This was so quiet and beautiful, simply because you follow Stoner's natural ups and downs and life realisations as he gets older. I can see why this resonates with many, because so many people struggle with feeling like they never "achieved something special" or like they're unimportant. I think the reason Stoner means so much to so many is because John Williams does such a great job at making you feel the beauty and value of a simple human life, even if he didn't do anything insanely "special."
William Stoner experienced life, and that was special enough.
On his deathbed, Stoner thinks, "A kind of joy came upon him, as if borne in on a summer breeze. He dimly recalled that he had been thinking of failure - as if it mattered. It seemed to him now that such thoughts were mean, unworthy of what his life had been."


Also I found so many gorgeous quotes in this book.