Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - Dolores Claiborne

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Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King

12 reviews

joshkiba13's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

"Time's a reach, too, you know, just like the one that lies between the islands and the mainland, but the only ferry that can cross it is memory, and that's like a ghost-ship--- if you want it to disappear, after awhile it will." -Stephen King, Dolores Claiborne.

This was a unique one for sure in terms of style. No chapters or breaks, just a nearly 400 page monologue-confession. This means we are locked in to Dolores and her personality right away. And it ended with a sfylistic device King uses from time to time with excerpts from fictional articles and journals, which I always like.

I loved Vera Donovan's character and how the book started with Dolores's story of the three ways Vera could be a bitch. Setting her up that way and then having her be such a vital piece in Dolores's life and choices was great.

King does great making us love to hate some characters and just flat out hate others. The development builds over time and eventually gets our stomachs turning and blood boiling. We really start to root for our mama bear protagonist.

It really feels like a person telling a story, since it jumps around time-wise and is filled with rambles, Maine slang, and such. Several of her phrases made me smile while reading.

Some of my favorite parts were the little touches of horror, like Vera's hallucinations of dust bunnies and wires, and Dolores's subsequent nightmares. Perhaps I need to read a true King horror like The Shining . . .

Overall it was an intriguing read that came to surprise me at the end. Stellar character development and a unique style.

". . .the love a natural mother feels for her children [is] the strongest love there is in the world, and it's the deadliest. There's no bitch on earth like a mother frightened for her kids . . . In the end, it's the bitches of the world who abide."

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trisjt's review

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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lydiavsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Mostly read through the audiobook, which worked really well. Not one of King's most plot heavy stories but a great character study looking at how far people will go to survive.

I really enjoyed the references to Gerald's game and spotting these kind of Easter eggs the more King I read

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