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Dolores Claiborne/Insomnia/Rose Madder
Titles include Dolores Claiborne, Insomnia and Rose Madder.
Boxed Set
First published January 1, 1996
7 people are currently reading
1529 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,301 books891k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 3, 2020
Dolores claiborne -
"An accident,” she says in a clear voice almost like a schoolteacher’s, “is sometimes an unhappy woman’s best friend.”...
Tragedy - Torment - Horror,,,
ONE THING IS CERTAIN -
DOLORES CLAIBORNE WILL FOREVER BE MY FAVOURITE STRONGEST FEMALE CHARACTER OF ALL KING'S WORK OF FICTION...
D-A-M-N!!!
You need to read it to know how the life sometimes played out you before you do and how on earth or why life didn't give you the second chance if you can't took advantages from the first chance all by yourself...
The tale is about Dolores Claiborne a women who being suspected to kill Vera Donovan the very old women and a widow she worked for. Vera was not the typical old lady but disturbed mentally a lot against Dolores. The fact is while the police question her, she tells the story of her life. The life she never thought she would have to lead no matter what. Andy the name of that police personality as she was telling everything to him and she also described the act of Vera's physical and mental decline and how she became emotionally demanding in recent years. In the meantime she too talk about the suspicious death or murder of her husband who's been dead for 30 long years. It was all there, all and everything...
I felt anger, frustration and terrible at the same time. Joe that sick mentality beast husband of Dolores suddenly came into center of the attention where he torment and beats his wife but not forever when Dolores fight back and told him like an angry Lioness never dare to take any action against her or he will he sorry to death. Well that was what gotten him to his guts and he silenced after that but not for so long. Selena thier daughter had something to do about his father but couldn't tell and when she finally managed to say about what happened with his alcoholic father it was done then for Dolores; and she knew right there what must be accomplish before everything slipped from her grasp. This time she won't give a damn but strike, now the time has to come. Slowly but surely it did came for her and for her family's good. I just freaking loved the fate of her husband's final fate...
Now comes Vera. Who's been a piece of ass to her from the first. And as the day went by she was too much to handle and very irresistible to ignore at the same time. Sometimes Dolores thoughts seriously to kill her forever. It was too much to bear. But as the day go by little by little they became close together. Like mother and daughter whenever the old lady become afraid of dusty bunnies or something Dolores would comfort her, giving her hug and sush her not to worry. It was so dramatic at all of a sudden and it was after then Vera gradually revealed herself to Dolores as Dolores too share about her sick minded husband's activities. The idea of doing something to her husband all come on that exact day but in very chilling conversation between them. It was all personally I could take if you get the idea I am saying...
Can't argue the fact and toll which bore me deep after finishing it. Must read book of another King's work...
Insomnia -
This one by far boring novel I ever read by King. Never thought I would feel that way. Very long novel, just kept going but there's nothing much to endure but with the same event keep flowing. I would say 1st half of this book did really good job to hold me to the story but after I just couldn't keep up with the story. It take almost eternity to finish it. Just going copy paste the basic plot of this novel...
"Ralph Roberts, who is retired, encounters his good-natured acquaintance Ed Deepneau at the local airfield, behaving aggressively and swearing obscenely at a driver he accuses of involvement in transporting fetal tissue from abortions. Some months later, and now a widower, Ralph encounters Ed's wife Helen who has been badly beaten by her husband after having signed a pro-choice related petition. In the months after these events, Helen leaves Ed and hides at a women's shelter while Ralph begins to suffer from sleep maintenance insomnia, waking earlier each night until he is barely able to sleep an hour each night. As his insomnia develops, Ralph begins to see things that are invisible and intangible to others: colorful manifestations of life-force surrounding people (auras), and diminutive white-coated beings he calls "little bald doctors," based on their appearance, and gradually comes to believe these are genuinely present on a different level of reality."...
Looking for next book for be good to read...
Rose Madder -
I was trembling by the time I was reading this mastermind, freaking delicate and out of a word Novel. Too much I say it was too much for me to bearing the Horror of it. Such novel like this deserve something supreme that could count it at its highest level...
From the back cover -
"A corker, tense and frightening throughout... Rose is the most richly portrayed female King's ever created."
- Detroit Free Press...
I hope by this you got the idea about how far this horror fiction go with itself. Once you started it I don't believe there's any stopping by then. Captivating, Frightening, Scary no matter in which word you want to put it on, that won't be enough for this novel...
Even I was writing this review I couldn't form out the exact words to complete my review. I felt dizzy after finishing this novel. How couldn't I? When opening the first page of this novel and begun your reading you will find that Rose Daniels suffering a very horrifically abusive marriage life trying her best to keep sane by herself. But it didn't stay much at the point and she couldn't help herself but one day escaped from his abusive sick minded husband Norman who was a cop and a very dangerous psychopathic sick person. But that was not all for Rosie, as she escaped from him and fled very far she knew very well it was not over that his husband will going to find her and make sure to kill her. Rosie did fight herself very much to stand on her own ground and make her life decent by her own. Gradually she did succeed to reach the goal of it and could almost believing herself she could escaped the nightmare behind her. But she was wrong of course as Norman didn't forget her and he did making plan to catch her, by the he Norman do that Rosie already found someone in her life to began her new journey with Bill. It was just the start of the Horror of this book...
