All the King's Men [2006 Movie Tie-In Edition]

All the King's Men [2006 Movie Tie-In Edition]

Set in the 1930s, this Pulitzer Prize–winning novel traces the rise and fall of Willie Stark, who resembles the real-life Huey “Kingfish” Long of Louisiana. Stark begins his political career as an idealistic man of the people but soon becomes corrupted by success. Generally considered the finest novel ever written on American politics, All the King’s Men is a literary classic.

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING

SEAN PENN

JUDE LAW

KATE WINSLET

JAMES GANDOLFINI

MARK RUFFALO

PATRICIA CLARKSON

and

ANTHONY HOPKINS

Customer Review: They Just Don't Make 'Em Like This Anymore
And maybe that's good. This American classic and Pulitzer winner is wonderful and absolutely worth reading if you like your books to have depth and girth and that they be truly literary instead of merely entertaining for the plane ride, the beach, et al. Nothing wrong with that, if you do. But be warned: it is, even, I dare say, for its time, way overwritten and the writer's writing, the literary pyrotechnics, stands out in front of the story, often burying it in its spent ordinance and soot. Yes, Warren's a literal poet, and there are jaw-dropping turns of phrase on nearly every page. The reason I give a 4 and not a 5 is because it is turgid, overwritten, overwrought and purple as hell. There's too much time spent in Jack's head reflecting, thinking and philosophizing for my taste. But these are gorgeous flaws and, in the end, I found the writing too good to worry about the fact that there's too much of it. Also, the novel-within-the-novel regarding Cass Mastern was not needed and really dragged the already slagging story to a halt. The book did not need that background, per se, but it is what it is. It ain't a breathless thriller. It's hundreds of thousands of words of shimmering prose. Tap in and drink it with relish. They just don't make them like this anymore. Why? Because no house would publish it because they know nobody will read it in the numbers necessary to make it remotely profitable. Books are products; books must show sales growth potential or they get snuffed out. Sixty years ago, before the world 'o screens we live in now, this book was fodder for actual conversations at the proverbial water cooler. Now it's mostly seen as a "book to read before you die" or something inane like that, like climbing El Capitan or something. Sad really. -- If you are a reader who intends to that land of "Well-Read," read it. If you are a dabbler who wants only something to pass the time, and that's no crime, then you really don't want to bother.
Customer Review: Why did I wait?
I was assigned this book in an undergrad political science class. I began it and didn't finish it--I suppose because of immaturity. Thirty years later I decided to give it another try. In short, this is one of the best novels I've read, and one of the few books that I want to re-read.