Stoner

William Stoner, born to poor Missouri farmers, is sent to the state university to study agriculture but falls in love with English literature and becomes a lecturer. His life afterward is outwardly quiet: a failed marriage to Edith, a distant daughter, a feud with a department head, and a brief affair with a younger colleague, Katherine Driscoll. John Williams recounts his career, from his early love of learning to his final years, with calm sympathy. The novel was published in 1965 and became widely known only decades later.

For readers who like understated, character-driven fiction about an ordinary life. It will make you reflect on work, love and what lasts.

Deep, inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.

Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?