This book is a true classic and a must read for anyone with an interest in American politics. Penn Warren's fictionalized story of Huey Long is a story of why we have the politicians we have, and why politicians believe that the end justifies the means, regardless of what party is in power.

The poltical rise of Willy Stark and Jack Burden will read as current now and 100 years from now, as it did in 1947. It is an amazing book and particularly worth reading in an election year.

Too wordy. Author gets lost with over done descriptions. Most of our readers admitted to doing lots of 'skimming' to finish the book. However, I did learn about Huey long. And that part of our discussion was interesting

The recent presidential campaign reminded me that I still haven’t read ALL THE KING’S MEN. It’s been in my parents’ bookcase all the while I was growing up, and I even tried to read it when I was in high school. I never finished it then through lack of interest. Forty years later the subjects of this book do interest me and I can understand why it won a Pulitzer prize in 1947,was rated the 36th greatest novel of the 20th century by Modern Library, and was chosen as one of TIME magazine's 100 best novels since 1923.

Even if you haven’t read ALL THE KING’S MEN, you must have heard of it. Your impression may be like mine was: this is a book about a politician who began with good intentions only to grow into a man who acts out of a lust for power. But while this IS one of the characters (Willie Stark), his story is really the background for Jack Burden’s story.

Burden narrates. He begins when he was a reporter who came across the young Willie Stark, then goes back and forth in time, studying how he acted as Stark’s right-hand man and how he related with old friends and family. You may want to reread this; Robert Penn Warren discusses so much, you may catch the second time what you missed the first time.

ALL THE KING’S MEN doesn’t get my highest rating for that reason. I don’t like to reread. But I think I need to. Robert Penn Warren took many breaks from the story to discuss and philosophize. This went on for many paragraphs before he resumed the story, causing me to forget it.

This is a style that can be good, especially if the discussions are as thoughtful as Warren’s. The problem I have here is the length of the discussions. His tangents are too wordy.

But this is minor. The book is exceptional.