Stoner by John Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The 1965 novel Stoner, by John Williams, is a masterpiece of mid-century American literature. The work follows the life and academic career of William Stoner, born in 1891 to a farmer in rural Missouri. Stoner is a deeply flawed man — though our protagonist, his choices, actions, and personality are often humanly lacking. Williams’s prose is simple and yet descriptive, neither overly ornate nor without emotion and beauty. From the novel’s very earliest words, I was hooked. The almost exceptionally unexceptional life Stoner lives may dissuade some from reading the work, but the focus Williams gives to this life lifts that which could be excruciatingly dull to an enthralling and engaging work. I wish that Williams had explored those characters whom Stoner had impacted throughout his life in greater depth, but admire his choice to reflect how people move in and out of each others’ lives for fleeting moments. Ultimately, though, the focus of the book is William Stoner: through him, Williams presents the full range of human emotion and experience in one short, unremarkable, but utterly human life.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quieter book, one with an engrossing story and thoughtful elements. -Review by Felix C. ’25

View all my reviews