exceptionally written story set at my Alma Mater

Stoner by John Williams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Stoner" is the (fictional) life story of University of Missouri professor William Stoner. It follows his early education, his time as a student at U of MO, and then his tenure there as professor of Literature etc, through to the end of his life. It covers his personal life as well as his academic life. The book is excellently written, the story telling is engaging and compelling from start to finish. The account is told mostly in the voice of a narrator, with sparse character dialog, but the writing is so exceptional that nothing feels lost from the characters. Of added interest to me is that it takes place 70 years before i was at Mizzou for my undergraduate and graduate degrees. The setting in Columbia really makes the story special and come alive for me. Heartily recommended!

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A quaint tale of adventure

Boone's Lick by Larry McMurtry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A quaint tale of a mid-nineteenth century extended family, living in the tiny town of Boonslick MO, who undertake a mule and wagon journey, overland, and on a flat bottom boat, up the Missouri and Platte rivers to Fort Laramie in the untamed Wyoming territory, in search of their father. Told from the perspective of the eldest child, in his teens. Interesting and rich characters and adventure told in McMurtry's classic writing style.

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