Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - Dolores Claiborne

Mostly read through the audiobook, which worked really well. Not one of King's most plot heavy stories but a great character study looking at how far people will go to survive.

I really enjoyed the references to Gerald's game and spotting these kind of Easter eggs the more King I read

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kelseyholler's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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taliatalksbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Just finished Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King in honor of the Eclipse taking place today. It felt like a very fitting read, and not that I expected anything less from one and only Stephen King, it delivered. While I hope no one follows in Dolores’s footsteps during the eclipse, I loved the format of this account. I don’t quite know if I would have liked the format from any other author, but for King’s style, it works pretty flawlessly. My one complaint is that the lack of chapters makes it hard to put down and read over multiple sittings. Not impossible, just difficult. You have to pick your moments of natural pauses to stop, and I just found there weren’t many of them. This feels like it is meant to be read in one shot, and if you can manage that, all the power to you! The pacing and flow were great, and I really wish I could have read it all in one sitting to get the narrative as Andy would have heard it in that room. I think the characters felt real, and though they suffered trauma throughout, it made them feel more realistic and grounded in the story. Though not my favorite SK novel (That spot is still reserved for Misery) there is definitely a reason why King is known for his writing, and this is certainly another great example.

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