Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Stoner

the marital r*pe scenes caught me off guard but I guess it was unfortunately par for the course in those days.

William Stoner is an incredibly awkward and passive-aggressive protagonist. The book is sad, slow, and deeply melancholic as it follows his tiny little life at the University of Missouri during the Greatest Generation. I found him frustrating, but in a way that makes a compelling book.

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wormgirl's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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millenniumix's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

On the back cover of the book, it is described as the “perfect novel,” and in many ways, it is. It is a perfect contemporary work of fiction, one that packs a realness and rawness in prose that is so well put together. “Stoner” is a man and a life who just so happens to be a book. There are no surprises in the story, no twists and turns, no overt melodrama. Just simply a walk through one man’s existence and an attempt at a contemplation of meaning and purpose that are elusive.

And if you think it sounds like a bore, I assure you it isn’t. Anybody would be bettered by having picked this one and read it.

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klor's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-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

5.0

I had to take a few minutes of silence after I finished this book. There's a quietness to it the whole way through and a loneliness, not a bombastic one. The plot doesn't really have a lot going on, we're just following this man's life and yet the writing was so good that I just had to keep going. I honestly got so attached to our protagonist and felt for him through the various unfortunate things in his life

through his failed marriage, to not being able to connect with his parents after going to college, to the shitty bureaucracy in his job, his mentally ill wife emotionally distancing his daughter from him, to not being able to be with the woman who actually loved him

it's not a grand thing or events but damn they hit hard a lot once they enter the picture. Half the time, readers can see it coming and you almost wish that he should stand up for himself but that's just not his character. The love he had for literature is the same love I have for the field I'm in. This story simultaneously made my heart clench and then break and then make peace with it. It's like ribs by lorde but like as an adult lol

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cherryredmarlene's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was very slow and in depth about different aspect of the life of one character, but that’s EXACTLY what tickles my pickle so good for myself. I can however see how this could be boring for some.

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