Book · 2010 · Fiction
Stoner
- mentions
- 6
- people
- 6
- podcasts
- 4
- episodes
- 6
- recommendations
- 2
That was a wonderful book. It is a wonderful book.
Chris Williamson · Modern Wisdom · Aug 2026 What they say about it
- Mentioned by title and author“John Williams's Stoner”4
The best things said about it
It is by John Williams and it's called Stoner. So funny, that book has just been coming up in my field a lot.
I'm actually going to talk about a book I don't like I'm halfway through John Williams's Stoner.
Where and when it comes up
Most mentions, by podcast
6 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
Stoner by John Williams is a critically acclaimed 20th-century novel that follows the quiet, melancholy academic life of an unheralded university professor against the backdrop of mid-century America. The novel drew high praise and nuanced commentary across several podcast discussions. On The Ezra Klein Show, Sarah Longwell recommended the book with great enthusiasm, calling it a wonderful story and the best fiction she had encountered in a long time. Pamela Paul similarly expressed her eagerness to read the novel during vacation discussions on The Book Review. Other hosts and guests, including Chris Williamson and George Mack on Modern Wisdom, celebrated the book as a genuinely wonderful piece of literature after discovering it through personal recommendations. Meanwhile, literary critics and editors on The Book Review, such as Lauren Christensen, Nicole Lamey, and Michael Orthofer, analyzed the novel's fascinating trajectory, noting how the book experienced a remarkable modern resurgence after completely disappearing from public view for decades, frequently prompting passionate reader mail. Across all these mentions, podcast participants highlighted the emotional resonance, profound character study, and enduring literary merit of Williams's overlooked masterpiece.
Every mention
Pamela Paul in fact one of the books that I'm hoping to read this year is one I bought at Northshire last year which wa… 1
“in fact one of the books that I'm hoping to read this year is one I bought at Northshire last year which was um John Williams no relation um John williams' Stoner which I've been meaning to read for years”
Sarah Longwell This book had, I don't know if it had gone out of print, but it is by John Williams and it's called Stoner.… 1
“This book had, I don't know if it had gone out of print, but it is by John Williams and it's called Stoner. So funny, that book has just been coming up in my field a lot.”
Chris Williamson You put me on to Stoner. That was a wonderful book. It is a wonderful book. 1
“You put me on to Stoner. That was a wonderful book. It is a wonderful book.”
Lauren Christensen well I'm actually going to talk about a book I don't like I'm halfway through John Williams's Stoner 1
“well I'm actually going to talk about a book I don't like I'm halfway through John Williams's Stoner”
Michael Orthofer stoner John Williams this is a book that disappeared from view for a long time 1
“stoner John Williams this is a book that disappeared from view for a long time”
Nicole Lamey people often just send me something that says in the subject line like I loved Stoner by John Williams 1
“people often just send me something that says in the subject line like I loved Stoner by John Williams”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“Stoner. Stoner. That is correct.”
“she says I'm really in a Classics kick I loved portrait of a lady and from the 20th century I loved Stoner that's by John Williams what are the classics that are were most impactful to you”
“it's a book that puts me a bit in mind of Carol Shield's Stone Diaries or the novel Stoner by John Williams in that sweeping look at an American Life”