Five Second book review: John Williams
Stoner by John Williams
I received this book as a gift, and I am so glad I did because this may be the best novel I have read in years.
William's novel Stoner shows us the beauty, drama, passion, frustration, disappointments and fleeting happiness of ordinary life. This novel traces a complete life with its complexities and emotions in a beautiful arch of character development.
The protagonist, Stoner, has been seen as somewhat of a loser in life, the son of a poor farmer sent to get a university to better himself. He falls in love with the world of literature and abandons the farm and his parents to pursue an academic career.
Within the small world that Stoner inhabits in his life at the University of Missouri, we experience life's different seasons and experiences. While commenting on the insular nature of academic institutions, Stoner's experiences also reflect on various broader issues such as the nature of war, friendship, love, sex, family, disappointment, intergenerational changes and mortality.
In the internal monologue of Professor Stoner's life, we see a complete, fully developed human soul living his life out for us on every page. It's genuinely astounding to inhabit Stoner's mind and listen to his internal voice, which ultimately shows us how complex, challenging, and beautiful even a limited, non-eventful life can be.
John William's prose is exquisite, perfectly disciplined, and filled with erudite description and observation.
Rather than being a ''loser,'' I'd see the character of Stoner as an ancient Stois who dedicated his short life to his first and only true love of learning. His intellectual awakening shapes his life and allows him to observe the world and his own life with surprising clarity of understanding and wisdom.
Stoner overcomes so many frustrations, disappointments, and chagrin in his own life that he reminds us that life is a thing of beauty despite all of the difficulties we face. With the help of his intellectual analysis and reflections, Stoner witnesses the beauty of a life lived with honesty which is what makes even a short and uneventful life worth living.
In the small world of the book, John Williams can create a powerful testament to the nature of a human life, which rewards everyone with a complete spectrum of experiences, emotions and worthwhile memories. In the microcosm of Stoner's life, we see a universal message that energy is never wasted and is an absolute thing of beauty.
