Rating: 
Summary: well worth the time it took me to read this book
Review: All the King's Men was first published in 1946 to immense critical acclaim. The Washington Post made a comment about the novel and how if the idea of naming the Great American Novel is still being tossed around in 50 years (or, now), All the King's Men would certainly be a finalist. The novel won the highest literary prize in America, the Pulitzer Prize.The novel is set in the 1930's and follows the political career of Willie Stark, a provincial man with ambition tempered by honesty and integrity. He begins with integrity, but we see how the power he gains corrupts the man he used to be. His fictional career mirrors (in some ways) the real life career of "Kingfish" Huey Long (Louisiana). The story is told through the eyes of Jack Burden, a reporter who eventually ends up working for Willie Stark. Burden tells his own story at the same time as he is revealing the life of Willie Stark. The reader only gets to see what Burden shows us. The novel is told with a first person narrative. As would be expected with a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, the writing is quite exceptional. It was a little bit slow going at first, but about halfway through, i had a thought: "Damn, this is a good book."
Rating: 
Summary: Mythic and Classical
Review: Completely American- this book has stood the test of time. A gregarious, larger than life and country boy politician and his loyal assistant set about conquering Louisianna politics and do so, but not without costs. As the politician, based on Louisianna's legendary Huey Long, Governor Talos outsizes himself so that his original principles no longer fit. They sink, with his marriage his temperance and his honesty. Incremental excesses, adulteries and ruthlessness devour him and his assistant, our narrator whose interests became the same as the governors whom he followed unquestionably. Each generation of readers can find similarities in this very American story with its matching story of their age. Many of the people who reviewed the novel before me wrote during the Clinton sex scandal and, in their outrage and sense of being manipulated could draw similarities with Warren's book. I read the book during the year anniversary of 9/11 and found the mythic themes and Eastern philosophical overtones outstanding. Southern writers who incorporate the heat and the light into their passages inevitably recall the landscapes of the ancients. Myths caution us that when humans live fully as products of the light, they will ultimately suffer. That was certainly the case in this group of characters. The themes of young idealism, success, excess and loss of soul are never out of touch with modern life. We find the most revered 'gentlemen' in this case the white male protestant old guard (Judge Irwin and Dr. Stanton) felled by their attachment to their position and protection of their class. Their respective descent into murder and adultery were the consequences of their inability to integrate the dark impulses into their addiction to the perfect glow of the light. Similarly the characters who were gifted with great beauty and physical superiority, a hero- athlete and an Olympian beauty did each fail to do the work of mortals and were equally doomed. One, the Governor's son, to a drunken and debauched death scene and the other, the narrator's mother, to solitude and lost youth. The indignities and normal sufferings that their bodies protected were merely delayed and undisciplined, they ultimately had nothing to do but fall.
Politics is naturally a metaphor for so much of the conflict between good and evil in mankind. Jack, our narrator, was a traveller, also a lost child, one who attached himself to families in the absence of his own. He was not, as some have noted, a voice of honor or reason, he had an ambivalent moral code, but a developing one. He pursued his tasks with an indifference to cruelty, but not as a person who received pleasure in inflicting pain. He did retain loyalties, however, even toward his physically and emotionally repulsive father and the ancestors that propelled him to seek his legacy and ultimately his livelihood. Jack was a pilgrim and Governor Talos a sort of master, and in the end, the student outdistanced the teacher. All, at least in my own life space, quite mystical and mythic. It was also emotionally moving, not in a sentimental way, but in the way that we recognize so much of our own struggles and the fact that we are neither perfect nor complete, and unlikely to ever feel that sublime contentment.
But most significantly, this is a good story that 'sounds' Southern and conveys in the smell of stale beer and smoke, isolation and back road honkey tonks-a photographic and gritty realism that works. That it offers even more for those who care to reflect- is a bonus- but you don't have to care a bit about that stuff to enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: All the King's Men
Review: Robert Penn Warren was one of the most outstanding writers of the twentieth century. He was the Poet Laureate of the United States and won two Pulitzer Prizes. After a brief stay in Italy Warren wrote a drama called Proud Flesh where he deals with many issues of political power and moral corruption for that power, also in this drama Warren tried to use the ideas of Louisiana politician Huey long. After not being satisfied with this piece of work he elaborate his drama into a novel called All the King's Men. All the King's Men is a book about the lives of southern governor Willie Stark and his right hand man Jack Burden as the live through the depression (1930's) in an unnamed southern state. The book starts with Willie becoming a noticeable politician after he warns many people that a school building was going to collapse. No one listens until one day the building dose collapse killing three children. He then is chosen to run for governor but unknowns to him he is only a dummy candidate to break up the vote. After he learns this he tells the rural people that the government only thinks of them as "dummies" and he drops out. He eventually runs for governor and wins a few years later and wins. Jack becomes very interested in Willie after covering Willie when Jack was a reporter and eventually Jack becomes Willies right hand man. Along with being Willies right hand man Jack also uses his skills in research to dig up info on all of Willies enemies. Along with this the book also focuses on Willie becoming more corrupt when he has more power. We also see Jack's role as the moral compass in the story. Even as Willie becomes more and more corrupted jack keeps a steady path of working toward good for the poor. In addition we see how Jack works toward marrying his childhood sweetheart Anne. In the end Willie is murdered after all the political corruption gets the better of him and the doctor of a under funded hospital assassinates him. In a side note Huey Long was also assassinated but only after he went to the senate. After reading both this book and many sites that offered commentaries. I have found that this was one of the most enjoyable books that I have ever read. Although as a critical reader I would not recommend this book to the average person. Personally I am very interested in the inner workings of politics, the West Wing is one of my favorite shows on television. But for people that are not as interested in politics this book may also be interesting because is dose deal a lot with personal relationship that everyone can relate to. For example everyone has someone in their life that they view as a moral compass. In conclusion this was a great book that I would strongly recommend to people that like the workings of politics, but I would still recommend this book to everyone. It was a great read and interested me greatly.
