Dolores Claiborne
First published: 1993
Characters
By her own account she's an old Yankee bitch. Dolores Claiborne: foul temper, foul mouth, foul life. Folks on Little Tall Island have been waiting thirty years to find out just what happened on the eerie dark day her husband, Joe, died--the day of the total eclipse. The police want to know what happened yesterday, when rich, bedridden Vera Donovan, the island's grand dame sans merci and Dolore's longtime employer, died suddenly in her care.
With no choice but to talk, Dolores Claiborne talks up a storm. "Everything I did, I did for love," she says, and this spellbinding novel is at once her confession and her defense. Given a voice as compelling as any in contemporary fiction, her story centers on a disintegrating marriage's molten core, where the mind's unblinking eye becomes huge with hate and a woman's heart turns murderous. It unfolds the strange intimacy between Dolores and Vera, and the link that binds them. It shows, finally, how fierce love can be, and how dreadful its consequences. And how the soul, harrowed by the hardest life, can achieve a kind of grace.
Characters
| ?, Brenda | Housekeeper for Vera Donovan in Baltimore |
| ?, Clarice | Sister of Vera Donovan. |
| ?, Cloris | Aunt of Dolores Claiborne |
| ?, Patricia | Granddaughter of Jolene Aubuchon |
| Anderson, Tommy | Husband of Yvette and drinking friend of Joe St. George |
| Anderson, Yvette | Wife of Tommy Anderson |
| Aubuchon, Jolene | Grandmother of Patricia ? |
| Babcock, Cindy | Worked with Selena in laundry washing sheets for the Hotel |
| Bannister, Nancy | Stenographer from Kennebunk, Maine. Recorded the confession of Dolores Claiborne |
| Benoit, Mark | Arrested for drug trafficking with 4 bales of pot. Owned a boat "Maggie's Delight" |
| Benoit, Sonny | Found Joe St George's body in the well. |
| Bissette, Andy | Police Chief that interrogated Dolores Claiborne over the death of Vera Donovan |
| Bissette, Maria | Wife of Andy Bissette |
| Bragg, Vincent | Broke his arm playing football |
| Bramball, Willy | Friend of Joe St George Junior |
| Briarton, Henry | Took over as County Medical Examiner from McAuliffe |
| Brooks, Stevie | Went drinking with Joe St George |
| Caron, John | Husband of Melissa. Neighbor of St George's. |
| Caron, Melissa | Mother of Tania. Wife of John |
| Caron, Philo | Brother of John |
| Caron, Tanya | Friend of Selena St George. |
| Carstains, ? | Owners of a place where Joe St George built a porch |
| Claiborne, Dolores | The woman who confesses to the murder of her husband Joe St. George. Maiden name of Dolores St. George. Daughter of Patricia |
| Claiborne, Mr. | Father of Dolores. |
| Claiborne, Patricia (Trisha) | Mother of Dolores |
| Cullum, Arlene | Watched Selena St George while Dolores was working for Vera Donovan |
| Devereaux, Mrs. | Selena worked in her laundry washing sheets for the Hotel |
| DeWitt, Jimmy | Waiter at the Harborside Motel |
| Dispenzieri, Charlie | Owner of a boat on Little Tall Island. |
| Donovan, Helga | Daughter of Vera and Michael. |
| Donovan, Michael | Husband of Vera |
| Donovan, Vera | Woman Dolores was accused of killing. Wife of Michael and mother of Donald and Helga. |
| Doucette, Harry | Joe St George owed him $20 when he died. |
| Doyon, Peter | Helped Joe St George dowse a well |
| Forbert, Alicia | Sister of Joe St George and wife of Jack Forbert. |
| Forbert, Jack | Husband of Alicia |
| Fox, Harley | Handyman who did some work for Vera Donovan |
| Freneau, Chip | Vera Donovan's doctor. |
| Gagnon, Jimmy | Handyman who did some work for Vera Donovan |
| Gigeure, Randy | Friend of Joe St George Jr |
| Greenbush, Alan | Business manager of Vera Donovan in New York |
| Huff, Reverend | Methodist minister |
| Jaegger, Brandon | Head of the New England Home for Little Wanderers |
| Jolander, Karen | Neighbor of the St George family. Sister of Mabel. |
| Jolander, Mabel | Worked for Vera Donovan. Sister of Karen |
| Kenopensky, Ted | Friend of Vera Donovan |
| Langill, Laurie | Friend and Neighbor of Selena St George |
| Lavesque, Gail | Worked for Vera Donovan on the day of the eclipse. |
| Marchant, Duke | Father of Sammy |
| Marchant, Sammy | Mailman who walked in and found Vera Donovan dead |
| Marshall, John | Dolores Claiborne worked part time for him. |
| McAuliffe, Dr. John | County Medical Examiner. |
| McCandless, Lisa (Lotty) | Friend of Dolores who worked at the Strayhorn house |
| McLeod, Chip | Husband of Hattie? |
| McLeod, Hattie | Called "Social Security" "Sociable Security" |
| Mercier, Lucien | Only mortuary owner in Little Tall Island |
| Mulcahey, Sandra | Fired by Vera Donovan |
| O'Hara, Dickey | Picked on Pete St George at school |
| Pease, Mr. | Bank Manager at Coastal Northern Bank. |
| Pelletier, Dave | Mailman on Little Tall Island |
| Pinette, Norris | Bought radio off Dolores Claiborne after Joe StGeorge died |
| Porter, Skippy | Butcher on Little Tall Island |
| Proulx, Frank | Police officer. Brother of Susy. |
| Proulx, Susan Emma (Susy) | Helped at the Donovan house as a cleaner. Sister of Frank |
| Quist, Sonny | Garbage collector on Little Tall Island |
| Reed, Seth | Put a cap over the well that Joe St George fell into |
| Richards, George | Mr. Claiborne worked in his hay fields |
| Robichaud, Neely | Mentioned by Dolores |
| Sheets, Mrs. | School guidance counselor in Jonesport High School |
| Sherrick, Edgar | Constable in Little Tall Island in 1959. |
| St George, Dolores | Married name of Dolores Claiborne |
| St George, Fred | Uncle of Joe St George. |
| St George, Joe | Husband of Dolores. |
| St George, Joe Jr. | Son of Joe and Dolores. |
| St George, Pete | Son of Joe and Dolores. |
| St George, Selena | Daughter of Joe and Dolores. |
| St. George, Alicia | Sister of Joe St. George. Maiden name of Alicia Forbert |
| Stargill, Gordon | Worked with Joe St George. Brother of Mike |
| Stargill, Mike | Worked with Joe St George. Brother of Gordon |
| Strayhorn, ? | Owners of a place where Dolores worked |
| Tappert, Dougie | Checked Vera Donovan's furnace in 1962 |
| Thibodeau, Garrett | Town Constable. |
| Thibodeau, Rick | Went Drinking with Joe St George |
| Violette, Collie | Owner of a Speedboat that took Dr Freneau to Vera Donovan's house. |
| Wyndham, Shawna | Helped at the Donovan house as a cleaner. |
The Books >
Rating:
Add Review