Dolores Claiborne: A Novel

To all naysayers that accuse Stephen King of being a commercial-blockbuster machine, this novel is another proof that this artist is instead a great writer. Written as a long monologue, Dolores Claiborne covers the testimony the titular character gives to Sherrif Andy Bissette of Little Tall Island. Over nine hours - if you listen to the audiobook version - she tries to prove her innocence in Vera's recent death, but admits to the 1963 murder of her late husband, Joe St-George, which the Little Tall Island community accused her for years, but never had the proofs to send her to jail. So to put claims to rest, she narrates her relation with Vera Donovan, her husband, her children and the events that brought the death of her husband and Vera.

Apart from a connection Dolores feels from a little girl involved in Gerald's Game, and a newsarticle mentioning the town Derry, involved in the novel IT, this book is not a paranormal story, but a realistic story of a woman fighting a dangerous patriarchal force living in her house. And unlike conventional novels, this experimental story is in two chapters, the first one is Dolores' testimony, and the last one is the epilogue. So for those who read their books in several sessions, a bookmark is obligatory. As for the Kindle users, don't expect the book to be divided in different forms of chapters, so remember this if you buy an e-book copy of Dolores Claiborne. About the electronic version, I did found a few little typographical mistakes, but they were insignificant details that did not stop me from enjoying this novel, which I heard is going to be soon shown into an opera in 2013.

As such, Dolores Claiborne is an excellent Stephen King novel for its fans and an excellent entry to newcomers.

This review is for the novel, but its also for the audiobook edition as well. I read this when it 1st came out. I thought it was awesome. I dont really remember though if i laughed while reading it because it was such a long time ago. But i do remember it was good & that it was one of Kings good 90s novels. All his 70s & 80s stuff is topnotch, but once the 90s hit, his stories started to be hit or miss. This was one of the hits. Anyway, i usually dont read books more than once except for my all time fav the shining which i read thrice & then listened to the audio version as well bringing the total up to 4. I dont like to read anymore. But i love listening to audiobooks now. So lately i been buying the audio versions of all his old hits so now i've "read" a lot of his books more than once which is a good thing because listening to the audio version gives you a slightly different experience. Sometimes that difference is good & sometimes its not. This audio version was down right hilarious to me LOL!! At 1st when i started listening to it i was quite turned off by Frances Sternhagens gruff narration. I know thats probably because for years i've had the sound Kathy Bates' portrayal of Dolores Claiborn in my head. So to hear a different voice associated with that character was kinda off putting for the 1st hour or so. But once the ball got rolling, then man i was rollin too!! Its 1 thing to read lines of dolores telling us about such things as how vera donovan had a "shiit" savings account and how it was paying out its dividends, but its a whole other thing to actually hear things like that being said aloud with the inflections that Frances Sternhagen uses. It was just priceless in the humor department. God i was laughing throughout the entire 9 hours+ of it. If you like this novel, you should most definately try the audiobook, no question. Even if you never read it, try the audio as well. Its not much like the movie though so be aware of that. The movie is actually much better than the novel. Its 1 of the only times i know of that a movie outshown the source book.

Dolores Claiborne is an unusual novel. The story is told by Dolores herself from start to finish as she tells police about a murder she committed and one she did not. Even when the police speak to her, the reader only sees Dolores's response. For nearly 400 pages, we hear one voice in one long chapter. We follow her life primarily through her troubled family life and job as a housekeeper for a stern woman named Vera Donovan. Dolores has been accused of murdering Vera and to help convince the police she didn't do it, she confesses to murdering her husband years earlier. She gives a candid account of a fairly miserable life leading up to the day of Vera's death.

This book obviously represented an experiment for Stephen King. No chapters, no voice but that of Dolores, all of it told as a flashback, etc. By all rights it shouldn't work, and the thick Maine accent of the narrator should have been the final ingredient in a recipe for disaster. Yet, somehow, it does work and works well. Dolores is a tough, salty, old woman but she has her good points. She's a tireless worker, fair-minded, and she tries to be a good mother and wife. Unfortunately, her husband is far too wretched a specimen to allow her marriage to work and her boss begins to lose her grip on sanity, which exaggerates her already harsh attitude.

Dolores Claiborne is not a horror novel so much as a character study. I used to think that was unusual for a King novel, but I'm starting to realize that he actually doesn't write nearly as many pure terror novels as his reputation would indicate. Still, it is suspenseful in parts and you quickly come to care about the characters and what happens to them. I would recommend the book whether you're a long time fan of the author or just looking for something different to read.