All the King's Men in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Jan 09, 2013 Kristen rated it it was amazing

Holy goodness this is a great book. If you’ve heard anything about this novel before picking it up, you’ve likely heard that it’s one of the great novels on American politics. And it is – the story of the rise and fall of Willie Stark and the backroom political dealings sadly feel as timely and relevant today as they did back in the 1930s. But what we really struck me about this book was the astonishingly beautiful prose. It is pure poetry on the page (reading the book sleeve was when I realized ...more

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Jan 02, 2009 Kecia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: pulitzer_prize, times_100_best, usa

I learned to be at one with the Great Twitch.

All the King's Men is like a long slow, sultry, southern, summer night. It is a book for the kind of person who feels the pull of the sentence. Every paragraph is a perfectly crafted. I'll never drive alone at night in the rain without thinking of this book.

If you want a light easy read forget it. This is long and deep and complicated and wonderful! A great read to start the new year! ...more

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May 02, 2007 Hilary rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book takes place in one of my favorite time periods and down in the South, in LA. Jack Burden is one of my most favorite literary characters ever. He is not supposed to be the main character, just the narrator. The main character is Willie Starks who is an incredible character but Jack Burden is a man you will never forget.

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Mar 26, 2008 Rae rated it did not like it

Shelves: classics

A difficult and unpleasant read for me. I never felt caught up in the story or felt like I cared about the characters. The plot is somewhat political in nature and I chose to read it during an election cycle. That might be part of the problem. Ultimately, though, I just didn't like the book. ...more

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