When Lars gave me the novel Stoner, by John Williams he said he’d really enjoyed it. At first I wondered because it starts a bit slowly, but, WOW, it soon takes over the readers interest. It’s a novel in the form of a biography of a fictional character, William Stoner. Stoner leaves the farm of his childhood to study agriculture at a university. Though he changes his choice of academics he never leaves the university and that’s the setting of the book. It's not a new book, copyrighted in 1965.
Williams has a facility in describing the characters of the book with exceptional depth. He inhabits the characters mind and heart with such understanding that the reader understands the person with great clarity. A by product is interesting insight into the machinations of university faculty and administration. D. C. Myers wrote about the book “That Stoner is exciting–and unexpectedly so, and incredibly moving—is the true measure of William’s achievement… It will remind you of why you first started reading novels to get inside the mystery of other people’s lives.”
Do I recommend it? Yes, highly! Don't read the introduction until you've read the book, it gives too much away.
Takk for alt,
Al
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