All the King's MenAll the King's Men
Score Classic
What it's about
Jack Burden is a cynical former newspaperman who goes to work for Willie Stark, a rural lawyer who becomes a populist governor of a southern state in the 1930s. Stark starts out idealistic and becomes ruthless, and Jack's job is to dig up dirt on his enemies. When Stark orders him to find something on a respected judge Jack has known since childhood, the investigation exposes Jack's own past.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Pulitzer Prize and is on both TIME's list of the best novels and the Modern Library's. It's one of the great American political novels, inspired by Louisiana governor Huey Long.
You'll love it if you liked
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
The Great Gatsby
The Sound and the FuryGood to know
Warren was a poet, and the prose is dense and lyrical. A long flashback story in the middle can be read as an aside.
By the numbers
- Readers61 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics97 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller21 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic
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Quick answers
Is All the King's Men worth reading?
Yes. It won the Pulitzer Prize and is on both TIME's list of the best novels and the Modern Library's. It ranks #297 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 81.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is All the King's Men about?
Jack Burden is a cynical former newspaperman who goes to work for Willie Stark, a rural lawyer who becomes a populist governor of a southern state in the 1930s. Stark starts out idealistic and becomes ruthless, and Jack's job is to dig up dirt on his enemies. When Stark orders him to find something on a respected judge Jack has known since childhood, the investigation exposes Jack's own past.
How long does it take to read All the King's Men?
About 16 hours (660 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has All the King's Men won?
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner (1947).
What should I read after All the King's Men?
If you liked it, try The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald or The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner.