Sunday, February 17, 2008

Stoner....A Great Read !!!!!!

I have a tendency when I get bored with a book to page forward to see what's coming up. It's not unlike what I do with a remote as I watch television.

I enjoyed Stoner by John Williams from page 1 through the end on page 278. It is a great book, probably the best piece of fiction that I have read in a long time.

Stoner should be on the reading list for all college and high school students. It's a great piece of literature that offers instructive life lessons on riding the rocky waves that come at us.

The book tells the life story of William Stoner, an unexceptional "everyman" born at the end of the 1800's, who overcomes a variety of obstacles in his life. Coming from very humble beginnings and a poor and hardworking family, Stoner is immediately sympathetic.

His greatest challenge is a loveless marriage from a cold and manipulative wife. Stoically he also endures what life and academia (Stoner is a literature professor) throw at him.

Stoner is at his most vulnerable when he finds and loses the true love of his life. This isn't a "feel-good" book. It's how one man handles a lot of hard knocks...

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