Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Stoner by John Williams

8 reviews

nicholelipka's profile picture

nicholelipka's review against another edition

Spoiler/TW: in this book a man sees a woman and just decides she is to be his wife. It’s essentially a forced marriage that her parents authorize. She shows strong visible and physical discomfort with this from the very beginning and all throughout, and yet the narrator and main character Stoner are somehow flummoxed as to why she isn’t happy. And of course this only gets worse when Stoner rapes her and she vomits after the first time. Then she is portrayed as practically a villain. How in the world this is not talked about more in the reviews about this book is absolutely beyond me. This book is disturbing and disgusting, and highlights that the misogyny of old is still massively present in today’s attitudes and mindsets. Additionally, Stoner ironically has the personality of rock. He goes to college for agriculture after working on his family’s farm as a teen, then for some reason changes his major to literature. We are told that this is what his life revolves around, yet we are not shown any reason why he likes it or chose this to be his life’s work. This book is a waste of time, and I get the beauty that *could* have been found in this story had the story not been about a woefully pathetic and boring rapist.
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jg93's review against another edition

5.0
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kk_deveau's review against another edition

1.0
sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Dull dull dull. 
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nbtrz's profile picture

nbtrz's review against another edition

i really enjoyed the beginning but the rape?? especially the way it is portrayed in such a messed up manner?? because why is this guy acting like he’s doing his wife a favor and why does he seem to have some sort of savior complex towards his wife? i don’t like this man so i’m not going to engage with this book any further. i’m very disappointed. 
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sangsmiles's profile picture

sangsmiles's review against another edition

4.25
emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
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alicewolfe's review against another edition

4.0
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
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ana610615's review against another edition

2.5
emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
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cherryredmarlene's profile picture

cherryredmarlene's review against another edition

4.0
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
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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