trustmebro.reviews

Stoner

Book · Literary & classic fiction · 22 mentions · 4 subreddits · discussed in r/suggestmeabook, r/BookRecommendations, r/bookreviewers, r/Fantasy

Reddit take

Not enough linked mention summaries yet; the source excerpts below are the evidence.

Pros

  • Stoner broke my heart. What a great book!
  • No particular order: East of Eden, The Dispossessed, The Lord of the Rings, Giovanni's Room, Stoner.
  • Stoner is one of my favorite books of all time
  • Stoner by John Williams That book really sticks with me in its simplicity. It showed there was so much beauty in the quietness of an ordinary life, I really enjoyed it and would consider it a literary masterpiece!
  • If that's the axis you care about: Stoner, by John Williams. Plain sentences, no rescue, and it never once softens what is happening to him.

Cons

  • To me his story is so depressing it goes past a ‘normal life’ into a tragic one. ... I can’t really picture a more tragic way of living then Stoner’s so for someone wanting to find the beauty of their “average” or “unexceptional “life th...
  • It’s a definitely a „normal life“ book and fits the bill, but I didn’t enjoy every aspect aswell. His relationship with his wife was tiring to read.
  • I can never understand the love people have for this book. It has nice prose but it just made me feel fucking horrible.

Sentiment

19 positive (86%) · 1 mixed (5%) · 2 negative (9%)

Trust + time weighted score: +77% · raw score 77%

What redditors said (10 of 22)

Stoner broke my heart. What a great book!
positive · u/r****k · r/suggestmeabook · comment · Jan 17, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
No particular order: East of Eden, The Dispossessed, The Lord of the Rings, Giovanni's Room, Stoner.
positive · u/u****b · r/Fantasy · comment · Jul 9, 2026 · open on Reddit ↗
Stoner is one of my favorite books of all time
positive · u/l****c · r/suggestmeabook · comment · Jan 18, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
Stoner by John Williams That book really sticks with me in its simplicity. It showed there was so much beauty in the quietness of an ordinary life, I really enjoyed it and would consider it a literary masterpiece!
positive · u/s****e · r/suggestmeabook · comment · Aug 8, 2026 · open on Reddit ↗
If that's the axis you care about: Stoner, by John Williams. Plain sentences, no rescue, and it never once softens what is happening to him.
positive · u/h****r · r/BookRecommendations · comment · Jul 29, 2026 · open on Reddit ↗
Not sure if this is the right answer but, Stoner by John Williams. It’s just his story about being an ordinary man. I hugged it at the end.
positive · u/W****8 · r/suggestmeabook · comment · Jul 1, 2026 · open on Reddit ↗
Stoner by John Williams (full disclosure, NOT about being a "stoner" at all!)
positive · u/M****7 · r/BookRecommendations · comment · Jun 26, 2026 · open on Reddit ↗
Stoner
positive · u/i****5 · r/suggestmeabook · comment · Jun 11, 2026 · open on Reddit ↗
I love books like Stoner by John Williams, Über Menschen by Juli Zeh, works by Philippe Claudel, Tove Ditlevsen, Elena Ferrante, Toni Morrison, José Saramago.
positive · u/B****r · r/bookreviewers · May 23, 2026 · open on Reddit ↗
To me his story is so depressing it goes past a ‘normal life’ into a tragic one. ... I can’t really picture a more tragic way of living then Stoner’s so for someone wanting to find the beauty of their “average” or “unexceptional “life this could feel defeating. That’s what it did for me.
negative · u/H****D · r/suggestmeabook · comment · Apr 27, 2026 · open on Reddit ↗

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