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jupitervivienne's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I’m really not sure where I stand with this book. At times I hated it and didn’t want to continue, other times I felt it was very emotional and moving. I think I would have felt more impacted if the story was about Edith. Her character was so perplexing and heartbreaking and I was so curious about her inner world. The part of the book that briefly switched to her perspective was incredibly engaging. Overall, it’s an interesting exploration of the period and the life of an average man, but I don’t think it was for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Racism, Death, and War
Minor: Fatphobia and Alcoholism
stalfos's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Infidelity, Cancer, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Child abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, War, and Classism
lrosenzweig23's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Rape, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Abandonment, War, Body shaming, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting
rinnavv's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War and Death
Minor: Child abuse, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Terminal illness
jayisreading's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
I was pleasantly surprised by this novel and its quietly intense world. The novel follows the relatively mundane life of William Stoner, though Williams reveals how complicated things can get for his protagonist through a masterful demonstration of “show, don’t tell.” It was fascinating to see the ripple effects of Stoner’s choices in his personal life as well as professional, and how the two are not easily separable. Williams also presented a more accurate depiction of academia than I expected, particularly the intensity of departmental politics and the love/hate relationship that comes with being an academic.
The protagonist isn’t a likable character, in my opinion, though he isn’t the absolute worst either. If anything, Stoner is a very honest reflection of what it means to be human and contend with one’s imperfections (some more egregious than others). Relatedly, the other characters in this novel, particularly his wife, Edith, demonstrate similar levels of introspection on the complexities of being human.
Stoner is a bittersweet novel, leaning far more towards the bitter rather than sweet. It really helped set the novel up to capture an existential solitude that will potentially leave the reader thinking about their own life. I should note that this is by no means a perfect novel, and there were certainly moments when I raised my eyebrows (such as the early stages of the Stoners’ marriage), but overall, I found it to be a compelling read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity
Moderate: Emotional abuse, War, Rape, and Chronic illness
Minor: Alcoholism and Suicide
bookbelle5_17's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Review of Stoner
By: John Williams
Stoner is a novel about William Stoner Missouri farmer, who goes to school for agricultural studies, but finds himself falling in love with literature and teaching. Stoner goes through life experiencing two World Wars, a wife who hates him, rivalries at the school, and having an affair with a student.
My feelings for this are complicated as it has elegant proses that novel compelling to read that stirred strong emotions but left me sad at the end. Though, a sad isn’t a bad feeling, and it is set in one of my favorite time periods at a college. It is slow moving as we see William Stoner’s life play out as Williams focuses more on building his characters rather than making this a crazy plot driven story. He immerses you in Stoner’s mind and learn who he is as a person and what he cares about. It wakes you up to reality of life and how its not some epic adventure and shit happens. You won’t get along with everyone. William Stoner is a frustrating character with his passive nature as he barely fights for the things that are taken from him. It is one of the traits that his daughter, Grace, inherited from him. For father and daughter, they develop this mentality that it doesn’t matter when things go wrong, or their own happiness is taken from them. Stoner’s first mistake was marrying Edith Bostwick, who clearly had some issues that she needed to cope with. I got the impression she didn’t trust men starting with her father and took out her anger on Stoner. He had insisted they get married, preventing her from escaping to Europe with her aunt as he promises they’ll go one day, but life happens. His presence seems to smother her as she snaps at him for trying to help her preferring he not be around. Stoner isn’t a villain, just oblivious to who Edith is and how she feels as he rushed into marriage. Edith isn’t a great mother, and when she decides she wants to "Mother" Grace, she realizes the girl has bonded with Willy and decides she needs to keep Grace away from him. She turns Grace into her little doll and trying to force a life on her daughter that she doesn’t want. At the college, Stoner finds this place his sanctuary, but that is taken from him too by Hollis Lomax and Charles Walker. I couldn’t stand Hollis Lomax, the professor that takes Stoner’s mentor’s place, and Charles Walker, a student with a bad attitude. Both characters are arrogant and selfish using their disabilities to get away with shit. Both are crippled and I have a theory both had experienced mockery from others, and just became enraged at the world making them feel entitled, because the world owes them something. I felt sorry for both at first until they show their true colors. Stoner does stand up for himself a little when it comes to Lomax, but I wish he had fought harder to protect Grace, either way I think he would have lost. His relationship with Katherine Driscoll is sweet and tender, despite its immoral implications. There are probably more people like Stoner, who are passive spectators in life and aren’t brave enough to fight to hold on to what they love. I wanted a happier ending for Stoner, but life doesn’t always end happy. Your choices make a difference in if you have a reason to be content or unsatisfied with your life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Bullying, War, and Death
