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Dolores Claiborne

The book Dolores Claiborne was made into the movie Dolores Claiborne.

Which one did you like better, the book or the movie?  There are 8 votes for the book, and 6 votes for the movie.

Book details for Dolores Claiborne

Dolores Claiborne was written by Stephen King. The book was published in 1993 by Signet. More information on the book is available on Amazon.com.

Stephen King also wrote Cat From Hell (story), Graveyard Shift (story), The Boogeyman: (story), The Raft: (story), The Body: (story), Trucks (story), Cycle of the Werewolf (story), The Mangler: (story), Children of the Corn (story), The Woman in the Room: (story), Night Flier (story), Apt Pupil (story), Riding the Bullet (story), The Crate and Weeds: (stories), The Lawnmower Man: (story), The Shining (1977), Dead Zone (1979), Firestarter (1980), Cujo (1981), Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (story) (1982), Christine (1983), Pet Sematary (1983), Misery (1987), The Dark Half (1989), Secret Window, Secret Garden (1990), Needful Things (1991), The Green Mile (1996), Hearts in Atlantis (1999) and Dreamcatcher (2001).

 

Read More About This Book

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, p... Read More
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

Movie details for Dolores Claiborne

The movie was released in 1995 and directed by Taylor Hackford, who also directed Everybody's All-American (1988), The Devil's Advocate (1997) and The White River Kid (1999). Dolores Claiborne was produced by Warner Home Video. More information on the movie is available on Amazon.com and also IMDb.

Actors on this movie include Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judy Parfitt, Christopher Plummer, David Strathairn, Eric Bogosian, John C. Reilly, Ellen Muth, Bob Gunton, Roy Cooper, Wayne Robson, Ruth Marshall, Weldon Allen, Tom Gallant, Kelly Burnett, Matt Appleby, Thomas Skinner, Vernon Steel, Taffara Jessica Stella Murray and Susan Lane.

 

Read More About This Movie

Dark secrets, family torments, and two murders swirl around the stoic, hardened figure of Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates), a housekeeper accused of murdering her employer of 22 years. Then there was that timely accident that took Dolores's husband (David ... Read More
Dark secrets, family torments, and two murders swirl around the stoic, hardened figure of Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates), a housekeeper accused of murdering her employer of 22 years. Then there was that timely accident that took Dolores's husband (David Strathairn) during the solar eclipse of 1975. Yet with all the somber suffering that follows Dolores like a miasma of pain, none of it compares with the heartache of a relationship she has with her grown daughter (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Although this flick is rife with horror, it is not of the supernatural kind, but rather of the torment only real people can impose on one another. The script is full of colorful language, and director Taylor Hackford successfully weaves several plot threads and psychological dilemmas throughout this engrossing tale without diminishing any of them. He not only culls intense performances from his cast, but he also brings to life the landscape around them. When the film's best-kept secret is finally given up, it occurs under the surreal backdrop of a solar eclipse that is a truly sensational bit of cinematography. --Rochelle O'Gorman