Reviews

Stoner by John Williams

cosmicreign's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

imrogers's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely loved this novel, which carries throughout its 278 pages a quiet, reflective sadness about the world and the forces that conspire against those who want more from it. At its core, Stoner is a novel about life, work, disillusionment, the difficulty in obtaining what one wants, and steadfast dedication to one's profession in an unpretentious, unglamorous manner. It's about vile people who seek to control us through falseness and manipulation, vindictive power moves, and outright lies. The hollowness of Stoner's wife Edith comes across as haunting and frightening, along with his daughter Grace's downhill journey into a life she wishes to escape from at any cost. 

Yet, throughout all of its pages, even some 100 years after the time period Williams was writing about, the character motivations all felt strikingly real and encapsulated ways of interacting with the world that haven't changed much in four generations. In this way, the novel is a testament to the power of literature to capture the human experience, not only at one time in history, but also for all time. 

bamsabbath's review against another edition

5.0

This book made me cry. Strangely, though, it’s cheered me up more than any other book I’ve consumed recently.

aaronchan18's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

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

5.0

imogroos's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

peebee's review against another edition

4.0

People aren't kidding it's a really well written book, but you can either have a psychotic harridan wife who only wants to destroy and isolate her husband or a psychotic academic dean who wants to put over massively unqualified students he has a personal relationship with and engages on decades long campaign of professional destruction over a guy doing his job and flunking an idiot one time, after bending over backwards and doing everyone involved several favors.

A little gratuitous is all, especially since John Williams is on record saying he can make a good novel out of anyone's boring life, just add empathy. The guy had essentially no home or professional life because of his Job-like trials and tribulations.

alishabuford's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

2.0

sonionnn's review against another edition

2.0

I’m severely disappointed. Why isn’t anyone talking about how the author wrote Edith to be cartoonishly evil? The protagonist was given so much grace while none was given to the wife - AND DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON THE MARITAL SA.

cpete88's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

latartaruga's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0