(![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rachelmanija Jun. 26th, 2019 10:41 am)
rachelmanija Jun. 26th, 2019 10:41 am)When Dolores Claiborne becomes a suspect in the death of Vera Donovan, for whom she'd been a paid companion, she sits down at the police station and confesses to the murder of... her own husband, many years ago.
I have a lot of difficulty reading any kind of dialect-type narration, so I bounced off this repeatedly before trying the audio version - which was perfect, as the book is written in the form of a monologue. Once I was over that hump, the book was engrossing and moving. It's got elements of suspense and mystery, but it's mostly a character portrait of Dolores, Vera Donovan, and their relationship, which feels incredibly real.
Early on Dolores keeps referring to Vera as "that bitch." The way that gets recontextualized as the story goes on, accreting layers of meaning and emotion, is just beautifully orchestrated. It's a story about two very specific women who have a lot of flaws and unlikable aspects, but are also human and lovable in a way that nobody has ever seen but each other. Dolores Claiborne gives you a God's eye view of them in all their grossness and pettiness and endurance and heroism and love.
Dolores Claiborne
I have a lot of difficulty reading any kind of dialect-type narration, so I bounced off this repeatedly before trying the audio version - which was perfect, as the book is written in the form of a monologue. Once I was over that hump, the book was engrossing and moving. It's got elements of suspense and mystery, but it's mostly a character portrait of Dolores, Vera Donovan, and their relationship, which feels incredibly real.
Early on Dolores keeps referring to Vera as "that bitch." The way that gets recontextualized as the story goes on, accreting layers of meaning and emotion, is just beautifully orchestrated. It's a story about two very specific women who have a lot of flaws and unlikable aspects, but are also human and lovable in a way that nobody has ever seen but each other. Dolores Claiborne gives you a God's eye view of them in all their grossness and pettiness and endurance and heroism and love.
Dolores Claiborne