strrygo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
the decline is so gradual i almost forgot i was watching it happen until those small moments of irreversible change .. marking a loss of a past that could never be retrieved even while we r still even in it(wanted to climb into the book n get it back it for them,, especially for grace), felt like i saw his life divide into moments of befores and afters..the way it all ,falls away, just feels so completely insignificant in the end...but there is so much tranquility and reassurance in it all, love love love
intro to the book has a quote from Williams calling stoner a hero(whole intro conflicted with my experience of the book rly whsgdhwhw). i don't think i pity him despite wishing everyone involved had a chance at something Better, or more, but i think it's so interesting how his endurance and firmness to himself—which i think is felt most with how he never seems to outgrow himself, he's just always the stoner thinking of the university as a thing beyond himself, masters, his Love, the dirt—is considered heroic, love and a desire to live, do something meaningful, to work, described as heroism when they feel like they are the most natural part of human nature make this feel so much more depressing for me. his life was not particularly difficult but that doesn't mean it was not sad, despite it's normalcy or the fact that it repeats itself in every other 'stoner'. if stoner is a hero What is there but to sacrifice and endure
♡ rec from adri
intro to the book has a quote from Williams calling stoner a hero(whole intro conflicted with my experience of the book rly whsgdhwhw). i don't think i pity him despite wishing everyone involved had a chance at something Better, or more, but i think it's so interesting how his endurance and firmness to himself—which i think is felt most with how he never seems to outgrow himself, he's just always the stoner thinking of the university as a thing beyond himself, masters, his Love, the dirt—is considered heroic, love and a desire to live, do something meaningful, to work, described as heroism when they feel like they are the most natural part of human nature make this feel so much more depressing for me. his life was not particularly difficult but that doesn't mean it was not sad, despite it's normalcy or the fact that it repeats itself in every other 'stoner'. if stoner is a hero What is there but to sacrifice and endure
♡ rec from adri
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Pregnancy and Racism
maresuju's review against another edition
TLDR; Mediocre white man in the 1920s who feels entitled to other people
<CW: marital rape>
I understand that this is supposed to be a representation of the monotony/mediocrity that life can be, but I almost feel like this was the opposite. The MC is selfish, refused to make decisions or take any action, and only acts out of his own immediate interests. He essentially forces his wife to marry him despite her making it clear that she has no romantic interest in him, and he rapes her regularly (the author makes it very clear that she’s either asleep or wake up and is tense/unmoving). And then he wonders why his life is shitty, why his wife hates him and keeps her daughter from him.
Truly he is a mediocre (at best) man who feels like he’s entitled to a job, friends, a wife, a family, everything just because he’s there, but puts no effort into any of his relationships. I really tried to stick it out, and made it almost 70% of the way through, but I was just so annoyed and angered by the MC that I couldn’t find a single reason to care about what happens.
<CW: marital rape>
I understand that this is supposed to be a representation of the monotony/mediocrity that life can be, but I almost feel like this was the opposite. The MC is selfish, refused to make decisions or take any action, and only acts out of his own immediate interests. He essentially forces his wife to marry him despite her making it clear that she has no romantic interest in him, and he rapes her regularly (the author makes it very clear that she’s either asleep or wake up and is tense/unmoving). And then he wonders why his life is shitty, why his wife hates him and keeps her daughter from him.
Truly he is a mediocre (at best) man who feels like he’s entitled to a job, friends, a wife, a family, everything just because he’s there, but puts no effort into any of his relationships. I really tried to stick it out, and made it almost 70% of the way through, but I was just so annoyed and angered by the MC that I couldn’t find a single reason to care about what happens.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, War, Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Racism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
apthompson's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Death, War, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Cancer, Infidelity, Mental illness, Death of parent, Grief, and Medical content
aniquegrace's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
somehow nothing happened it’s one of my favorite books of the year, moving and pensive
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Alcoholism
Minor: War