Rating: 
Summary: An Absolutely Wonderful Book!
Review: It is extremely hard to sit down and write a review for any piece of classic literature for there is very little a reviewer can say that is new. Of course, for a book to be considered a classic most of its reviewers have to have had a favorable opinion of the work and all a new reviewer can do is concur or disagree. In this case, I couldn't possibly agree more with previous reviewers who have written rave reviews of this book.
This is not so much the story of Willie Stark, who was Willie Talos in the original manuscript, as it the story of Jack Burden, the man telling the story. It really seems to be the story of a young man and his road to maturity. That young man is Jack Burden and Stark seems to be just a convenient focal point around which Warren weaves his story. The plot is very well laid out and flows very well from beginning to end, which is quite an accomplishment when one considers all of the subplots to be found in this book. As Burden tells his story he often wanders down memory lane, recalling events which his story has recalled. Each subplot builds to it's own climax while also building toward the climax of the main story and the reader is swept along like a barrel on the Niagara River. Just as the reader feels as if he can put the book aside for a while, another subplot begins to ascend through the story and the reader is again swept along unable to pause. I got so caught up in one of the subplots that I was late for a very important appointment. I just couldn't stop until I found out what happened.
Stark is obviously supposed to resemble Louisiana Governor Huey Long and he very much does so. If one also reads T. Harry Williams biography of Long they will see just how strong the resemblance is. There are several morals and messages to be drawn from this story including thoughts on good and evil and past and future. In addition to the messages though, one has to admire the incredible amount of research Warren had to have done to write this book. Warren of course was alive and well during Huey Long's reign and that had to help him but in all events described his historical accuracy is uncanny. For example, one of the subplots involves Jefferson Davis in a minor way and even in delving in things well beyond his own memories Warren laces the story with many accurate details. In one passage, Warren relates that Davis missed the steamboat that was to carry him on the first leg of his trip to Montgomery to assume the Presidency of the new Confederacy. Warren points out that the boat left Davis Landing and then was halted out in the river while a smaller boat brought the new President out to get on board. A historical fact that would not be common knowledge but that is entirely accurate.
Many people avoid books that are considered to be top-flight works of literature. These people often assume that such books must be dull and so philosophical that they are beyond the average reader. In some instances this may be the case but not with this book. Warren has turned out a masterpiece that is not only fun to read but is so enjoyable that the reader will hate to come to the end. There are messages to be found here, both obvious and subtle but do not worry about the messages. They will come through on their own as you sit back and enjoy the ride over the falls.
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: 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.
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