Rating:
Summary: A ride you won't forget
Review: I almost feel it unnecessary to write this review, given the positive responses I see in the review section. But let me simply add my thoughts on this highly acclaimed, and deservedly so, novel. It certainly belongs on any list of great 20th century American novels. From the beautifully constructed plot to the poetic prose, the book is triumph. It tells the story of Willie Stark (Talos in the Warren original and based on the Louisiana governor, Huey Long) -- his political rise and fall, the corruption that is endemic in politics and in man, and the clash of the man of action (Stark) versus the man of the idea, represented in this book by the narrator, Jack Burden. His journey from cynic to admirer to mature observer of Stark's method and madness is in itself fascinating. But even the throw away stuff in this book is great, such as Burden's descriptions of the old men sitting on a park bench, observing the world, almost outside time, or the droll descriptions of the locals who clamor for Willie, and even the interview with the man that Burden believes might be his father, and the crisis of faith he encounters as he explores the history of a Judge he admires and knows better than even he realizes. An American classic.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: This was an amazing book. I really enjoyed all of it. It reveals great truths about people and the writing style is excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!!! Great work of American Politics
Review: Wow!This book was great! I read some reviews before I read this book, but when I started reading the book I though "how boring" he is talking about a highway???? But after this the book got much better. This book has every type of style of writing, romance, action, comedy ,drama. I really thought the ending was perfect, I really didn't see Adam doing something like that, he didn't seem like he could kill a fly. This is why I like this book it doesn't follow the way it should. Nice little country boy turning into [debauch]," bust or buy em'" Willie Stark. The other part of this book I liked is that it was from Jack burden's point of view, this story is from the eyes of a political aide, not from the governer. This gives it a diferent look on what was going on. Jack Burden is basically Stark's best friend,although Jack calles Adam his best friend, he is not. Adam and him are holding onto a relationship that doesn't exist anymore. It is just a memory of what they had in their youth. The age of each of these characters is different then what you may think. Jack is 41-42 years old when he is telling this story, but he is not at all mature. He doesn't understand what death means and still has a slightly perverted outlook on life. Willie Stark's age I could not figure out, but he must have been a good bit older then Jack, beacuse he calles him "boy". This is not some thing that would happen in real life. For this to be realistic Stark must have been at least 65 years of age, which I don't belive he was. Anne Stanton was another one whose age was distorted, She is about 37-38, but Jack still thinks of her as the 17 year girl he loved. Before I figured out how old he was through dates, I thought he was maybe mid to early thirty's, I also thought that Stark was about 55 or so. In Jack's eyes he views Adam as a brother as well as a friend, but he views him as a younger brother, he refers in the book about Adam's age "around mine", he also states that he alway's wins the verbal arguments and Adam won at sports. Adam is the stero type of the sucessful younger brother who Jack feels has everything he lacks, passion and peace. Which makes it ironic when Adam kills Willie for he doesn't seem to need to( I know that Anne was fooling around Willie, and that Adam was her brother, but it really should have been someone else. Which brings me to the point that it was not Sadie or Tiny's fault that Willie was killed. In the end it was Adams who pulled the trigger not tiny or Sadies fault. O.K. I've talked too much already, great book, read it.
Rating:
Summary: Political corruption -- is it the system or the man?
Review: "All the King's Men" is the story of Willie Talos, a backwater boy who teaches himself lawyering at night and ends up in politics as the Governor. Then as Willie finds out that politics isn't about doing the right thing, he quickly learns how to maneuver in the real world of politics. Before long, this formerly God-fearing, trusting man is drinking, carrying on with women, blackmailing, and surrounding himself with all the trappings of a king. Ambition overtook his good intentions. The rise and fall of Willie is told through the eyes of Jack Burden, the non-committal reporter who Willie hires as one of his "men". Jack's responsibilities are usually working as a researcher looking for dirt on political opponents or simply listening quietly. Eventually Jack's boyhood world and the world of politics collide, and almost against his will he must give up his role as observer and become a man of action and take responsibility for his life. Robert Penn Warren wrote a a stupendous novel (1946) that is considered the definitive book about politics. But "All the King's Men" is so much more than a political novel. The insights into human nature, the beautiful language that brings the South alive to where you can taste the saltwater and feel the warm ocean breeze against your cheek, the lively descriptions of the characters, and the ability to create dialogue that moves and makes you laugh is the writing of a true genius. "All the King's Men" is a delightful page-turner about men and women trying to find their way in life. And is full of surprises that catch you off guard until the end.
