Stoner (New York Review Books Classics) (original 1965; edition 2006)

A quiet read that evokes emotions of anger, rage, sadness and pity. A man alone in the world and increasingly more aware of the loneliness, power and wonder of this world.
His writing has touched me as no other in a long, long time. ( )

It’s hard to adequately convey how powerful a novel Stoner is, perhaps because there is nothing unusual in Williams’s prose style, pacing, or the way he is using the bildungsroman conventions to focus on an erudite, bookish man’s familial, psychological, and collegiate conflicts.



I think that Williams is a master of flow: Stoner pulls you in, and you are immediately swept away—again, not because the prose or the narrative itself are particularly enthralling per se, but because Williams knows how to captivate and capture the reader’s attention and then drag him or her alongside Stoner throughout the book.



A must-read for those who adore reading, especially those who have been lucky enough to make reading their lives and livelihood. ( )

This is a powerful book, with a simple yet melancholy flow. It reminds me of Midwestern church hymns.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsNCOLed7So

Stoner is the novel of an ordinary life. As such, it's full of moments of quiet desperation and stoicism. William Stoner is a man defeated and beaten, and yet he survives with a sort of passive acceptance. He may be a 'loser', but you feel empathy for him. It's profoundly touching, and interesting on a personal level. I respect Stoner, although I think a lot of us here fear becoming him. ( )

F me.
( )

William Stoner, as a young man in 1910, is offered the opportunity by his father to attend the University of Missouri Agriculture College. As a sophomore, Stoner takes a required survey in English literature course, and everything changes. He becomes an English major, and after graduation, takes a position on the university faculty.

The book is a chronicle of the fictional William Stoner's life, but Stoner is an Everyman, with ups and downs, disappointments and joys. John Williams turns a simple uneventful story into a thought-provoking microcosm of life. Recommended. ( )