Dolores Clairborne by Stephen King

this is my review:

This was a really good novel. It had an interesting narrative structure with Dolores Claiborne, talking to the police after she is accused of murdering her employer. The acerbic voice, tone and language of the narrator - a candid redneck female who has had a tough life dealing with her abusive husband and a short-tempered employer, takes some getting used to. The book is set on an island called Little Tall in Maine.

I found it tough to read in the beginning with Claiborne’s detailed descriptions of her employer’s scatological escapades. But one can only marvel at King's ability to make even the most beaten down loser characters feel like they are your best friend or someone whom you know. He does this by offering us the character’s thoughts, however dark it might be. King does not deal in subtlety. This is especially true of his small-town characters, all of whom talk in similes and metaphors. Dolores Claiborne is no different. King’s tremendous imagination is another hallmark of this novel. A well-executed murder during an eclipse. The revelation at the end. The novel is full of surprises.
Horror fans will not be completely disappointed.

There were elements of horror in this book even though it is not an out and out horror novel. Ardent fans of King often talk of Dolores Claiborne with the same contempt that they usually reserve for Insomina, Rosemadder and Bag of Bones - some of the most hated of King’s novels. But I think Dolores Claiborne is a lot better than those novels. Maybe the narrative structure prevented King from exploring the possibilities of the characters and the setting. I was surprised that he did not give us a good look around the Island. There were a few unremarkable bits. But the narrator and her life are interesting. I rate this book a 3.5/5 and I intend to check out the movie very soon.

(6/10)

well, he is on the goodreads IMDB board.

ok then. you could be right.