Rating:
Summary: A Continuum of Moral Choices ... as the Clock Ticks
Review: Two pages into this exquisite work, the Southern torpor that I had experienced for a good deal of my life wafted off the page, and I knew I would take my sweet time with this reading. Strangely, though, it didn't feel like a leisurely read when I was done; so smoothly crafted is the language that it glides across the page and melts into one's senses like a pat of butter on a hot skillet. Beyond his quasi-impressionistic portrait of the Deep South, Robert Penn Warren does a stunning job with the theme of Redemption. Contrary to popular belief, the central figure here is not the well-meaning Governor who loses his way, but his hard-bitten, ex-newspaperman troubleshooter who is able to justify most any action he is asked to take. Warren presents us with a riveting cast of supporting characters who represent the continuum of moral choices that we, the Body Politic, must make every waking day: The stoic politician's wife, who looks the other way; the Attorney General, who eschews power when it comes with a price; the idealist who throws himself into his profession but commits a crime to honor his sister; his sibling, somewhat isolated in a rarified social setting, choosing to do "good works" but succumbing to temptation; the hard-boiled female pol, for whom "Hell Hath No Fury"; and, among others, the narrator himself, Jackie Burden, for whom Moral Relativism becomes High Art. This is a story not of people who rule, but of their loyal subjects, and how they drift from their original moorings and hit the shoals, with rationalizations 'a plenty. In the end, Warren may be telling us that while our elected officials are capable of being corrupted during their finite tenure in office, it is the citizenry in any democracy whose quieter, everyday choices richochet from one member of the community to another, oftentimes with unintended and far-reaching consequences - and with only so much time to repair the damage, if indeed that is possible. This is masterful storytelling that forces the reader to consider what unknown ripples he himself may have created in his life. It is, without question, a leading candidate for "The Great American Novel".
Rating:
Summary: Still a great American novel
Review: This World War II-era, Pulitzer-winning novel ostensibly chronicles the rise and fall of Willie Stark. Loosely based on Louisiana boss Huey Long, Stark is an ultra-charismatic, larger-than-life, Clinton-esque, Southern governor looking to reach the U.S. Senate. In truth, though, the political story ultimately yields to the personal story of Jack Burden, a reporter turned right-hand man to Stark and the first-person narrator of the book. Burden's vibrantly crackling, descriptive, often lyrical narrative drives the story throughout, frequently delving into the past--his own and others'--to comment upon the present and, just as frequently, infusing descriptions of events with cutting questions of philosophy and observations of human nature. Burden's chronicles introduce a variety of utterly realistic and memorable minor characters--his ex-wife; his mother; Stark's chauffeur; a judge; the girlfriend of his youth and her brother, just to name a few--and seldom wane in intensity. The one weakness I noticed was that much of the language and dialogue relies on Depression Era slang that can prove distracting and require a bit of thought to figure out. This proved especially true in the beginning of the novel, the pacing of which is by no means fast; however, once the story got going, I noticed it less and less. And the last chapter, as Jack struggles with the meaning of all that has happened--struggles to understand if there even is any meaning--is simply sublime. A highly recommended tour de force and great American novel--not so much for its insight into politics, but for its insight into human nature in the whirlwind of history and politics. A book worth owning and re-reading. A masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: A Compelling Book About the Nature of Politics
Review: "All the King's Men" moves along breathlessly right through to its nail-biting climax. I wasn't prepared for such a suspenseful read, but the intrigues, shady dealings and political backstabbing make for quite a thriller. It's loosely based on the career of Huey "Kingfisher" Long, one-time governor of Louisiana. I didn't know anything about Long before reading this book, but it doesn't matter. Robert Penn Warren's novel is not about Louisiana politics, but rather about American politics in general and the ease with which political figures can become god like in the eyes of their voters and just as easily fall from their lofty perches. Warren uses stylized, thick prose to conjure images of the dense, sultry Southern landscape that serves as this novel's backdrop. The swampy, tangled undergrowth mirrors the tangled machinations going on among the politicians and aides that make up the novel's motley cast of characters. Willie Talos (Stark, depending on the edition you read), takes center stage as the larger-than-life governor, but the story really belongs to Jack Burden, right-hand man to Talos and the novel's moral center. And Warren creates a bona-fide scene-stealing character in that of Sadie Burke, aide to Talos, who understands what it takes to make it in an environment so dominated by power-hungry men and who more than adequately holds her own. This is a compulsive read. I didn't have the luxury of being able to sit down and read the whole thing in one sitting, which is probably the best way to approach it, as there are very few ideal stopping points along the way. But whether you read it all at once or over several days, I hope that you will indeed read this book.
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