Gerald's Game / Dolores Claiborne **Spoilers**

[Dan]

I couldn't find a thread of these two and since they have a loose connection, I thought I would put them together.

I was not aware prior to reading that there was any connection at all. I started reading Gerald's Game first. I was quite a ways into the book and started realizing that the book was going to be about the woman handcuffed to a bed and nothing more. I didn't really care for all the different voices she was hearing. While very sick and disturbing, the story of what happened to her during the eclipse was predictable and not very scary. Overall it wasn't one of King's better books. It had it's moments, but he has set such a high standard with books like Duma Key, 11/22/63, The Stand, IT, etc. that this was a little disappointing.

Unknowing of any connection, I picked up Dolores Claiborne immediately after. At times it was difficult because of the dialect, but picturing Kathy Bates talking made it a bit easier to visualize. Although, picturing Bates as a young skinny thing was more difficult. I did like this book. I really believed I had the outcome figured out, but as I found out, it was a little different. Her "use" of the eclipse was much more of King's style that I enjoy.

While others may not agree, that's my two cents on both of these books.

[jhanic]

Dan, if you can, get the audio book of Dolores Claiborne. It's read by Frances Sternhagen and it's a masterpiece. The texts are a bit different too. You learn a bit more about Dolores.

John

[Dan]

Thanks, I will look! I didn't know the audiobook was different.

[mae]

Thank you for starting this discussion thread up! If you'll look at the stickied "List of official discussion threads for SK books" thread, these two were the ones marked with having no dedicated threads. We still have some, but now there's two less :)

[mae]

Dan, if you can, get the audio book of Dolores Claiborne. It's read by Frances Sternhagen and it's a masterpiece. The texts are a bit different too. You learn a bit more about Dolores.

John


I had no clue it was different. Why is that? If an audiobook is different from the text it's usually because it's been abridged. What happened here?

[jhanic]

There was NO abridgment of Dolores Claiborne for the audio tape. I'm guessing that the script for the audio was an earlier version of the book.

If anyone is interested in the differences, please PM me with your email address. I have a Word file that delineates the differences (my wife was taking a night college course and I drove her to the University. While waiting, I marked the differences between the tape and the hardcover. I then typed them up in a Word file.) I'll be glad to send it to you. Just be patient--life has a way of getting control of my time.

John

[Jean]

Dan, if you can, get the audio book of Dolores Claiborne. It's read by Frances Sternhagen and it's a masterpiece. The texts are a bit different too. You learn a bit more about Dolores.

John

I had no clue it was different. Why is that? If an audiobook is different from the text it's usually because it's been abridged. What happened here?I too would be interested to know. Not that I really want to learn more about Dolores - I already feel that I learned quite a lot - but how do such things happen at all?

[Roland of Gilead 33]

i had no idea either. i love the book. it's written in such an odd way. i wonder if he's ever been asked why he wrote it that way? and the film is great as well. oddly i've never read Gerald's Game.

[Stebbins]

I have not read Gerald's Game yet either. I shall pop back in and see what discussions is under way after I have completed that task.

[Roland of Gilead 33]

i've started it numerous times but i just never got around to finishing it. kinda like i've read about halfway through Needful things but i never got around to finish that one either.

[Jean]

Needful Things?! Oh good Lord, give it another try!

[WeDealInLead]

I tried reading Gerald's Game two times and just couldn't get into it. First time I got 50 pages deep, second I think it was just under 100 and then I skimmed the rest. I liked the flashback part and the part about the creepy guy in the house. I finally ended up getting the book on tape and listened to it over a month or so.

Dolores is not a great book but it's written in such a way that I was pulled right in. I couldn't put it down so once I lied down, I didn't get up until three hours later when the book was done. Nothing about it stands out, but its simple narrative grabs and won't let go.

[Roland of Gilead 33]

for me D. Clairborne i dunno i love the book but the way he wrote it is so odd compared to his other books. that when i go back to it well it takes me awhile to get used to it each time.i dunno if that's a good or bad thing. as for Needful things i think the reason that i stopped reading it years ago was simply this, i got bored while reading it. though i love the film. i dunno which one is better to be honest. but the film i love. at some point i will prolly go back and try reading it again.

