Stoner

A Novel

By: John Williams

Narrated by: Alfred Molina

Waterstone's book of the year 2013

Colum McCann once called Stoner one of the great forgotten novels of the past century, but it seems it is forgotten no longer - in 2013 translations of Stoner began appearing on best-seller lists across Europe.

William Stoner enters the University of Missouri at 19 to study agriculture. A seminar on English literature changes his life, and he never returns to work on his father's farm. Stoner becomes a teacher. He marries the wrong woman. His life is quiet, and after his death his colleagues remember him rarely.

Yet with truthfulness, compassion and intense power, this novel uncovers a story of universal value. Stoner tells of the conflicts, defeats and victories of the human race that pass unrecorded by history and reclaims the significance of an individual life.

A listening experience like no other, itself a paean to the power of literature, it is a novel to be savoured.

©2016 John Williams (P)2016 Random House AudioBooks

Good read!

A simplistic but engaging narrative! The plot was well adapted by the narrator so much so that It was very hard to put down. (If that idiom applies to audio books) 😋

Story

Story, is very good! And Alfred Molina is fantastic reader ( narator)… I’m looking forward to find stories like this

Deep story and delicate style

Even in a life devoid of plot and drama, there are always difficult choices to be made. In the end, these choices and behaviors define the person and their view of themselves. For a thirty year old, this book is incredibly deep and heavy, and I am curious to see how I will view it in my later years.

well written

Stoner is a beautiful but sad novel, reflecting the harsh realities of life,
I enjoyed this book because it was so realistic.

Painful and beautiful

Such a complex yet freely flowing story! Gripping and engaging like few other books. I think you might have to have experienced a bit of life and love yourself to fully appreciate this book.