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Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self | 
 enlarge | Author: Claire Tomalin
Creator: Jill Balcon
Publisher: Penguin Audiobooks
Category: Book
Buy New: £15.99
New (3) Used (1) from £13.99
Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 365078
Format: Audiobook
Media: Audio CD
Edition: New edition
Pages: 6
Number Of Items: 6
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 1
ISBN: 0141805501
Dewey Decimal Number: 941
EAN: 9780141805504
ASIN: 0141805501
Publication Date: July 1, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Claire Tomalin was born to write a biography of Samuel Pepys. Her previously acclaimed biographies of Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft have defined her as a scrupulous biographer who establishes a unique empathy with her subjects. In Pepys Tomalin has found her perfect subject, a man who is "both the most ordinary and the most extraordinary writer you will ever meet". Pepys wrote his diary throughout the 1660s, "a period as intellectually thrilling as it was dangerous and bloody", and Tomalin's book vividly brings to life the tumultuous world of 17-century London, where Pepys grew up. Pepys' life spanned the execution of one king and the restoration of another, and Tomalin elegantly recreates both Pepys' public and private lives. From his early days in London and then Cambridge, Tomalin pieces together the crucial years when "the private Samuel Pepys began to develop and yearn". She chronicles his rise through the bureaucracy of the restored king, Charles II, to his position as energetic reformer of the navy and successful husband to his vivacious, mercurial wife Elizabeth. But the book also deals with Pepy's personal tragedies, his struggle to secure patronage as a commoner, his frank and hilarious extra-marital exploits, and the cataclysmic Fire of London in 1666. This is a fine biography of an extraordinary man who "found the energy and commitment to create a new literary form" while also coming across as a generous, likeable, flawed human being. Tomalin's admiration for her subject is infectious, and will ensure that her biography becomes the standard reference for anyone interested in both Pepys's life and his art.--Jerry Brotton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 True to Himself January 2, 2008
Michael J. Hunt (England)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I read this book some time ago, consequently the finer details escape me. However, what remains vivid is the sense that Ms Tomalin's book evinces of a remarkable man from our distant past, and of the social and political context of the times in which he lived. It is a cliche to say that 'someone is of his time', but there's no better way of saying it in Pepys's case. Yes, he could be cruel in his remarks about others, particularly when he's been disappointed, or when he feels that he's been misunderstood. But, then, there are no doubt many equally successful men (and women) today, who are much more ruthless in their dealings with others, both domestically and professionally.
However, it is highly unlikely (if not utterly unlikely) to comment so honestly about how unpleasant he has been - either to his wife, his maid or his underlings. Granted, he wrote in 'code', but he knew the code could easily be cracked by someone who had shorthand skills (as indeed it was) so he could have destroyed his diaries after he stopped writing them.
The other thing that stood out for me, was the pain he experienced with his 'stone'. This is something I could relate to, since, a couple of years before I read this book, I too had a 'stone', and, until it was removed, I was in considerable discomfort, and often pain, every night. My stone was about an inch long by a quarter of an inch thick. Pepys's was the size of a grape-fruit. Mine was removed painlessly while I was anaesthetised. Pepys's was removed while he was fully conscious (albeit by the best man in London). He wasn't even allowed alcohol (too dangerous) and his chances of survival had been about 20%. Small wonder that, afterwards, he reflected on life 'before the stone' in a way that suggests his re-birth. Nobody, from no matter what era, could have gone through that amount of pain and fear without being considerably changed.
The other remarkable honesty Pepys' displayed was regarding his sexual liaisons; one of his most endearing features was the feelings of guilt he expressed - always immediately afterwards. All right, he made little attempt to curb his habits, but he does come across as a man with a conscience and well aware of his bad behaviour. In our own times such men are pretty rare.
And the third thing that remains in my memory was his unique use of 'pidgin' English when describing his sexual adventures. He would use a combination of French, English and (I think) Latin, in order to 'obscure' (or, possibly, negate) the reality of his behaviour, even though what he was doing was as plain as a pikestaff to even the most naive of readers. In this way he was very child-like.
Yes, Pepys was a womaniser and, occasionally, a wife-beater. He was as flawed as any man in this respect, but put anyone under a microscope for a life-time and see if he remains faultless.
