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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
So, this rating feels vaguely blasphemous. The parts of this novel that were about politics -- about Willie Stark's rise to power, his rhetoric, etc, were great. The writing is uniformly excellent.
But thematically, I don't think All the King's Men has aged well. It's a political novel kind of, but there's way more of Jack, Willie's right hand man/character assassin in the book than there is of Willie, and Jack and Jack's inner self is just...not that interesting. And then there's 80 pages of Jack monologuing about both Annie, his true love who he deifies, and also his wife, who he resented whenever she acted like a person, and that 80 pages kills the book for me.
Hopefully, when someone rewrites this book in 10 or 15 years (it feels like it's time), they'll center the narrative on Sadie Burke, the pockmarked and plain power broker who rose up from poverty to put a former no-name in power. In the original, Sadie gets 10% of the page time compared to Jack. It's tragic.
But thematically, I don't think All the King's Men has aged well. It's a political novel kind of, but there's way more of Jack, Willie's right hand man/character assassin in the book than there is of Willie, and Jack and Jack's inner self is just...not that interesting. And then there's 80 pages of Jack monologuing about both Annie, his true love who he deifies, and also his wife, who he resented whenever she acted like a person, and that 80 pages kills the book for me.
Hopefully, when someone rewrites this book in 10 or 15 years (it feels like it's time), they'll center the narrative on Sadie Burke, the pockmarked and plain power broker who rose up from poverty to put a former no-name in power. In the original, Sadie gets 10% of the page time compared to Jack. It's tragic.
I'm marking this as done even though I only read half of it. The end had a great twist and more . . . Feminist? Than I had thought. Although still not great female rep. It wasn't a terrible book.
I'm marking this as done even though I only read half of it. The end had a great twist and more . . . Feminist? Than I had thought. Although still not great female rep. It wasn't a terrible book.
This book is pretty amazing. Gorgeous language, great story. I was surprised by how much I loved it - but I really got into it and couldn't wait to talk about it with co-workers. Great book.
this book was literally so boring when i read it in ap lit. sorry but why would i want to read about a white man who hated women and needed therapy when i could just talk to a bhem graduating class of 2020 man.
This is a wonderful book. The prose and imagery was outstanding. The story itself was very engrossing. The nuances of the meaning of life and human interaction and morality and all of those other big name themes were amazing. Everyone should read this.
(As a note, I read the restored edition)
(As a note, I read the restored edition)
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Undeniably well written which is what drove me to finish it even when some parts were slow. A book not just about politics but about good v evil, truth, and connections between people with a ton of baggage. Probably better books to read in 2022 but still enjoyed.
This is truly a great American novel. But not greater than Moby Dick.