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A review by peggyd
Stoner by John Williams
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
One of the most satisfying--yet heartbreaking--reading experiences I've had in a long time. A classic, beloved novel that had been sitting on my shelves for ages. I finally read it and though it demolished me, I'm so glad I took it off the shelf.
The New York Times calls Stoner "a perfect novel" and I thought, no way it lives up to that. What is "the perfect novel" anyhow? Well, this must be pretty close. It follows the life of William Stoner, from his early days on a poor farm with his parents, to his choice to take up literature, complete a PhD and teach, we follow his life and choices, his disappointments, confusion, and loss. It's ultimately a simple life--nothing truly remarkable or exceptional--but it is so well-told that you can't help but root for Stoner until the end. It is easy to get submerged into Stoner's world, so much so that when I would come up for air I would be surprised that I wasn't, in fact, in early 2oth-century Missouri. The details are so well-observed I knew this world, these people instantly, and though it's a slim novel--a true "little life"--it felt complete, fully told.
But it's not happy. Yes, Stoner has his moments of happiness and fulfillment (the description of he and his young daughter in his study bursting into a fit of giggles over nothing is such a beautiful moment...it's aching what happens to that relationship) but they serve to highlight how often he has to deal with loneliness, estrangement, hostility at home and work, disappointed dreams, etc. There is dignity in his quiet acceptance, the way he doggedly forges on in a world that seems utterly hopeless. The portrait of academia, in particular, was chilling. He finally discovers his passion for teaching only to get sidelined by a chair who hates him simply for standing up for what he believes in. Just gut-wrenching stuff.
And don't get me started on his wife, Edith. At times, she's a straight-up villain, crafting ways to crush her husband's dreams (the way she carefully and strategically keeps him from working on a second book is almost awe-inspiring) and keep him estranged from their daughter. Other times, it's hard to condemn her as she's so pitiable as to be not worth the effort. She was so sheltered and protected and coddled throughout her life that she can't imagine having to give of herself at all and it turns her into something sour and broken. A character I will think about for a long, long time.
Stoner had his chances--he does find love, fleetingly--but his inability to articulate what he wants in time to fight for it, and his acceptance of life as a disappointing thing means he cannot ultimately succeed. Interestingly, in this edition's introduction, there is an excerpt from an interview with author John Williams who asserts that Stoner is a "real hero." He realizes that "a lot of people...think that Stoner had such a sad and bad life. I think he had a very good life. He had a better life than most people do, certainly." I keep coming back to this assertion because it is true to some extent. In another world, Stoner stays on at his parents' farm and works himself to the bone until he dies. He never discovers his love of literature, his passion for teaching. And yet we have a book where he sees a bigger world that can include his happiness and he can't get there. The world won't allow it. To me, that is unbelievably sad. Maybe it is heroic that he did soldier on in the face of all that.
All of this is portrayed in such a tightly woven, straightforward, unembellished way, that it's easy to see why this is a classic, why it's called luminous, riveting, and perfect.
The New York Times calls Stoner "a perfect novel" and I thought, no way it lives up to that. What is "the perfect novel" anyhow? Well, this must be pretty close. It follows the life of William Stoner, from his early days on a poor farm with his parents, to his choice to take up literature, complete a PhD and teach, we follow his life and choices, his disappointments, confusion, and loss. It's ultimately a simple life--nothing truly remarkable or exceptional--but it is so well-told that you can't help but root for Stoner until the end. It is easy to get submerged into Stoner's world, so much so that when I would come up for air I would be surprised that I wasn't, in fact, in early 2oth-century Missouri. The details are so well-observed I knew this world, these people instantly, and though it's a slim novel--a true "little life"--it felt complete, fully told.
But it's not happy. Yes, Stoner has his moments of happiness and fulfillment (the description of he and his young daughter in his study bursting into a fit of giggles over nothing is such a beautiful moment...it's aching what happens to that relationship) but they serve to highlight how often he has to deal with loneliness, estrangement, hostility at home and work, disappointed dreams, etc. There is dignity in his quiet acceptance, the way he doggedly forges on in a world that seems utterly hopeless. The portrait of academia, in particular, was chilling. He finally discovers his passion for teaching only to get sidelined by a chair who hates him simply for standing up for what he believes in. Just gut-wrenching stuff.
And don't get me started on his wife, Edith. At times, she's a straight-up villain, crafting ways to crush her husband's dreams (the way she carefully and strategically keeps him from working on a second book is almost awe-inspiring) and keep him estranged from their daughter. Other times, it's hard to condemn her as she's so pitiable as to be not worth the effort. She was so sheltered and protected and coddled throughout her life that she can't imagine having to give of herself at all and it turns her into something sour and broken. A character I will think about for a long, long time.
Stoner had his chances--he does find love, fleetingly--but his inability to articulate what he wants in time to fight for it, and his acceptance of life as a disappointing thing means he cannot ultimately succeed. Interestingly, in this edition's introduction, there is an excerpt from an interview with author John Williams who asserts that Stoner is a "real hero." He realizes that "a lot of people...think that Stoner had such a sad and bad life. I think he had a very good life. He had a better life than most people do, certainly." I keep coming back to this assertion because it is true to some extent. In another world, Stoner stays on at his parents' farm and works himself to the bone until he dies. He never discovers his love of literature, his passion for teaching. And yet we have a book where he sees a bigger world that can include his happiness and he can't get there. The world won't allow it. To me, that is unbelievably sad. Maybe it is heroic that he did soldier on in the face of all that.
All of this is portrayed in such a tightly woven, straightforward, unembellished way, that it's easy to see why this is a classic, why it's called luminous, riveting, and perfect.