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.
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.
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....
(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.
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!
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.
You can't really miss when you pick up a Stephen King book.
One of the best from King!
