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Stoner

Questions About Stoner

by John Williams

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Answered Questions (24)

It's a remarkably good book that has developed a cultish following. What is it that makes Stoner so compelling?
Madeleine Gadd Because it reminds us that ordinary people who live ordinary lives can have a beautiful story to tell too.
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aPriL does feral sometimes At the end of the book, Stoner has some self-revelations in which he comes up with explanations how he is about it all, if I remember.

I think despite …moreAt the end of the book, Stoner has some self-revelations in which he comes up with explanations how he is about it all, if I remember.

I think despite Stoner's rationalizations about Edith, his daughter's issues and Katherine, he WAS true to his heart. He avoided the war when he was young. That exposed the choice he would make over and over - avoiding the wars of life in all of its aspects and echoes. That was who he really was, if not what he wanted to be. Perhaps we are following our hearts even as we think we have sacrificed, when actually it's because of unconscious and deeper feelings.(less)
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I am completely shocked by interpretations of this book. I am really extremely confused and would love any clarity. As far as I understand fr my reading, in this book, Stoner rapes his wife repeatedly for the first year of their marriage, and later she hates him and wants to keep their daughter away from him. In most reviews I've read, his wife's behavior is pointed to as irrational and cruel. How?? What am I missing?
Pascale Hall CW: Sexual Assault/ Rape
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I'm so glad to see this acknowledged. I felt so confused about exactly how to feel about this novel after reading it, some …moreCW: Sexual Assault/ Rape
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I'm so glad to see this acknowledged. I felt so confused about exactly how to feel about this novel after reading it, some parts are so beautiful and humane and yet his treatment of Edith is so cruel and so flat. I've watched and read dozens of reviews of this online, and barely anywhere is the marital rape mentioned or acknowledged. I've even seen people justify it because she's 'frigid' or 'sexless' (rather than deeply traumatized) and say it's not really assault, when Stoner clearly states he knows he's violating her, she's unconscious etcetera. It really disturbed me how the book dealt with it and then how I've seen people discuss this online without describing those scenes as what they are which is sexual assault.

I know this was the reality for so many women even in recent history but seeing modern readers brush over it is really worrisome. Those paragraphs completely unnerved me and I couldn't read the rest of the novel for quite a while afterwards. (less)
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Francie
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I'm at page 60 and this book is making my blood pressure rise. I thought it was one of those "common life of a common man" book like Carver's, Russel Bank's, Yates' or whoever. Truth is it's deadly boring. I rally can't relate with the character. Please tell me, is It just the beginning or will it stay the same till the end? Thanks
Brendan When I read the book about a year ago I also found it slow going for the first 100 pages or so, but around the midway point I became wrapped up in it …moreWhen I read the book about a year ago I also found it slow going for the first 100 pages or so, but around the midway point I became wrapped up in it to the point that I didn't want to put it down. You should stick with it: a few of the later chapters are, in a quiet way, among the most extraordinary set pieces in 20th century American fiction. It's one of the best novels I've read in the past several years.(less)
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