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Dolores Claiborne
Dolores Claiborne
Author: Stephen King
Suspected of murdering the crippled widow for whom she worked as a housekeeper and companion, Delores Claiborne has a story to tell. But it isn't one the police are expecting to hear. It is a little darker, a little stranger, and a lot more horrifying.
ISBN-13: 9780340923245
ISBN-10: 0340923245
Publication Date: 10/16/2006
Pages: 307
Rating:
  • Currently 2.8/5 Stars.
 2

2.8 stars, based on 2 ratings
Publisher: New English Library
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette
Members Wishing: 2
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

waterbearer avatar reviewed Dolores Claiborne on + 62 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Excellent story of a mother trying to protect her daughter at the expense of her own life. Delores Claiborne's relationship with her employer, her husband, her daughter, and the town detective are all interwoven into this awesome tale. Not a classic horror story but King's storytelling is stellar.
reviewed Dolores Claiborne on + 7 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
I really like the style of writing Stephen King used in this book. The narrative kept me engrossed.
reviewed Dolores Claiborne on
Helpful Score: 3
A little hard, uneasy to read in the beginning, but a very terrifying read about one woman's vengeance against her insane husband. Don't read before you go to bed, I had nightmares the whole time I read this book! LOL
mattc avatar reviewed Dolores Claiborne on + 45 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This book is unique in that's it's a dramatic monologue...the entire story is told through the words of one woman being questioned by the police, and only through her verbal reactions do you know anything at all about the setting. I'm not sure I'd like to read many books written this way, but as a one-time experiment, it works. Within the story, Dolores tells many stories of her life and that of her fmily and employer, whom she is suspected of killing. It's an odd way to tell a story, but King's style does show in the detail of Dolores' verbal recollections. I enjoyed it very much.
reviewed Dolores Claiborne on
Helpful Score: 2
Thirty years ago, the day of the eclipse, Dolores Claiborne's husband died. The town has been wanting to know for all of these years how he died....now they will find out the truth. Terrific Stephen King!
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reviewed Dolores Claiborne on + 53 more book reviews
I loved this book! It did take getting used to though. The writing style is not a usual for Stephen King. Once I got used to the writing, I couldn't put the book down. One night I actually stayed up until 12:30 in the morning because I couldn't put it down. I didn't even realize it was that late. Needless to say work the next day was grueling. I would recommend this book to everyone especially to other mothers out there. If my husband ever thought of trying even half of what Joe did, I would have done the same exact thing. Stephen King is a phenomenal writer.
jazzysmom avatar reviewed Dolores Claiborne on + 907 more book reviews
Good ole Delores--I loved her. She had brains and guts to back them up.Joe?? Did someone say someone murdered Joe?? Prove it then!! Joe ended up right where he belonged, and Vera--wellllll--I loved her too. She was the same ole b---- as Dolores and they too loved each other thru respect. Made for a interesting combo of people for this plot.
reviewed Dolores Claiborne on + 204 more book reviews
This book brought the character to life by telling the story in a monologue. The character became very real to me. Hell hath no fury....
KrisReader avatar reviewed Dolores Claiborne on + 8 more book reviews
(From Amazon.com)
More of a mystery than a horror novel, Dolores Claiborne contains only the briefest glances at the supernatural. The novel presents Stephen King as a writer experimenting with style and narrative, time and perspective. Fans looking for a skin-crawling, page-turning fright or an undead bloodbath will be disappointed, but a patient reader willing to savor King's leisurely study of character and island life will find many rewards. And all of this is not to say that the book is without suspense.
The story unfolds in one continuous chapter, told in the first person by the cranky, 65-year-old housekeeper, Dolores, who is explaining to police officers and a stenographer how and why she killed her husband, Joe, 30 years ago. At the same time, in her rambling monologue, she insists that she did not kill her longtime employer, Vera Donovan--notwithstanding what the residents of Little Tall Island may be whispering. Joe was a drinker, and, as Dolores gradually argues, he deserved to die for the horrifying crimes he committed against his family. But Vera, despite her cantankerous disposition as a lady governing her decaying estate with her precise rules about even the most mundane household chore ("Six pins! Remember to use six pins! Don't you let the wind blow my good sheets down to the corner of the yard!"), was a good woman--or at least not an evil one. She was the woman who hired the young Dolores and kept her on even after Dolores got pregnant again. Dolores cleaned and cared for her even as the old matron faded into senility.

Dolores Claiborne is a rich novel that recalls the regionalist writing of the turn of the century. It is a fine place for a skeptical newcomer--put off by King's reputation for outright terror--to start. And for fans, it is a book that offers new insights into an author who's an old favorite. --Patrick O'Kelley --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
reviewed Dolores Claiborne on + 14 more book reviews
Initially I saw the movie & loved it so I was thrilled to find this book in PBS. The book is even better than the movie was! The point of view from which it is written pulls you into the story right from the start! The protagonist's experiences give the book a dark, heavy feel. This is another great story by Stephen King!
reviewed Dolores Claiborne on + 60 more book reviews
For 30 years, folks of Little Tall Island have been waiting to find out just what happened on the eerie dark day Delores Claiborne's husband died-the day of the total eclipse. Now, the police want to know what happened yesterday, when her rich, bedridden employer died suddenly in her care. With no choice but to talk, Delores gives her compelling confession...of the strange and terrible links forged by hidden intimacies..of the fierceness of a mother's love and its dreadful consequences..of the silent rage that can turn a woman's heart to hate. When Delores is accused of murder, it's only the beginning of the bad news. For what comes after that is something only King could imagine..as he rips open the darkest secrets and the most damning sins of men and women in an ingrown Maine town and takes you on a trip below its straitlaced surface.
oakenshea avatar reviewed Dolores Claiborne on + 7 more book reviews
You can't really miss when you pick up a Stephen King book.
reviewed Dolores Claiborne on + 8 more book reviews
One of the best from King!
reviewed Dolores Claiborne on + 30 more book reviews
Fascinating and eerie!


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