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Stoner

John Williams,

John McGahern (Introduction)

Start date: October 1, 2023

Finish date: October 31, 2023

Discussion: New School Classics- 1915-2005

Why we're reading this: October 2023 Revisit the Shelf Group Read

January 2020 New School Classic Group Read
[close] October 2023 Revisit the Shelf Group Read

January 2020 New School Classic Group Read

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What Members Thought

Jan 17, 2020 Candi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, classics-shelf, contemporary-literary

"… a quiet sadness for the common plight was never far beneath any moment of his living."

This novel damn near broke my heart. Come to think of it, it did break my heart. I’ve been picking up the pieces and trying to put them back together for the past eleven days since finishing it. I don’t know what else to say that hasn’t already been said about this exceptional piece of writing. We are William Stoner. Isn’t there a piece of him in every single one of us? We go about our lives with the best in ...more

402 likes · Like · see review

May 27, 2021 Candace rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics, literary-fiction, nyrb-classics, 20th-c

I loved Stoner. When he fell in love with literature and changed his life’s path to follow his passion instead of his parents’ plans, I knew I wanted to know MORE. How difficult that must have been.

Some people may find this book “lifeless” for lack of a better word to describe Stoner’s outwardly quiet life. However, I loved reading about someone who lived a life where he did pursue what moved him, he lived by a set of morals, and how he reacted when those two things often came into conflict.

Wh ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Nov 11, 2016 Ian Anderson rated it really liked it

It's hard to put into words what it is that makes Stoner so compelling because it's a rather dull story on the surface. It doesn't seem like a story that is especially interesting or eventful, but John Williams has a way of making it so engaging from start to finish. The book tells the life of William Stoner, a farm boy from Missouri who is encouraged to attend the state university by his father upon his completion of high school. His father intends for him to study agriculture and use his studi It's hard to put into words what it is that makes Stoner so compelling because it's a rather dull story on the surface. It doesn't seem like a story that is especially interesting or eventful, but John Williams has a way of making it so engaging from start to finish. The book tells the life of William Stoner, a farm boy from Missouri who is encouraged to attend the state university by his father upon his completion of high school. His father intends for him to study agriculture and use his studies to help on the family farm. After attending school for a few semesters, Stoner falls in love with literature. He changes his career path and plans to become a professor at the University. We then follow Stoner's entire life up until his final days in a rather stoic and melancholy manner.

The writing in Stoner is deceptively simple but packs a lot into what the words attempt to convey. It's a book that caught me instantly, threw me into Stoner's life, and carried me from there. However, I can't say I loved every moment of it. At times I became irritated by some of the actions from Stoner and his supporting characters. Some from being wildly unstable and others from being mule-stubborn. I don't think it's until the end where we realize why people act the way they do and why Stoner puts up with some of the things he does. There are parts in the middle where I actually got mentally tired of reading. Not because it was boring or complicated, but because it was exhausting to read about some of these seemingly avoidable problems in Stoner's life. But I appreciate these moments because I think there's an honesty to it that portrays life. Many of our problems and actions seem avoidable in hindsight, but there's a reason we made these decisions and acted the way we did in certain situations. I will take from it that life's too short to be trying to please everyone all the time, sometimes you need to follow what best for yourself. While I don't know if it was always a pleasurable read for me, I'm almost certain Stoner will remain embedded in my mind for a long time. This is one of those books where come a month or so from now, it may need a change in rating, but right now I'm not ready to call it a favorite book of mine. I do often have things grow on me over time though. For instance, I wasn't head over heels for some of my favorite albums of all time after the first listen. So maybe Stoner is the same way. I'm still thinking about what John Williams just put me through. Butcher's Crossing and Augustus are certainly on my list.

P.S. The structure of this novel reminded me a lot of Any Human Heart because they both span over one person's lifetime and both protagonists have a love for literature. The latter, however, is much more eventful and less bleak. But Stoner is really something else. Just read it. ...more

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Jul 23, 2013 Tracey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites, 2013-reads

Oh my - loved! Sad, beautiful and meaningful. Will sit between Revolutionary Road and The Death of Ivan Illych as one of my all time favourites on what a life means. Just read if you love quiet, beautiful writing.

4 likes · Like · see review

Sep 11, 2023 Teri rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, read-in-2023

William Stoner was expected to follow in his father's footsteps as a rural Missouri farmer. Life was very basic and quiet for the Stoners. Farming was repetitive and lackluster at best, very typical for Missouri just prior to the Great War. William's father saw an opportunity to send his son to college in Columbia, Missouri, to learn agriculture, setting him up for a better future on the farm. What William's father had not considered was that his son might see a different opportunity for himself ...more

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Feb 01, 2025 caroline rated it it was amazing

This book was deeply sad but in a very quiet and indifferent kind of way, which is a tone I am always impressed by when authors are able to pull it off.
But it was also very hopeful if you are looking for it!

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 17, 2013 Ritsa Zervou rated it it was amazing

Fantastic, I enjoyed the references to English Literature; and the writing style.

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Jan 02, 2025 Bob Finch rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

Some of the best writing I’ve experienced. The author conveys his characters, especially the main protagonist, with deep emotional empathy and without sentimentality. A novel that will stay with me for a very long time.

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