Dolores Claiborne
| Dolores Claiborne | |
|---|---|
 First edition cover |
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| Author(s) | Stephen King |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Psychological thriller |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Publication date | November 1992 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 305 |
| ISBN | 978-0670844524 |
| Preceded by | Gerald's Game |
| Followed by | Insomnia |
Dolores Claiborne is a 1992 psychological thriller novel by Stephen King. The novel is narrated by the title character. Atypically for a King novel, it has no chapters, double-spacing between paragraphs, or other section breaks; thus the text is a single continuous narrative which reads like the transcription of a spoken monologue. It was the best selling novel of 1992 in the United States. [1]
The book is dedicated to King's mother: "For my mother, Ruth Pillsbury King." [2]
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
As the story begins, Dolores Claiborne is in a police interrogation and wants to make clear to the police that she did not kill her wealthy employer, an elderly woman named Vera Donovan whom she has looked after for years. She does, however, confess to the murder of her husband, Joe St. George, almost 30 years before, after finding out that he sexually molested their fifteen year old daughter, Selena. Dolores' "confession" develops into the story of her life, her troubled marriage, and her relationship with her employer.
Unlike many other works by King, there is little focus on the supernatural; [3] the only such event in the book is a telepathic vision; [4] although reviewer Sean Piccoli observed the novel otherwise contained "vintage bone-yard King: the tiny town, the secret lives. Murder and mayhem lurk reliably behind the tranquil veneer." [5]
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
An unabridged audio book version of Dolores Claiborne, read by Frances Sternhagen is available, as downloadable mp3, CD and cassette format.
Dolores Claiborne was adapted into a 1995 film starring Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer, David Strathairn, Judy Parfitt, John C. Reilly and Eric Bogosian and directed by Taylor Hackford. [6]
According to King, a London group is currently working on an operatic version of the novel. In January of 2012, San Francisco Opera announced its premiere as part of its Fall 2013 season lineup, starring the mezzo soprano Dolora Zajick. [7] [8]
[edit] Editions
- ISBN 0-670-84452-7 (hardcover, first edition, 1992)
- ISBN 0-606-05811-7 (prebound, 1992)
- ISBN 0-451-17709-6 (mass market paperback, 1993, reprint)
- ISBN 0-8161-5641-7 (paperback, 1993, Large Type Edition)
- ISBN 2-277-04742-2 (paperback)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Albert Rolls, Stephen King: A Biography, page 109 (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2009). ISBN 978-0-313-34572-2
- ^ George W. Beahm, Stephen King: From A to Z. An Encyclopedia of his Life and Work, page 62 (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1998). ISBN 0-8362-6914-4
- ^ Gina Wisker, Horror Fiction: An Introduction, page 120 (The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc., 2005). ISBN 0-8264-1561-X
- ^ Heidi Strengell, Dissecting Stephen King: From the Gothic to Literary Naturalism, page 48 (The University of Wisconsin Press, 2005). ISBN 0-299-20970-9
- ^ Cited in Albert Rolls, page 109.
- ^ "Memory, Haunting, and Revenge in Dolores Claiborne " by Laura Grindstaff, in Martha McCaughey, Neal King (editors), Reel Knockouts: Violent Women In The Movies (University of Texas Press, 2001). ISBN 0-292-75250-4
- ^ http://sfopera.com/About/Press-Room/Press-Releases/San-Francisco-Opera-Announces-2012-13-Season.aspx>
- ^ King's afterword to The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born
