My Amazon and Goodreads review of Stoner (Rating 5) – A lacerating yet loving look at academia. In understated and simple prose, Stoner by John Williams nails the complexity of university life. A belated reader to this 1965 classic, I nevertheless found it a lacerating yet loving look at academia as it endures today. Williams’s controlled prose is masterful, a skill I appreciate both as a reader and a writer (see my Amazon author page and Goodreads author page). He lulls readers with the sameness of Professor Stoner’s life, then ignites a spark that inflames both the character and us. We urge Stoner to rebel against his wife’s sabotage and department chair’s vindictiveness. Instead, Williams holds steadfast to his character’s acquiescent nature, in turn persuading readers to acquiesce to the author’s choice. Thus do Stoner, and Williams, earn their place in the literary pantheon.
