"In his forty-third year William Stoner learned what others, much younger, had learned before him: that the person one loves at first is not the person one loves at last, and that love is not an end but a process through which one person attempts to know another."
This book centers around William Stoner, who was raised in a farming family and initially sent to the state university to pursue agronomy. However, his passion veers towards English Literature, leading him to embrace the life of a scholar. Throughout his journey, Stoner encounters a spectrum of emotions, navigating through moments of love, loss, and solitude that shape the course of his life.
This is a very well written book. The writing is accessible, and while there's not much of a plot, I found that I could not put this book down. I loved reading and trying to analyze the many complex characters and their decisions. The author states clearly that Stoner lived an unremarkable life. But he does so well in portraying that even though someone lives such a simple, unassuming life, that doesn't make his life any less meaningful.
It takes an excellent writer to include almost an entire cast of unlikeable characters that the reader can't stop reading about. I wanted to scream at almost everyone for their very questionable actions. But the way in which they are written forced me to really think about each character and why they might be the way they are.
One thing that stood out for me was Stoner's love of literature. He was pretty nonchalant about many things that would normally incite an active reaction from most people- he always seemed to just let things happen without any action. But when it came to literature, you could feel his passion deeply, and as a literature lover myself, I deeply connected with his devotion. It frustrated me, however, that he didn't extend this kind of fervor towards other important aspects in his life, like his relationship with his daughter.
So much can be discussed from such a short novel. So many emotions felt- from anger to sadness to hope. There were even times when I was just flat out confused by how I felt or thought I should feel about certain situations. I will forever cherish any book that causes such a stir in emotions for me. I now have to inhale everything that John Williams writes.
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