Stoner cover art

Stoner

A Novel

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Stoner

By: John Williams
Narrated by: Alfred Molina
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About this listen

Waterstone's book of the year 2013

Colum McCann once called Stoner one of the great forgotten novels of the past century, but it seems it is forgotten no longer - in 2013 translations of Stoner began appearing on best-seller lists across Europe.

William Stoner enters the University of Missouri at 19 to study agriculture. A seminar on English literature changes his life, and he never returns to work on his father's farm. Stoner becomes a teacher. He marries the wrong woman. His life is quiet, and after his death his colleagues remember him rarely.

Yet with truthfulness, compassion and intense power, this novel uncovers a story of universal value. Stoner tells of the conflicts, defeats and victories of the human race that pass unrecorded by history and reclaims the significance of an individual life.

A listening experience like no other, itself a paean to the power of literature, it is a novel to be savoured.

©2016 John Williams (P)2016 Random House AudioBooks Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Inspiring Tear-jerking Heartfelt Thought-Provoking
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It kept me enthralled throughout the entire read. Amazing story that’ll stay with me for a while I think.

Incredible

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An immediate favourite.
I found myself wrapped with at times an uncomfortable anguished suspense as I meandered through this man’s unassuming life. An intensity of emotion I could have expected of a thriller or action book.
Truly brilliant.

Brilliant

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Loved every second of this fantastic novel. Wonderful narration really complements the text and brings plenty of life into the characters.
A must listen

Not what I expected!

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Stunned to have gotten into my late 60s without having heard of and read this book before. It's as good or better than The Great Gatsby (an obvious comparison for a number of reasons) and equal to anything I have ever read in my life. Alfred Mollina's narration is similarly, right up there with the best I have ever heard an audiobook.

A monumental work, far-too-unknown

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Well read, good story but very black. A few mysteries not revealed. Popr William stoner.

Well written but so depressing!

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The story shines with acute observations of human nature through simple effective prose. There are many moments that prompt reflection, though rarely is there joy in the reading. That is not the purpose of a story like this perhaps. It more puts the awfulness of a particular human culture before us.

literary fiction of its era

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A deeply moving story, expertly narrated. The best book I’ve read in a long while.

Stunning

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This book really got me thinking. It also touched me emotionally, so that by the end, it was hard not to cry. I couldn't help but love the main character, and yet, I couldn't help but question the decisions he made along the way. Could he have done more? Could he have behaved differently? Just a few areas that cropped up: Should he have annulled his marriage at the start? Should he have agreed to having a child? Did he abandon the child to a clearly unbalanced mother? Was the mother the victim of even worse treatment as a child? His integrity is admirable going forward, the way he stood up to the forces at the university, etc. But that child is a worry. Is it really a story of the inevitable consequences of our inheritance?

Thought provoking

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Love the way it was read. The narrators voice was a pleasure. Loved the story.

Stoner

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The story of an every man. The writing is superb and the narration is perfectly suited. I loved that there was no big ground breaking moments, just the story of a guy living his life, but it was engrossing. Definitely made me contemplative of life. I’m sure it’s not for everyone, but this was great.

Hell of a writer

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