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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | |
 | Vintage Crime / Black Lizard 600 $14.95 4.0 1745 5 Book 0307454541 |
Product Description An international publishing sensation, Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel. Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption. | |
4 out of 5] Exciting with great twists and turns September 4, 2010 This is a fun read with many twists and turns. If you are looking for a page turner which will keep you engaged, this is a great choice. 5 out of 5] Smart, fun, thriller September 4, 2010 What a fun read! The first 150 pages might be perceived as kind of slow with a lot of family names, but hang in there... from then on the pacing is pretty relentless. Love the characters of Blomquist and Salander.... and am looking forward to cracking open Book 2 in the series! Just a shame that the author passed at such a young age... 5 out of 5] Page-turning Thriller September 4, 2010 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson Translated by Reg Keeland Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, 2008 590 pages Thriller 1st in trilogy 4.5/5 stars Summary: Mikael Blomkvist is a journalist who's just been convicted of libel. While in disgrace, he is invited by distinguished businessman Henrik Vanger to investigate his niece's disappearance some forty years ago. What happened to Harriet? How did a solid story turn in to libel? Along the way to figuring these out, Blomkvist meets Lisbeth Salander, a decidedly unusual girl who also happens to be the best private investigator he's ever meet. Thoughts: I didn't know much about this beyond the critical acclaim it's received and the fact that my sister liked it, which is also impressive because she's pretty picky. Plots: There are three main plots: Blomkvist's life after libel, Lisbeth's history, and the Vangers of whom there are many. They tie together well although it takes a while for that to happen. Some of the Vangers had ties to the Nazis which enabled me to learn a bit about Swedish Nazism; I didn't know much about Nazism outside of Germany/Austria so that was really interesting. Characters: I mostly liked Lisbeth, except for her vigilante approach to justice although I understand how she formed that opinion. Blomkvist is a bit of a sorry creature who didn't even fight back in his libel suit. The other characters are pretty interesting and two in particular are really terrifying (let's just say they do/have done awful things to Lisbeth and Harriet). Mystery of Harriet: I was feeling so proud of myself, that I might have come up with some solutions but I was wrong; I think I was trying to be too tricky and instead missed a candidate hiding in plain sight. Length: Despite the length, this book moves really quickly. I did think it was a little long and there were some details that could have been cut out but overall I was impressed with how quickly I could read this tome. Quibbles that bothered me but might not bother you: They smoked...a lot; I find that incredibly disgusting. The very casual attitudes toward sexual relationships (Yeah, puritanical American here!); Some language. You may also have heard that there is a lot of violence toward women, both described in the book and referenced to. I can confirm that that is a big thread throughout the book although I think it's mostly meant to be educative rather than gratuitous. I did however blanch a bit at some scenes because I mostly read and watch lighter fare and am unused to such violence. Overall: Page-turning thriller; Recommended for adults. Cover: I quite like this cover; I'm not actually a fan of the covers that show a girl's back with a dragon tattoo-it's too literal. 1 out of 5] mind numbingly slow and boring September 4, 2010 2 out of 2 I'm sorry, for some reason everyone is going ga-ga over this book?!?! I found it mind numbingly boring and a bit creepy as far as the relationship btwn the detective and the girl with the dragon tats. (I'm sorry, it's been a while since I read it, but this is how I recall it. Sometimes the overall feeling after a bit of time has passed is the best review of all.) I was forcing myself through it, and will NOT read the rest in the series. Maybe some major artistic license and rewriting will revive the story for the cinema... I would hopw so! 5 out of 5] Great series September 3, 2010 2 out of 2 I read all 3 of these Stieg Larsson "Milennium" books in about 2 weeks on vacation & highly recommend them. Not only are they well written mysteries involving unusal characters, they are windows into contemporary Sweden - a place which, frankly, I'd never thought alot about. You save the cost of an airline ticket and get to see Stockholm a little like you would if you stayed with friends who live there. (This aspect is really enhanced by seeing the movie - produced in Sweden by Swedes.) I've recommended the book to others & the most common response has been that Dragon Tattoo is so long and full of alot of snoozy non-action and side plots and relationships. I am mostly writing this to tell any new reader to hang in - it picks up and all 3 books together are one fascinating saga. If you are hooked by Lisbeth & Mikael, you'll be glad you stayed with all 3! | |
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