[jonahwriter]

"Gerald's Game" was always one of my favourites though I know a lot of people either didn't like it or thought it was a bit "meh". Maybe I loved it so much because I first read it when I was a kid and was fascinated by how dark and terrifying it was - I found her mission to get to the water glass suspenseful, the appearance of the stranger at the end of her bed terrifying, and the voices inside her head intriguing. I've re-read it several times over the years and still love it, though I see faults with it now too - such as the flashback to her father not being that intriguing. As for "Dolores Claiborne", absolutely love it - and I adore the movie version with Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh too, very different to the novel but I think it's great and sadly underrated.

[Jean]

I found her mission to get to the water glass suspensefulthis is definitely the best part of the book. I don't know whether it was intended that way, but that's when she turns from a victim into a fighter, and my attitide towards her changed from morbid disgusted curiosity to love and a passionate wish she would make it

[jhanic]

As for "Dolores Claiborne", absolutely love it - and I adore the movie version with Kathy Bates and Jennifer Jason Leigh too, very different to the novel but I think it's great and sadly underrated.

You should also check out the audio version of Dolores. Frances Sternhagen IS Dolores. Also, there are textual differences between the audio and the published book. I have these in a Word file.

John

[zelig]

I don't come to this part of the forum much, but thought I'd share. I've been so focused on collecting, that over the years the number of books that I have not actually read start to add up. This probably happens to others too. I buy the book when it's released and then put it on the shelf with the intention of reading it. Next thing you know, 20 years have passed, and I never read it.

Anyway, I finally read Gerald's Game. Finished in 3 days, and contrary to some of the other comments here, I actually loved the book. I didn't much like the really graphic/gory parts (I had the stomach for that in my 20's, but not too much today.)

I feel it's a complex novel with a number of themes below the surface that I'm still contemplating. I must admit, because it doesn't happen often in books, there was one part that really scared me, the part near the end where you realize the man in the room was for real, and the thing about his long arms, that one line got me.

I didn't mind all those voices in her head and the way that was written. The only part where I got frustrated was when she finally got out of the cuffs and how long it took to pick up the phone. I kept saying, "forget about the aspirin, just call 911!".

Anyway, 22 years late, but great book!

[stroppygoblin]

Coincidentally, Gerald's Game is my latest re-read (now moved onto FAB8 :)). I personally quite like the "voices in the head" that SK uses to move plot and dialogue along. In fact it's (IMHO) one of the reasons why so many of his books do not translate well to film. It's hard for the film maker to incorporate all that info thats only happening in someones head. They either have to have characters talk to themselves or introduce new dialogue to get the facts out which detracts from the original story.

[zelig]

Yes, that's a good point about the books translating to movies. Since this is a combined DC and GG thread, I actually just finished reading Dolores Claiborne. I have a very vague memory of reading this one before, but it felt like I was reading it for the first time.

Loved this one too. Maybe more than GG. It reminded me again what a gifted storyteller King is. I tell you this isn't the first book where I'm reading it and it's bringing tears to my eyes. The way he communicated this bond between Vera and Dolores was quite something.

Right after finishing it I watched the movie which I'd never seen, and I felt disconnected from it most of the time. Maybe because the story was told differently. I can't quite put my finger on it as I'm pretty bad at analyzing movies in the context of the book it's based on.

[mae]

The Losers Club podcast on Gerald's Game: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/consequence-of-sound/the-losers-club-a-stephen-king-podcast/e/68166461#/

[RichardX]

GG is an underrated King book in my opinion. I was amazed when reading it the second time just how much better it is than I recalled. There are a lot of dark scenes including the incest incident. There is an underlying theme of female victimization and anger in the book. Not the least of which was the wife's resentment against her husband who has just died and the lack of emotional reaction to his death. It's a dark book on many levels not unlike Cujo which is largely remembered just as a rabid dog story.

[Merlin1958]

GG is an underrated King book in my opinion. I was amazed when reading it the second time just how much better it is than I recalled. There are a lot of dark scenes including the incest incident. There is an underlying theme of female victimization and anger in the book. Not the least of which was the wife's resentment against her husband who has just died and the lack of emotional reaction to his death. It's a dark book on many levels not unlike Cujo which is largely remembered just as a rabid dog story.

All of this is very true. After reading the book I recall wondering how, Tabby could sleep in the same bed as someone who could come up with a novel like this one!!!! Very good point, RichardX!!!!!

[mae]

The Losers Club podcast on Gerald's Game: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/consequence-of-sound/the-losers-club-a-stephen-king-podcast/e/68166461#/

And now the Losers Club podcast on Dolores Claiborne: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/consequence-of-sound/the-losers-club-a-stephen-king-podcast/e/69839575#/