Stoner
by John Williams, John McGahern
Stoner by John Williams, John McGahern holds a highly rated rating of 4.28 out of 5, based on 42.9K reader ratings. First published in 1965. The book spans 278 pages.
About Stoner
William Stoner is born at the end of the nineteenth century into a dirt-poor Missouri farming family. Sent to the state university to study agronomy, he instead falls in love with English literature and embraces a scholar’s life, so different from the hardscrabble existence he has known. And yet as the years pass, Stoner encounters a succession of disappointments: marriage into a “proper” family estranges him from his parents; his career is stymied; his wife and daughter turn coldly away from him; a transforming experience of new love ends under threat of scandal. Driven ever deeper within himself, Stoner rediscovers the stoic silence of his forebears and confronts an essential solitude.John Williams’s luminous and deeply moving novel is a work of quiet perfection. William Stoner emerges from it not only as an archetypal American, but as an unlikely existential hero, standing, like a figure in a painting by Edward Hopper, in stark relief against an unforgiving world.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Author | John Williams, John McGahern |
| Published | 1965 |
| Pages | 278 |
| Genres | Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction |
| Average Rating | 4.28 / 5.00 |
| Total Ratings | 42,869 |
Reader Ratings & Analysis
Rating Overview
How It Compares
Frequently Asked Questions
What genre is Stoner?
Stoner is categorized as Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction. Its primary genre classification is Historical Fiction.
Is Stoner worth reading?
Based on 42.9K reader ratings, Stoner has an average score of 4.28 out of 5.00, which is considered "Highly Rated."
How many pages is Stoner?
Stoner has 278 pages.
Who wrote Stoner?
Stoner was written by John Williams, John McGahern. It was first published in 1965.
What is the ISBN for Stoner?
The ISBN-13 for Stoner is 9781590172000.0.
Data sourced from community book ratings and reviews. Last updated: April 15, 2026




