after the Diary closes. It is unfortunately a period lacking in the personal reflections of the man himself since he chose not return to the Diary and we only know him through letters, official papers, and a couple short spates at new journals. Nevertheless, this biography is a worthy tribute to Samuel Pepys and one well worth the reading.
Rating:
Summary: As good as they come
Review: Even for those of us who have read other work by Ms Tomalin, such as her great biography of Jane Austen, the quality of this book is astounding. Pepys couldn't have asked for a better biographer. Against the magnificent backdrop of Commonwealth and Restoration England, she paints a convincing and believable portrait of her subject, warts and all. He was tremendously ambitious and not above betraying his friends and benefactors. He systematically neglected and cheated on his wife, and sexually harassed his female servants and other women not in a position to resist his advances. He was mean and unkind to his sister. And yet he was an intelligent, hardworking and capable man, and one of the first to embody the concept of meritocracy, as opposed to making a career out of one's birth and fortune. Part of the author's merit lies in showing that the fascinating world in which her man lived has more similarities to ours than we might at first imagine. Tomalin's biography, covering not only the diary years but also Pepys' subsequent career, is an absolute must for all interested in the seventeenth century and this charming, flawed diarist.
Rating:
Summary: A Literary Time Capsule
Review: I bought this book as a follow-up after listened to the audio recording of Pepys Diary narrated (performed!) by Kenneth Branagh to get a more in depth knowledge of the historical times, characters and political forces of the day. I am no avid historian but great history can approach great literature in stature (my bias). This very well researched and thoroughly documented account of the life of Samuel Pepys spans the years prior to, during and subsequent to the diary years. Although the most compelling period is the diary years, the times prior to that disclose his upbringing and particularly his health and it's lasting imprint on this amazing character - no doubt contributing to his life long ambitious drive and living for the moment. You will never consider a kidney stone in the same light after reading this account! As preivious reviewers here have noted, the diary was written largely in code. That and heavy editing by nervous publishers over the years have kept the complete story from full disclosure for nearly 300 hundred years. Initially the bawdy stories kept my rapt attention, but this research reveals it is much more than that - a very multi-layered and mullti-faceted sotry that for the history novice like me, puts a humanistic face on the 17th century. Significant points that Tomalin reveals include that this secret diary is one of the best historical accounts that covers London's Restoration period as the King had tight control over "the press". The diary documents firsthand accounts of the plague, the great fire, the return of the king to the thrown, the many wars at sea with the Dutch, the political struggling between the Royals and the Common Wealth, the intense distrust between protestants and catholics and religious persecution. In addition there are firsthand reviews of various plays (including Shakespeare, Chaucer), comments on copious consumption (and burial) of wine and Parmesan cheese, personal hygiene standards as well as graphic descriptions of the system of justice during this time. This is a time capsule worth reading and listening a few times.
Rating:
Summary: One Heck of a Biography
Review: I buy a lot of books from Amazon[.com] and, because I am so busy reading them, I do not often review them. This biography of Samuel Pepys was just terrific, so I had to say something about it. I am a history buff and suppose anyone buying this book would have to be. Samuel Pepys, as it turns out, was a lot more than just a diarist. He was, in effect, what we would call Secretary of the Navy during the Restoration. Raised as a Puritan, he successfully made the switch to a Stuart supporter when The Restoration became inevitable after Oliver Cromwell died and his son just did not measure up to the job. We are taken into the world of an ambitious man clawing his way up to the top of the greasy pole. He knows how it is done--and how to make money from bribes (and convince yourself that you are not doing anything immoral at the same time). The way things were done in 17th century was a bit different than it is in the modern US--and perhaps a bit of the same. The most riveting bit about Pepys life was an operation he underwent in 1658 for the removal of a bladder stone. It goes without saying that there was no anesthesia in those days. First they tied you down and then they cut and probed; there is an illustration of someone trussed up like a turkey with a probe inserted in--well, you have to see it. Great pain and death was a daily companion for those living before anesthesia--and I am not even going to talk about tooth pain. Death, moreover, was all around. Children died from all sorts of diseases that are easily curable now. Any sort of fever could end in death--and, of course, there was bubonic plague, which killed off about 1/6 of London's population in a single year. I found this book absolutely riveting. It is 378 pages of text (and oodles of pages of notes for the compulsive people like me who read them). I read it in 3 days. If you are interested in English history you will love this book. Maybe one of these days I will even get around to reading Pepys' diaries.
Rating: 
Summary: A very enjoyable read
Review: I read Pepys' Diary about 25 years ago - but this is almost better than the Diary. The Diary only ran from 1660 to 1669, but Pepys lived an eventful life for another 30 years, and this book is very good at putting his whole life, during and after the Diary, into historical context. Very enjoyable reading whether on the beach, travelling or for bedtime.
Rating:
Summary: A very enjoyable read
Review: I read Pepys' Diary about 25 years ago - but this is almost better than the Diary. The Diary only ran from 1660 to 1669, but Pepys lived an eventful life for another 30 years, and this book is very good at putting his whole life, during and after the Diary, into historical context. Very enjoyable reading whether on the beach, travelling or for bedtime.
| 
