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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay, here's the deal: I did not like this book, but, it was a good book.
Dolores Claiborne is about a woman accused of killing a man, and is essentially about her trial, and description of the events of the murder, all of which are described in her own words.
I could not finish this book. About 100 pages in, after forcing myself to read up to that point, I stopped. Quite honestly, this book just wasn't my type. Typically, I gravitate toward articulate, well-written descriptions of each event within a novel. This book is not that. Completely narrated by the title character, who is speaking in court, this book is completely slang-filled, and at times, as anyone in a court would, drone on and on, pointlessly. However, it's not that "Dolores Claiborne" was poorly written, it is because I, as a reader, greatly dislike that particular writing style. King is a master writer, and is constantly writing slews of unique works, like this one in particular. This novel in no way should slew his great honor after reading this, but, at the end of the day, "Dolores Claiborne" is not for everyone.
Hopefully, maybe in a year or two, I can come back to her and give a better review for this novel, but for now, at least for me as a reader, I will give "Dolores Claiborne" two stars, since I really couldn't appreciate it, but understand that is very well written.
Dolores Claiborne is about a woman accused of killing a man, and is essentially about her trial, and description of the events of the murder, all of which are described in her own words.
I could not finish this book. About 100 pages in, after forcing myself to read up to that point, I stopped. Quite honestly, this book just wasn't my type. Typically, I gravitate toward articulate, well-written descriptions of each event within a novel. This book is not that. Completely narrated by the title character, who is speaking in court, this book is completely slang-filled, and at times, as anyone in a court would, drone on and on, pointlessly. However, it's not that "Dolores Claiborne" was poorly written, it is because I, as a reader, greatly dislike that particular writing style. King is a master writer, and is constantly writing slews of unique works, like this one in particular. This novel in no way should slew his great honor after reading this, but, at the end of the day, "Dolores Claiborne" is not for everyone.
Hopefully, maybe in a year or two, I can come back to her and give a better review for this novel, but for now, at least for me as a reader, I will give "Dolores Claiborne" two stars, since I really couldn't appreciate it, but understand that is very well written.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fucking awful. nothing sucks the life out of a story like the entire book being a character recounting a tale from their life in past tense regional dialect. classic stephen king dumbass side-swipes at fat/nonwhite people, and of course women, littered throughout, adding absolutely nothing. he seems like he has an incredibly easy time writing insults about women, thinly guised as "things" "characters" "say." just like in gerald's game, used incestuous child rape as a limp, back-burner motivation for revenge. how lovely to be reminded that a character in gerald's game has THE SMELL OF THEIR OWN DAD'S CUM as the nucleus and motif for her survival story. like holy jesus get a fucking grip man.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I've been sitting here trying to think about how to write about this book, and it's sort of defeating me. I keep thinking of sentences to start the review, and then dismissing them because I hate them.
Okay, so here we go again, let's see if this sticks: This is one of King's rare experimentally playful books. It feels weird to say that a book that is what this book is about (abuse, husband murder, caretaking) and features what this book features (old ladies who mischievously shit themselves, people being pushed down wells, the sexual assault of a child), is "playful." But that's what it feels like! King tells the whole story in Dolores's words, as she confesses to the police. It is told in vernacular, and Dolores's voice is front and center. She talks back to the people who are interviewing her, asks for drinks, makes frequent asides, and despite the tragedy of her story, she can be very funny at times.
If like me you'd heard the name of the book/film for years before ever learning what it was about, Dolores Claiborne is accused of murdering her long-time employer, an elderly and disabled woman she's worked for for over thirty years, and to whom she's a caretaker and companion. To clear her name, Dolores decides to set the record straight about her life, which has been gossiped about for years on the small island on which she lives. She comes to the police and tells them basically, hey, I didn't kill my employer, but I did kill my husband, do you want the story or not?
I really enjoyed reading Dolores's story. You can't help but like her, and empathize with her. By the end of the book, even her most morally compromised actions are completely understandable. This kind of book is why I love Stephen King. He tells you a story, and in telling that story, he tells you things about himself, like that he really seems to find women more interesting than your average white male author. This is Dolores's book, and King shows a pretty good understanding of what would make a woman like her tick, and what and why she would do the things she does.
This is one of his smaller books, and is well worth the read, as long as you can take the subject matter.
Okay, so here we go again, let's see if this sticks: This is one of King's rare experimentally playful books. It feels weird to say that a book that is what this book is about (abuse, husband murder, caretaking) and features what this book features (old ladies who mischievously shit themselves, people being pushed down wells, the sexual assault of a child), is "playful." But that's what it feels like! King tells the whole story in Dolores's words, as she confesses to the police. It is told in vernacular, and Dolores's voice is front and center. She talks back to the people who are interviewing her, asks for drinks, makes frequent asides, and despite the tragedy of her story, she can be very funny at times.
If like me you'd heard the name of the book/film for years before ever learning what it was about, Dolores Claiborne is accused of murdering her long-time employer, an elderly and disabled woman she's worked for for over thirty years, and to whom she's a caretaker and companion. To clear her name, Dolores decides to set the record straight about her life, which has been gossiped about for years on the small island on which she lives. She comes to the police and tells them basically, hey, I didn't kill my employer, but I did kill my husband, do you want the story or not?
I really enjoyed reading Dolores's story. You can't help but like her, and empathize with her. By the end of the book, even her most morally compromised actions are completely understandable. This kind of book is why I love Stephen King. He tells you a story, and in telling that story, he tells you things about himself, like that he really seems to find women more interesting than your average white male author. This is Dolores's book, and King shows a pretty good understanding of what would make a woman like her tick, and what and why she would do the things she does.
This is one of his smaller books, and is well worth the read, as long as you can take the subject matter.
I’m not sure how this book has a rating as high as it does. But it is impressive that the entire book is one woman on a rant, can’t say I’ve read anything like it before!
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes