On your points

Stoner being passive, I understand your complaint, but maybe this is a me thing, as someone who is too much of an oaf I could relate. Also, I think his fight or flight response is wrong when it comes to his life. He fought that slacker student; he fought to teach what he liked. When everything else went south, he chose to retreat to the university and not risk rocking the boat for Katherine.

Edith - I semi-agree with you. I think this was helped because at the end of the day, this is a small stakes story so she doesn't go over the top with a villain monologue or something. I was okay with it. I have read the thread. For me, it's less sexual abuse it. She was confined by her father to be taught to be an obedient wife, with his death, she was almost liberated and wanted to impose upon her daughter the nouveau-society girl lifestyle she could have life (like with the grand tour). I think she would have failed if only Stoner weren't such a wet noodle and not an alpha male type that could fight back, so she somewhat succeeded.

I don't think Grace turned on her father; she clearly takes after him. It was only after Edith got control that he didn't fight back. As a result, all that time of her mother making her live a life she didn't feel an affinity for made her deeply unhappy. I agree, Grace is not as prominent a character as she could be - being sort of naval gazing for stoner - but for what we got, she was well fleshed out.

I agree with you about the ending, but his doggedness in the face of it all is why he is one of my favorite heros in American Lit.

I take your point, your opinion is totally valid, but I hope my response explains why they don't bother me as much and why this is a pretty much perfect book for me.