I would love to have a discussion and get to know your perspective and learn what it is you loved about this book. I have seen so many people praise Stoner, calling it their best book of the year and one of the best books ever written, so my expectations were very high. I thought I was going to love it just like everyone else.
But unfortunately, I didn't. I thought it was very boring. I found the characters quite insubstantial, flat, passive, and lacking personality, and the narration was mostly dry and lifeless. The story didn't evoke any feelings in me, even though it is usually described as being very sad. I felt very distant from both the story and Stoner himself, so it was hard for me to actually care. I think Dave Masters described Stoner perfectly when he said that he was cut out for failure and that he would never fight the world, because he was just so passive throughout the novel. The only chapters I truly liked were the two in which Stoner and Katherine Driscoll were together. The rest was so monotonous to me.
I didn't hate the book (I gave it 3 stars), but since my expectations weren't met, I feel very disappointed. I know it's okay not to love a book that others do, but since I was expecting to love it myself, I guess I just want to know what people loved about it, to see what it is that I could have felt had I loved it like I had expected to. Maybe I can gain some appreciation through others' perspectives, or at least understand the love for this book.
by Wonderful-Elk5080