Customer Reviews

All the King's Men: 50th Anniversary Edition

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This was an amazing book. I really enjoyed all of it. It reveals great truths about people and the writing style is excellent.

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.

"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.

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".

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.

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.

"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.

The first Poet Laureate of the United States, Robert Penn Warren created his life-long masterpiece with "All The King's Men" (1946). Drawing upon his first-hand experience in Europe as Germany and Italy invaded their neighbors and Spain fought a bloody civil war, the author makes his best attempt to showcase the ill effects of demagoguery and the fine line Americans tread between freedom and totalitarianism.

Set in the 1930s, "All The King's Men" follows the exploits of Willie Stark - a master politician and an expert in class warfare and corruption, who transforms from an idealistic man of the people into a creature driven by an insatiable lust for power. Readers would do well to learn more about the life story of Huey "Kingfish" Long of Louisiana. In the depths of the depression, he managed to become Governor and Senator of Louisiana (at the same time!!!), and he built a private army that rivaled the state militia and the national guard. Effectively, he became dictator of Louisiana before his assassination cut short his ambitions. With his eye on the White House, Long posed a true threat to FDR and the American republic, and his life serves as much of the basis for Warren's novel.

"All The King's Men" is viewed through the eyes of Jack Burden, one of Stark's aides - a man still possessed of idealism, but paralyzed from action. From an insider's point-of-view, the reader witnesses the rise and fall of Louisiana's "man of the people".

It has been said that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". If so, "All The King's Men" should be red in the face. The book's themes and ideas have been mimicked numerous times, most recently in 1996's best-selling novel "Primary Colors", a roman a clef with Jack Stanton (Bill Clinton) in place of Willie Stark (Huey Long). One of the finest novels of the last century, lovers of literature can't afford to miss "All The King's Men".

Britt Gillette

Never in my reading experience have narrative and stream-of-consciousness so thoroughly complemented one another in one work. I was loaned this book before I began some business travel alone and I am tempted to say that Jack Burden is the best travel companion I have ever had.
When a reading of a work of prose by itself almost explains the fact that its author was a poet laureate, you know you have been treated to a masterpiece. Passages like an early one wherein Jack describes the feeling of watching Willie about to give a speech (which Willie begins by saying that is exactly what he is not going to do) and likens it to finding an envelope and not wanting to open but having to because "the end of man" is to know what is in that envelope even though the "sad little foetus which is you in the dark which is you too" doesn't want to know. And a later sequence when Jack explains why he went west (the short answer is because "that's what we do", but Jack/Warren says it much better). These and many others are almost all the reason I need to read at all.
I went to a bookstore (sorry, Amazon, could not wait even a day) and bought two copies so I could give back the one I was loaned, keep one to read and loan to people, and give one to a friend to be determined. That's how much I loved this.
I have not read the version that was originally published. I may decide to some day out of curiosity or I may not. But I know I will read this version several more times in my life.

Within the confines of a bookstore one is often overwhelmed with the numerous topics and choices available to them. A solution to this problem, if a reader is interested in an engaging, magnificently written piece of literature, then take a few steps and find All The Kings Men by Robert Warren Penn.
The theme is one of uncanny importance and relevancy to this stage in American lives despite the fact it was written in 1946. The story is told in the first person, the narrator is Jack Burden; a right hand man to the leading political figure in the story, the "Boss." Interestingly, the "Boss" is based on the real life story of Huey "Kingfish" Long of Louisiana.
The story encompasses Jack Burdens revival from a involuntary life, as well as the metamorphosis of Willie Stark's, the "Boss", idealistic political views to the lust for power and fame. Robert Warren Penn won a Pulitzer Prize for this book, and within the last few months I can not recall a book that would equal it in quality and purpose. Penn utilizes his characters to develop and provide insight on the issues of forgiveness, power, and corruption, and the consequences of leadership.
Within a bookstore there are many choices, and many possibilities to choose from, but in the busy lives of the average person today why waste the time just pick up a copy of All the Kings Men by Robert Warren Penn today.