What come after that will blow off half of your mind and you will just wonder where on earth that came from? You can't imagine how terrifying and scary and frightening too the story was while you are considering the characters from it. There was a time while I reading the novel and couldn't get off my eyes but glued to it until I finished the chapter. The novel gave shock, fear, panic all sorts of frightening facts that you searched for in a horror fiction. As I say and repeating again in some time it was really too much to read. You even couldn't guess what could happen after this or this! I was so terrified about that Bull, I couldn't say how much but it was very frustrating and frightening at the same time. I almost could visualize it in my mind and could see looking into its dark black hole of eyes. Almost made me mad and insane by my mind...
No matter what your mind will always be diverted to this prime female character Rosie. This a character that will kept you thinking till the end of this novel. Unbelievable to say, of course it was King's one of the best creation. Even though I wanted to write more but I just couldn't as I was lacking the words that needed to be fill out here to complete this review. It's just I got no words in my brain right now after reading this kind of rich Horror novel by the greatest author in Horror SK. I could be wrong but I think this one by far King's most and supreme work of all. Yes might be I am wrong but that's how I was feeling about it after finishing the novel...
Looking for more King's creation? You bet!...
"An accident,” she says in a clear voice almost like a schoolteacher’s, “is sometimes an unhappy woman’s best friend.”...
Tragedy - Torment - Horror,,,
ONE THING IS CERTAIN -
DOLORES CLAIBORNE WILL FOREVER BE MY FAVOURITE STRONGEST FEMALE CHARACTER OF ALL KING'S WORK OF FICTION...
D-A-M-N!!!
You need to read it to know how the life sometimes played out you before you do and how on earth or why life didn't give you the second chance if you can't took advantages from the first chance all by yourself...
The tale is about Dolores Claiborne a women who being suspected to kill Vera Donovan the very old women and a widow she worked for. Vera was not the typical old lady but disturbed mentally a lot against Dolores. The fact is while the police question her, she tells the story of her life. The life she never thought she would have to lead no matter what. Andy the name of that police personality as she was telling everything to him and she also described the act of Vera's physical and mental decline and how she became emotionally demanding in recent years. In the meantime she too talk about the suspicious death or murder of her husband who's been dead for 30 long years. It was all there, all and everything...
I felt anger, frustration and terrible at the same time. Joe that sick mentality beast husband of Dolores suddenly came into center of the attention where he torment and beats his wife but not forever when Dolores fight back and told him like an angry Lioness never dare to take any action against her or he will he sorry to death. Well that was what gotten him to his guts and he silenced after that but not for so long. Selena thier daughter had something to do about his father but couldn't tell and when she finally managed to say about what happened with his alcoholic father it was done then for Dolores; and she knew right there what must be accomplish before everything slipped from her grasp. This time she won't give a damn but strike, now the time has to come. Slowly but surely it did came for her and for her family's good. I just freaking loved the fate of her husband's final fate...
Now comes Vera. Who's been a piece of ass to her from the first. And as the day went by she was too much to handle and very irresistible to ignore at the same time. Sometimes Dolores thoughts seriously to kill her forever. It was too much to bear. But as the day go by little by little they became close together. Like mother and daughter whenever the old lady become afraid of dusty bunnies or something Dolores would comfort her, giving her hug and sush her not to worry. It was so dramatic at all of a sudden and it was after then Vera gradually revealed herself to Dolores as Dolores too share about her sick minded husband's activities. The idea of doing something to her husband all come on that exact day but in very chilling conversation between them. It was all personally I could take if you get the idea I am saying...
Can't argue the fact and toll which bore me deep after finishing it. Must read book of another King's work...
Insomnia -
This one by far boring novel I ever read by King. Never thought I would feel that way. Very long novel, just kept going but there's nothing much to endure but with the same event keep flowing. I would say 1st half of this book did really good job to hold me to the story but after I just couldn't keep up with the story. It take almost eternity to finish it. Just going copy paste the basic plot of this novel...
"Ralph Roberts, who is retired, encounters his good-natured acquaintance Ed Deepneau at the local airfield, behaving aggressively and swearing obscenely at a driver he accuses of involvement in transporting fetal tissue from abortions. Some months later, and now a widower, Ralph encounters Ed's wife Helen who has been badly beaten by her husband after having signed a pro-choice related petition. In the months after these events, Helen leaves Ed and hides at a women's shelter while Ralph begins to suffer from sleep maintenance insomnia, waking earlier each night until he is barely able to sleep an hour each night. As his insomnia develops, Ralph begins to see things that are invisible and intangible to others: colorful manifestations of life-force surrounding people (auras), and diminutive white-coated beings he calls "little bald doctors," based on their appearance, and gradually comes to believe these are genuinely present on a different level of reality."...
Looking for next book for be good to read...
Rose Madder -
I was trembling by the time I was reading this mastermind, freaking delicate and out of a word Novel. Too much I say it was too much for me to bearing the Horror of it. Such novel like this deserve something supreme that could count it at its highest level...
