There’s something so interesting, thought-provoking, yet deeply moving about William Stoner’s life. An only child born into a family of farmers, he goes to college, falls in love with English literature, and eventually chooses to pursue a career in academia, carving out a path of his own. I love how John Williams writes his characters. They might frustrate the hell out of you at times, but somehow, you end up falling in love with them anyway. You fall in love with their consistency, with how their personalities and attitudes remain true to themselves from beginning to end. There’s something so painfully human about it all. So classic, yet so beautiful. William Stoner’s life might seem rather bland, even by his own standards, but that’s exactly what makes it so fascinating to me. No matter what life throws at him, he remains true to himself. And I think that’s one of the most important things I learn from this book. You don’t have to be extraordinary to have a life worth telling. You don’t have to be the most interesting person in the room to be understood, to be loved, or to leave something meaningful behind. Such a beautiful classic. There’s something deeply comforting about realizing that even a man who might seem to have no personality at all can still be someone we connect with on such a profound level. Because every life has its own path, and not every story needs to be extraordinary to be beautiful. My novel of the year so far❣️