Dolores Claiborne
Suspected of killing Vera Donovan, her wealthy employer, Dolores Claiborne tells police the story of her life, harkening back to her disintegrating marriage and the suspicious death of her violent husband, Joe St. George, thirty years earlier. Dolores also tells of Vera's physical and mental decline and of her loyalty to an employer who has become emotionally demanding in recent years.
Themes & atmosphere
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What you might want to know about Dolores Claiborne
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
On a small Maine island, longtime housekeeper Dolores Claiborne sits down at a police station and tells her side of two deaths, her abusive husband decades ago, and her wealthy employer the day before.
Yes. A 1995 film adaptation directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh was released. The film is widely regarded as one of the better Stephen King adaptations of the 1990s.
Dolores Claiborne is closer to literary thriller than horror, despite being a Stephen King novel. It is an extended monologue and lacks supernatural elements. It is connected thematically to Gerald's Game through a shared eclipse moment.
Dolores Claiborne was written by Stephen King, published in 1992 by Pocket Books.
Dolores Claiborne is 307 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Dolores Claiborne takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
Dolores Claiborne is a standalone novel by Stephen King, not part of a series.
Dolores Claiborne is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.