Reviews tagging 'Death'

Stoner by John Williams

26 reviews

alicewolfe's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Pregnancy

Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, and War

qstew's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

what a beautifully tragic summation of one man's life with all its pursuits, failures, and resultant indifferences.

the book's rhythm was consistent and speedy - it reads as though it is, in its entirety, an epilogue tying off the loose ends of a series of characters with whom the reader has a long-established, familiar, and loving rapport.

very glad to have stumbled upon this book while simultaneously saddened that i hadn't heard of it sooner.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness

edytaworyna's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

jupitervivienne's review against another edition

sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I’m really not sure where I stand with this book. At times I hated it and didn’t want to continue, other times I felt it was very emotional and moving. I think I would have felt more impacted if the story was about Edith. Her character was so perplexing and heartbreaking and I was so curious about her inner world. The part of the book that briefly switched to her perspective was incredibly engaging. Overall, it’s an interesting exploration of the period and the life of an average man, but I don’t think it was for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Death, Racism, and War

Minor: Alcoholism and Fatphobia

extru's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

stalfos's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, War, and Classism

lrosenzweig23's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and War

rinnavv's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and War

Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy

jayisreading's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel and its quietly intense world. The novel follows the relatively mundane life of William Stoner, though Williams reveals how complicated things can get for his protagonist through a masterful demonstration of “show, don’t tell.” It was fascinating to see the ripple effects of Stoner’s choices in his personal life as well as professional, and how the two are not easily separable. Williams also presented a more accurate depiction of academia than I expected, particularly the intensity of departmental politics and the love/hate relationship that comes with being an academic.

The protagonist isn’t a likable character, in my opinion, though he isn’t the absolute worst either. If anything, Stoner is a very honest reflection of what it means to be human and contend with one’s imperfections (some more egregious than others). Relatedly, the other characters in this novel, particularly his wife, Edith, demonstrate similar levels of introspection on the complexities of being human.

Stoner is a bittersweet novel, leaning far more towards the bitter rather than sweet. It really helped set the novel up to capture an existential solitude that will potentially leave the reader thinking about their own life. I should note that this is by no means a perfect novel, and there were certainly moments when I raised my eyebrows (such as the early stages of the Stoners’ marriage), but overall, I found it to be a compelling read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Rape, and War

Minor: Alcoholism and Suicide

infectedarea's review

dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Gaslighting