From the back cover -
"A corker, tense and frightening throughout... Rose is the most richly portrayed female King's ever created."
- Detroit Free Press...
I hope by this you got the idea about how far this horror fiction go with itself. Once you started it I don't believe there's any stopping by then. Captivating, Frightening, Scary no matter in which word you want to put it on, that won't be enough for this novel...
Even I was writing this review I couldn't form out the exact words to complete my review. I felt dizzy after finishing this novel. How couldn't I? When opening the first page of this novel and begun your reading you will find that Rose Daniels suffering a very horrifically abusive marriage life trying her best to keep sane by herself. But it didn't stay much at the point and she couldn't help herself but one day escaped from his abusive sick minded husband Norman who was a cop and a very dangerous psychopathic sick person. But that was not all for Rosie, as she escaped from him and fled very far she knew very well it was not over that his husband will going to find her and make sure to kill her. Rosie did fight herself very much to stand on her own ground and make her life decent by her own. Gradually she did succeed to reach the goal of it and could almost believing herself she could escaped the nightmare behind her. But she was wrong of course as Norman didn't forget her and he did making plan to catch her, by the he Norman do that Rosie already found someone in her life to began her new journey with Bill. It was just the start of the Horror of this book...
What come after that will blow off half of your mind and you will just wonder where on earth that came from? You can't imagine how terrifying and scary and frightening too the story was while you are considering the characters from it. There was a time while I reading the novel and couldn't get off my eyes but glued to it until I finished the chapter. The novel gave shock, fear, panic all sorts of frightening facts that you searched for in a horror fiction. As I say and repeating again in some time it was really too much to read. You even couldn't guess what could happen after this or this! I was so terrified about that Bull, I couldn't say how much but it was very frustrating and frightening at the same time. I almost could visualize it in my mind and could see looking into its dark black hole of eyes. Almost made me mad and insane by my mind...
No matter what your mind will always be diverted to this prime female character Rosie. This a character that will kept you thinking till the end of this novel. Unbelievable to say, of course it was King's one of the best creation. Even though I wanted to write more but I just couldn't as I was lacking the words that needed to be fill out here to complete this review. It's just I got no words in my brain right now after reading this kind of rich Horror novel by the greatest author in Horror SK. I could be wrong but I think this one by far King's most and supreme work of all. Yes might be I am wrong but that's how I was feeling about it after finishing the novel...
Looking for more King's creation? You bet!...
August 3, 2019
Been some years since I read this collection, but they were great. Stephen King usually is great.
May 29, 2024
"Dolores Claiborne" é um romance psicológico de Stephen King que conta a história de Dolores, uma empregada doméstica na ilha de Little Tall, no Maine, que se torna a principal suspeita da morte de sua patroa, Vera Donovan. Durante o interrogatório, Dolores revela não só os eventos que levaram à morte de Vera, mas também confessa ter assassinado seu marido abusivo, Joe St. George, muitos anos antes. A narrativa é intensa e envolvente, explorando temas como abuso doméstico, lealdade e redenção. Stephen King constrói uma personagem complexa e resiliente, cuja força e determinação em face das adversidades cativam o leitor do início ao fim.
July 27, 2024
Ce livre est incroyable une fois la lecture commencé il est compliqué de s’arrêter. Le récit vous pousse a continuer la lecture pour en apprendre plus ce qui rend ce livre additif mais aussi passionnant.
January 1, 2025
Excellent book!
January 3, 2025
Great read! Loved it.
January 6, 2025
Great book.
January 8, 2025
Excellent book! 👍
April 29, 2010
Delores Claiborns is a fascinating story of horror about a women whose husband dies and then later her employer died. They both die due to different causes but she is now being investigated for the deaths of both.
A wonderful Stephen King book.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
A wonderful Stephen King book.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
June 25, 2010
I don't understand why Insomnia & Rose Madder are lumped in w/ Delores Claiborne, I read it on its own.. I have never read Insomnia, but I have read Delores Claiborne & Rose Madder.. Liked Rose Madder a lot, but I LOVED Delores Claiborne.
June 16, 2011
It was my first Stephen King novel and loved it. Dolores was so real to me and I looked forward to finding her exactly where I left her: in Vera's bedroom, on her porch, on the ferry, etc. I fell in love with her strength, fearlessness, honesty and humor.
December 4, 2007
I'm not a big Stephen King fan... It was just a book i found at my parents. (which is weird that they would have it too..) But, I read it and it was kinda scary to me...
March 12, 2008
Loved this book...movie is ok..nothing compared to the book though.
September 8, 2008
One of my favorite Stephen King Novels. The character of Delores is gritty, and I enjoyed her reasoning and own brands of justice.
March 29, 2010
I read this book rather quickly, enjoyed it very much. I did see the movie after reading it and as usual the book is better than the movie.
March 29, 2010
King does it again!
February 2, 2011
Delores Claiborne was awesome. Period. Enjoy.
January 23, 2011
Actually, I only read "Delores Claiborne", which came as a single book. I just couldn't find it here in the catalog.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews