The Girl Who Played with Fire
by Stieg Larsson
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Book Reviews of The Girl Who Played with Fire
Book Review: The Girl's got Soul
Summary: 5 Stars
The Girl's got Soul
This is book 2 of the Lisbeth Salander trilogy by Stieg Larsson. Although very good, it falls a little short of his tour de force The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. At 500 pages it is a rather long read with the first 300 pages written to set the stage for the climatic 200 page explosive finish. During the first half of the book I found my mind wandering at times as Mr. Larsson over wrote his setup for the intense conclusion. The Swedish names can also be a bit confusing, so the reader needs to pay attention to keep the many characters in focus. Lisbeth Salander, the protagonist, is an extremely complex, multi-faceted character that continually surprises the reader with her incredible insights and intuition. She is a delight to be savored through the entire book. The antagonist(s) are many and add to the interesting nature of Mr. Larsson's complex work. After the initial literary table setting, the story picks up speed and roars to several dramatic conclusions. I do NOT want to spoil any of the reading fun, so I won't reveal anymore of this mystery thriller except to warn the reader that all is not as it seems(?). So keep focused and keep reading, trusted me it will all be worth it!
BTW, you do not have to have read Mr. Larsson's first book of the trilogy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but it sure would help in certain areas of this book to understand certain nuances.
Character development was excellent if not overwhelming. As a continuation of the trilogy, Mr. Larsson does a good workman like job of keeping the reader involved of critical events from book #1 that play out in this book. It will be very interesting where Mr. Larsson goes with book #3.
No gratuitous sex, some language and many graphic scenes of violence. All germane to story development. Still be warned on the violence as it can be very graphic and might be troubling to some readers. Strong recommend even at today's hefty hardback prices. Look for discounts or get it at your local library. Much too good to wait for the paperback. Wonderful for that long get-away vacation. I am anxiously looking forward to the concluding book in this trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. It is too bad that Mr. Larsson passed away after writing the 3rd book. He is a terrific writer and will be sorely missed.
Book Review: Exciting to the end
Summary: 5 Stars
I finished this book by Stieg Larsson several days ago and it was exciting to the end, unlike the first book in the series which was not so exciting in the last few chapters after the main mystery had been unraveled, but was still extremely interesting. There are a number of riddles in the second book that get solved as the end is approached. You are kept in suspense, especially about what will happen to the main character, Lisbeth Salander, right up to the last page. Her closing words made me laugh and then made me wonder what will come next. For that I'll have to wait for the third and final book in the series.
One way to describe this book is as an interaction of extreme personalities with a society that is both baffled and corrupt. The extreme personalities are three. First, the girl, Lisbeth Salander is a complete genius who has been terribly mistreated but retains high moral principles in spite of her bizarre behavior. Second, there is an enormous hulk, called the blond giant, who deals out extreme punishment to those who are disapproved of by his master. Third, there is the master himself, a twisted but brilliant schemer who controls an underground of murderous thugs and is not seen until near the end of the book.
The good guy is again Mikael Blomkvist who works tirelessly to solve the riddles and help Lisbeth even though for awhile he's not sure of her innocence. Perhaps the author in real life gave Mikael his own personality and that is why he had the unfortunate heart attack at the age of 50 from overwork.
Then there is the rest of the society, the magazine where Mikael works whose beautiful publisher is having an ongoing affair with him, the security agency with its thoughtful director who Lisbeth has done jobs for, the police department, ever confused about how to interpret what's happening, with its good guys and bad guys, the subculture of the sex trade which has its tentacles into mainstream society. Yes, it's a complex mix of personalities and culture showing the nasty and hypocritical underbelly of that seemly well ordered Swedish society. But most of all it's an exciting detective story that keeps you in suspense through to the very last page!
Book Review: If you loved the 1st one, you'll definitely like this
Summary: 5 Stars
I know there are some people who feel this book isn't as good as good as the first, but I still think it's well worth it.
It has one of those James Bond type openings that don't actually have a lot to do with the rest of the book, but it's still enjoyable.
This is a lot more focused on Lisbeth Salander, which is a good thing. In the circles of my youth, a lesbian punk with a violent streak wouldn't have been considered that unusual, and I'm a bit surprised that she has such mainstream appeal. I guess times have changed.
I'm not sure why Larsson felt this compulsion to focus on her domestic routines, and what she shopped for, etc. I would have edited that stuff out.
The plot twist that takes place after the first third(?) of the book really was a shocker, and it defines the rest of the story. Safe to say that Lisbeth gets in quite a bit of trouble. For much of the time, she isn't even in the narrative, you just have other characters talking about her. It's fascinating how long Larsson is able to sustain this approach.
To be honest, the secret behind the narrative is a bit more conventional than what one finds in "Dragon Tattoo." It's worthwhile reading, but it's a bit more like the typical malfeasance-in-high-places that has been done equally well elsewhere. There are plenty of thriller action movies that have plots that are more sinister and conspiratorial. Unlike "Dragon," when the mask is finally stripped and the characters reveal the true nature of their plotting and their fundamental nature, you're not shocked. It's more like tidying up. I wish that Larsson could have spent more time coming up with something a bit more earth-shaking and scary.
However, the character of Lisbeth Salander makes up for these drawbacks. It's funny how you find yourself rooting for someone whom so many other characters in the book consider a dangerously unbalanced individual. It's definitely worth investing your time. Ten bucks for the hardcover is a screaming good deal. I'm glad that Larsson wrote these books, and I'm certainly going to read the third one. So obviously, he must have done something right.
Book Review: The Best Novel I've Read So Far in 2009
Summary: 5 Stars
"Godly people find life; evil people find death." -- Proverbs 11:19
If you enjoyed Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, you're in for a treat: This is Lisbeth's story, explaining how such a brilliant woman came to be a ward of the state, taken "care of" by a pervert lawyer. What's more, she's on the run . . . first from her disappointment in loving Mikael Blomkvist, and later from the authorities who rely on circumstantial evidence to decide that she's a murderer. With all of Sweden after her, can Lisbeth outwit her foes?
The story is very much a David and Goliath conflict: Tiny Lisbeth is pitted against rich, powerful, and evil enemies who wish her the very worst they can wish. In developing that theme, Stieg Larsson raises fascinating fundamental questions about duality in the reader's mind such as when strength is weakness and weakness is strength, when doing good leads to evil and when doing evil leads to doing good, when friendship is more important than love and love leads to friendship, what the basis for personal morality should be and when public morality is immoral, and how the family bonds can be horrible while friendship bonds can be redeeming. You'll walk away from this book with a more objective view of the next news story you read about a crime and its punishment.
Stieg Larsson makes quite a bit of Lisbeth's extraordinary intellect. When she's running circles around conventional people, you'll feel like you are reading all about Robin Hood again. Those sections provide something of a letdown however for readers when they have to go back to following the conventional people as they bumble around. I found myself impatient for the next dose of Lisbeth several times in the book's middle.
As in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, this book pulls off the respectable front of the rich and powerful to reveal the evil underneath, the sick predators who will stop at nothing to satisfy their every whim. Be ready to be dragged through the mud of gross human depravity. Like a modern-day Joan of Arc, Lisbeth doesn't let the muck stick to her as she slogs through it.
Enjoy!!!!!!
Book Review: Crime writers take heed
Summary: 5 Stars
This how it's done!
One of the best modern crime novels I've ever read. The character of Lisbeth Salander is super and you're behind her all the way. She's what all us girls dream of being (except for the sex with girls thing); a get-er-done, smart as a whip, photographic memory, take no bs from bad people, fearsome judge and executioner, physically/mentally svelte, agile and confident, star grey hat hacker who has unlimited funds. This is book two of three. The ending will take your breath away.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (book 1) is just as good only more sedate.
"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest is the third and final novel in the million-selling Millennium Trilogy by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. It was published posthumously in Swedish in 2007 and will be published in English in October 2009. The novel is a direct sequel to The Girl Who Played with Fire, and is part of the award-winning Millennium Series by the late Swedish columnist Stieg Larsson, and will feature most of the same characters from the first two novels."
I can't wait!
Best author I've run into in quite awhile. To bad he passed away. Here's a good article on the man http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article4587806.ece
"As a courageous campaigning journalist, Larsson took on some dangerous opponents, neo-Nazis and other groups from the far Right, ensuring that his death at the age of 50 prompted much speculation. Was it simply - as the official verdict had it - a heart attack? Or did his enemies, who often told him that his days were numbered, have a hand in his demise?
He was celebrated as an authority on extremist organisations and his battles with them often put him in physical danger - something that seemed not to faze him. His name was known in this country from the pages of Searchlight, the anti-fascist and anti-racist magazine, while the journal he launched in Sweden, Expo, is still going strong after his death."
http://expo.se/about-expo.html
www.stieglarsson.com