What was such a joy in this book was Ms Tomalin's impeccable writing. The biography read almost as a novel would, and Pepys's character flowed across every page. The humour, occasional violence, anger, opportunism (oh, yes, he was probably as dishonest in his naval dealings as any man, in any century has ever been) and skill, both as an administrator and as a survivor.
In fact, his greatest achievement was as a survivor of possibly the greatest upheaval in English history (including the blitz and the Battle of Britain) - the execution of Charles l, the social and political mayhem of the Commonwealth years, the Great Fire of London and the recurrent Plagues. His was a consummate balancing act - particularly given his elevated position - from being a known (or at least suspected) Royalist sympathiser, to acceptance by the Puritans and then to a timely and convincing reversion to the Royal cause. Although he had numerous close-shaves, generally he prosperred and maintained friendships at several levels of society, including the very highest, in spite of his humble start in life.
Pepys must rate alongside William Shakespeare as being a key figure, without whom England would have a much poorer history, and Miss Tomalyn's biography has made him eminently accessible to the twenty-first century reader.
A Truly Fascinating Man July 17, 2006
J. Chippindale (England)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is another fascinating historical biography that reads more like a novel than a stuffy factual book. Virtually everyone knows the name of Samuel Pepys. Ah yes, he's the man who wrote the diary. This is of course true, but do they actually know anything about the man behind the name of Samuel Pepys. What for instance were his feelings on the politicians of the day. What were his own ambitions and aspirations.
Pepys was a naval administrator and friend and confidant of some of the most famous and powerful people in London . Sex, the plague, music, marital conflict, naval life, public executions and incarcerations in the Tower of London. These are just some of the colourful events in the life of a man famous for his writing of a diary.
The book contains a wealth of interesting material about the life of a man who's name goes before him. Everyone knows his name, but few know of the life of the man himself.
 Am I the only one who can't like Pepys? May 23, 2006
Roman Clodia (London)
6 out of 12 found this review helpful
Firstly this is an excellent biography as the reviews and prizes show, but I had a serious problem empathising with Pepys. Someone describes it as a 'warts & all' book, but it's more than that: I don't have a problem with Pepys' numerous adulteries and fumblings with the servant girls - as long as they don't mind either. But that's where the problem starts: there's a whole section, for example, where Pepys forces a girl to touch him sexually in surreptitious circumstances despite her continuous protests that she doesn't like doing it. The fact that he and his wife also befriend the poor girl and her husband thus putting a power overlay to the story just makes it worse. I also have a problem with Pepys' casual violence towards his wife: a bit of nose pulling I can accept but to black someone's eye you have to hit them pretty hard...
I know that this is 17th century London, and I'm not saying that Tomalin should suppress the fact that these things happen, I'm just surprised that she can overlook these as merely playful characteristics and continue to evince an affection for the man. Personally, I found him offensive and unpleasant and so didn't finish the book because I didn't want to spend any more time in his company.
I feel like I've been there myself October 6, 2005
Martha M (London UK)
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
despite a perfectly good education, I have always found history a bit remote and difficult to get involved in, something I ought to know about but don't. I bought this book because I thought I might learn something. I did, and more! It's quite slow at the beginning, but it's worth persevering because once the circumstances are established it reads like a juicy novel, with people you care about and a plot you couldn't make up! In particular, if you know London, you will love it when he talks about places that you know now - for example when he goes out to the country - to Clapham! And there are some bigger lessons in it as well, about duty, hard work and integrity. I can't recommend it enough.
Samuel Pepys May 25, 2005
F. Quinn (UK)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
I first heard of Samuel Pepys in 84 Charing Cross Road, I proceeded to read a selection from his diary and then I just wanted to know more.This is the first biography I have read - I am usually not very interested in them, but Pepys is such an interesting man I had to find out more. I could not have been more pleased when I read this book, I expected something so dull it would fail to be informative, but Tomalin recreates a world of history for the reader who has perhaps not read extensively into history before. It is easy to read, completely enchanting and very involved with the person and time she was writing about. No detail was spared, every little thing was explained and I was left wanting for nothing more then to read the full version of Samuel Pepys' Diary feeling that I know a lot more about him and the time he was in. Otherwise, to read the diary without knowing about his life and the history behind it, it is quite hard I think to grip the character behind the diary. I have definately come out with a better knowledge of this time in history and of a truly extrodinary man.
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