All the King's Men Group Discussion

[Scheherazade]

There is no deadline, DM. You can join in anytime you want/can.

Personally speaking, I am hoping to start reading sometime next week, though.

[Dark Muse]

Hehe ok well I will see what I can do and see if I can squeeze it in.

[imthefoolonthehill]

My poetry professor happened to study under Robert Penn Warren. *shrug* This used to be my favorite book in high school.

Which, I guess gives me an Erdös-style Penn Warren number of 2.

[Nightshade]

ookay IO do want to read this one, will see if I can get hold of it..

[Scheherazade]

Is anyone reading this one?

Shall we start reading it or wait some more?

[Dark Muse]

I am in the process of reading it

I am nearly finnished with Chapter 3

[Scheherazade]

I am in the process of reading it

I am nearly finnished with Chapter 3

I will start reading it too then and report here as and when.

[papayahed]

I'll start soon.

[Scheherazade]

I started yesterday and found the first a few pages hard to get through; it is as if I am reading in a language I do not understand. Maybe it is the references; I am not sure. Though once the descriptions were over, it became "easier".

[Sapphire]

Just keep hanging in there - it really is a marvellous book

He gave you the impression of being a slow and deliberate man to look at him, and he had a way of sitting loose as though he had sunk inside himself and was going down for the third time and his eyes would blink like an owl's in a cage. Then all of a sudden he would make a move. (p. 24)

Don't you just see him?! It clearly defines what sort of actions this guy is capable of, what you might expect: the unexpected

[Dark Muse]

I started yesterday and found the first a few pages hard to get through; it is as if I am reading in a language I do not understand. Maybe it is the references; I am not sure. Though once the descriptions were over, it became "easier".

I found the first two chapters touture to read. I was just like OMG I do not want to read this book. Someone could not intentinally write something more boring. I had to rather grugigning force myself to continue, but it does pick up a little more as it goes on and gets easier to read.

[Scheherazade]

Finished reading the first part. I am getting into the story and enjoying the story but I find Warren's endless descriptive passages distracting. At times, I feel the need to go back and re-read to make sure where the story is exactly (past/present).

[Dark Muse]

I am just about done with Chapter 4 and I feel the same way. Some of the descriptions get tiresome and some I feel really are not needed they just take up pages of space. And some of his paragraphs feel like a giant run one scentence.

[Scheherazade]

Also, is anyone else burdened by Jack Burden's selfish aloofness? Or his willingness to be so. He possibly cannot think that he will keep his hands and his tail clean while working for Willie. The fact that later on wrote the book (he is the narrator after all) might be his attempt at redemption but it might come too late?

He somewhat reminds me of Nick from Gatsby but very hard to tell for sure at this early stage (for me).

[Dark Muse]

Jack is odd to say the least. There is no real explination for why he is with Willie to start with. Just becasue. He does not seem to have any goals of ambitions of his own or even really care much about anything. Though he does not seem to me like someone who has much of a moral ground either. I cannot see him caring if he keeps his hands clean or not really.