Douglas Stuart
John of John
A novel by Douglas Stuart
20 people recommend this
Recommended by
Matt ComptonFirst to rec“This is an outstanding book about fathers and sons, faith and doubt, identity and community.”
1
Sarah Bohl“Let me just be another person to recommend this book to you. BUT! As I purchased this in Hatchards’s in London, it has NO book club stickers on it (yay). I have dog eared this book up somethin awful. The writing is outstanding. And heartbreaking. Reminds me of a cross between The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyle and A River Runs Through It by Norman McLean.”
451
Ryann Ferguson“His best yet. Never don’t want to read a book about Scotland. 🏴”
421
Solange Webster“This was just included on the longlist for the Booker Prize + I'm not surprised. Now I need to read Stuart's other novels.”
32
Sterling Graves“An incredible book. Couldn’t put it down. Slow, but in the way a good story should be slow, giving you time to sit with the people and the place. A father and son on a small island in the Outer Hebrides, each trying to make sense of a life that feels both small and enormous. Told from both perspectives, the story gets into family, faith, masculinity, love, and all the things fathers and sons struggle to say to each other. Quiet, tough, and beautifully written. A book that stays with you.”
4
Kristine Bets“So beautifully written”
4
Caitrin Chappelle“Admittedly, I started this book and then put it down. Its tone wasn’t quite what I was looking for at the time- But on my second try, it pulled me in. The world building and the characters are epic, while still telling a small story about a father and son’s relationship and exploration of each other’s identity.”
11
Mindy Shapero“Wowza. I feel like I just got home from Scotland! I was so immersed in this book, when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. Now I’m sad it’s over. It’s about so many things, life in Scotland, set in a remote farmland island. It’s about love, sexuality, family, faith, and secrets. All the while explaining the colors of things in the most poetic way. I also enjoyed the dialect, he was able to activate all my senses. I never read shuggie Bain or young mungo, I’m so curious about them now. Did you read his other books?”
11
Melinda“Absolutely beautiful. I’m not crying, I’m quietly sobbing while my heart breaks.”
2
Leigh“Every sentence feels like a gift. A book I will love forever!”
2
An Li“Half way through…but it’s a moving, landscape rich story that captures the texture of longing and pain of becoming.”
1
grace murray“from the author of two of my all time favorites (Shuggie Bain, Young Mungo), the man does not miss he again found a way to warm my heart and break it at the same time”
1
Jordan“An Oprah's book club pick that's really good.”
Stacie D“Really lovely, not quite as depressing as some of his other work but just as evocative of place and people”
Bill O“It’s an incredibly well written book, compassionately told.”
Abi“Lovely story with queer characters at the helm. Learned lots about color and weaving and far off Scottish Island life.”
Sandy“Unforgettable characters look deep at themselves in a rather unforgiving Scottish landscape. Father/son efforts to know and love each other, enviable grandma smooths friction. Mostly. Prose so lovely I gasped aloud. Have had fun loving it endlessly with friends who are similarly gobsmacked.”
Ritalee“Gorgeous writing, keen island description, longing and love.”
N“Queer lit much needed”
Kelly P“Oh this book had me enthralled. Douglas Stuart’s best book yet!”
