The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
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Book Reviews of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Book Review: One of the best books I've read in years...
Summary: 5 Stars
I finished 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' in a blaze of glory-- it was one of those things where you look at how much you have left to read and then you look at the clock and say "One more chapter"... The chapter is finished-- you again look at the clock and what now remains to be read and say "One more hour"... The cycle continues unabated until 4am when you finish the book and are a mixture of sleepy (it's 4am), excited (it was a really good book), sad (the really good book is now over and you're back where you started), and anticipatory (there are *sequels* to the really good book-- however, they haven't been translated to English yet and are not available-- le sigh).
Larsson has done a fantastic job of creating memorable, well fleshed-out characters and combining them with a new and intriuging plot... Some of the material is not for the faint of heart, but it gives the story a depth and breadth that is lacking in works by more timid authors. My only complaint is that his other books in this Millenim series aren't available in English for immediate purchase-- the last time I felt this way about characters (especially Lisbeth Salander) was when I read Harry Potter.
Book Review: Compelling Thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sweden 2005, US 2008) is the first of a trilogy set in Sweden. Financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist has just been convicted of libel and is at loose ends while waiting for his jail sentence. He is hired by Henrik Vanger, a retired industrialist, to investigate the disappearance of his great-niece Harriet who disappeared forty years ago. Blomkvist reluctantly agrees to take on the task, as well as the cover story of writing a Vanger family history, since Vanger promises new evidence in the libel case as partial payment. Blomkvist joins forces with Lisbeth Salander, a strange and tattooed researcher and hacker, and they begin to unearth unpleasant secrets in the Vanger family history while searching for new evidence in the Harriet disappearance. This large and intelligent thriller is a compelling read that addresses serious issues like the failure of the State social system and sexual violence through the development of complex and unforgettable characters. Part thriller/mystery and part social commentary, this powerful novel is highly recommended.
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/L_Authors/Larsson_Stieg.html
Book Review: Wish I'd read this sooner
Summary: 5 Stars
This was my first non-free book on my new Kindle. I'd put off reading it from
the bad reviews .. and that was a
mistake. This book is so intriguing that I'd finished reading it in 2 days; I'd read it on the Kindle in the morning, PC (kindle app) at work and blackberry (kindle app) in the rest-room... that's how engrossing the plot is. Forget about the comments on the violence and sex... this is life. I don't find gratuitous violence but whatever there is, is key to the story and hey in the real world, there are bad mfkers out there. This is the kind of book that once you finish, you want to google the author (sadly long gone, and will be deeply missed). You'd also find that Stieg was an excellent human being, fighting for causes against racists. I will definitely finish the trilogy and also dig up his earlier works.
BTW, the story strangely reminds me of The Adventures of Nils, by my favorite Swedish author, Selma Lagerlof. Totally different genre, but interesting and full of plot changes and a reality-based fairy tale. Not your typical Disneyland fare. Life is tough and hard, but so are humans. We survive.
Book Review: Really suprised how much I enjoyed this book!
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a "required" read for me, as it was chosen by my bookclub. I read the first 50 pages or so and my head was spinning. There were SO many names (and it didn't help this was translated from Sweedish, so they were not 'typical names'). But, once I got all the people sorted out in my head, I could not put this one down. I gasped out loud and found myself thinking about what was going to happen next while I was away from the book. The 'ending' happened about 50 pages or so before the book was over, but it was still a good ending. Then I closed the book and found myself thinking about the people and wishing I knew more. Glad I found out this was the first in a Trilogy! It makes even more sense now that things ended the way they did. The 2nd Book, The Girl Who Played with Fire will be available in the US in July 2009, but I "cheated" and went to Amazon.co.uk and they are releasing it in January 2009, so I preordered it from them.
Glad I read it, look forward to the 2nd one. The translation was sometimes off (spelling of words and such) but it had no impact.
Book Review: The Man Who Enjoyed the Book Immensely
Summary: 5 Stars
Three words describe this book succinctly: Terrific, Terrific, and Terrific. One of the best books I have read in years. Superb characters, a wide ranging series of events over a long period of time, and several layers of activities involving the various character with several culminations as well. Lisabeth Salander is certainly one of the most unusual characters I've ever run into. Strange, compelling, evoking, and unique, to put it mildly. Blomkvist, Vanger, Berger et. al. combine here to cohere a most excellent novel. I cannot emphasize strongly enough the degree of satisfaction this novel brings with itself. I immediately ordered, received, and read the 2nd book in the trilogy, The Girl Who Played with Fire, in that order. That review is one step beyond this writing however, I eagerly await the release of the 3rd and final book here in the US, The Girl Who Stirred the Hornet's Nest. Unfortunately, the author, Stieg Larsson, died shortly after finishing these three novels. Incredible! An excellent read, highly recommended. I give it 5 stars.