Stoner (CD-Audio)

from OscarWilde87

William Stoner grows up on a farm in Missouri. One day, his father learns that William has the chance to attend the University of Missouri in order to study agriculture. Intending to take over his parents' farm, Stoner seizes the opportunity. In the course of his studies, Stoner is forced to have...

from Meredy

Six-word review: Powerful portrait in quiet, graceful prose. Extended review: It's for a book like this that I try to leave room at the top. And the room at the top isn't quite enough for me; I'd have to downgrade a lot of my three-and-a-half-star ratings in order for a five to mean what this nov...

from browner56

There is an old joke in academic circles that goes something like this: Q. Why is the political in-fighting at a university so nasty and bitter? A. Because the stakes are so low. I'm not sure how funny that actually is, but anyone who has spent any time on a college faculty can attest to its vera...

from hemlokgang

Reading this deceptively straightforward novel was an unexpected pleasure. The plot is simple, telling the tale of one man's life. A simple university professor's life. To me the profound aspect of this novel stems from the brilliant tale of becoming. Stoner "becomes" in the context of growing up...

from proustitute

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 Wi...