A review by fitzbff
Stoner by John Williams

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Stoner, from its premise, is not a particularly exciting novel. The first page prepares you for the fact that the protagonist, William Stoner, accomplishes nothing extraordinary in his life, and leaves behind little impact or legacy. Nonetheless, the way that this book is written, it treats every moment of his life as important, because it was important to him. It shows how one singular human life can be valuable in and of itself, despite any unhappiness, regrets, or lack of accomplishments. It actually reminded me a bit of Sally Rooney's novels, except we see Stoner's whole life throughout the book. The prose is similarly easy to read and non-intrusive and the characters all feel real in ways that fictional characters rarely do. People weren't lying when they said that "this is the greatest classic you've never read." I'm so happy it's gotten its cult following, otherwise I never would have experienced this man's unimportant life story.