The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larsson
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Book Reviews of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Book Review: "Now I know what my price is."
Summary: 5 Stars
When Mikael Blomqvist arrives on remote Hedeby Island to do research for the biography of Swedish industrialist Henrik Vanger and his large family, he is looking for a place where he can avoid attention. Blomqvist, a financial journalist for Millenium magazine, is due to serve a three-month prison sentence soon for libeling a man he accused of criminal activity. For his own reasons, he did not challenge the charge and offered no defense, preferring to get the sentence over with in the face of enormous publicity. The temporary job he accepts on this remote island involves the search for Harriet Vanger, Henrik's niece who disappeared from the island when she was sixteen--thirty-seven years ago.
Sometimes helping Blomqvist in his research is Lisbeth Salander, a young woman thought to have Asperger's syndrome, who is under the guardianship of the state. Salander has suffered enormous sexual and emotional abuse and has withdrawn to the point that she trusts no one. Marking events in her life through tattoos and body piercings, she lives as solitary a life as possible, connecting primarily through the internet where she has "met" several fellow computer hackers. Gradually, Salander begins to respond to Blomqvist's honesty and respect for her talents as she discovers important new information about the Vanger family.
Though the novel starts rather slowly as the characters are introduced and the genealogy of the Vanger family is explored, author Stieg Larsson succeeds in creating a sense of Sweden's social culture and atmosphere as he sets up this "closed room" mystery and creates vibrant characters to carry the action. The reader cares about Blomqvist and Salander from the beginning, as both are vulnerable and have suffered unjustly, and as the novel develops, the author also creates sympathy for the elderly Henrik Vanger. Larsson was the editor of an anti-racist magazine, and his unforgettable depiction of some of the other Vanger relatives, who were ardent adherents of fascist and Nazi movements, carries the ring of authenticity.
As the novel develops, the skeletons in the Vanger family closet emerge, and a host of repulsive crimes, including murder, rape, torture, and the wanton abuse of women over many years are laid bare. The novel becomes an utterly compelling can't-put-it-downer, as the reader "travels" with Blomqvist and Salander, sharing their frustrations and their physical danger as they investigate this decades-old disappearance. Developed in minute detail, this rich novel is especially satisfying because it leaves no loose threads, connecting every detail to produce a blockbuster conclusion which satisfies in every way. The first novel of a trilogy which Larsson completed just before his premature death in 2004, at age fifty, this thrilling novel will leave its fans panting for the next installment. n Mary Whipple
The Girl Who Played with Fire, the second novel in this trilogy, due in January
The third novel, tentatively titled The Air Castle That Blew Up, has no US publication date yet.
Book Review: Holy Cats! What a Read.
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"
by Steig Larsson
Book Review by Jay Gilbertson
When strolling through the stacks at our wonderful library in Menomonie, marveling at all those new arrivals, I go a little nuts. Shelf after shelf of possibilities then--the one--picks me and I'm done for. That's what happened when author Stieg's novel grabbed my attention. Grabbed--good grief--I was totally and completely obsessed with the darn thing and I don't normally go for anything remotely connected to the all-to-predictable thriller genre. But this baby had something so off the charts different it stunned me. The characters in his web-like story were utterly compelling.
The tale opens with one of my favorite author-ly tricks; a prologue. Exhibit A: a mysterious pressed flower arrives--again. Exhibit B: enter mystery-solver and Sweden's renowned magazine editor/owner the dashing Mikael Blomkvist. Lastly, (but not really seeing as this is the first in a trilogy) exhibit C: one cannot properly solve any kind of mystery now days without a quirky, self-loathing, possible Asperger Syndrome sufferer, pierced and tattooed like nobody's business--computer hacking genius (with really great legs) Lisbeth Salander.
The cast of characters is vast and the pace is pitch-perfect as long as you keep in mind that the story is written in a very journalistic tone. By this I mean, often times Stieg will list off what a character is wearing or eating or surrounded by as if simply reporting the news, and that was a tad off-putting. The thrill-part is how Blomkvist and Salander uncover just who the dickens murdered dear Harriet Vanger forty years past and, by-the-way, where did her body go? That's assuming she was indeed murdered... What they do uncover is far more ghastly and far-reaching and just plain disgusting than I bet even Stephen King could have come up with!
Toss in a filthy rich old man on his deathbed, an enormously complicated family tree full of nasty and terribly incestuous (as well as totally dysfunctional) relations each out to get the other, and you have just the tip of the iceberg that is The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I might add, seeing as I am a rather private fellow, there were several scenes that not only shocked the heck out of me, but also made me blush. Very R-rated, if you get my drift. Oh, and I should mention, the author `mysteriously' died after penning the final draft of the third novel in this series.
This is a roller-coaster ride of a novel and I honestly don't recall the last time I was so consumed with not only an insanely complex story-line(s) but the sheer brutality of some of Stieg's characters was at times both shocking and (I hate to admit this) just so satisfying. Don't just sit there wondering, buzz over to the library and get on the waiting list.
As you dive into TGWTDT, keep this in mind: A picture is worth a thousand words--now go!
For more information about the author:
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Book Review: A Good Read Notwithstanding
Summary: 3 Stars
I must agree with a majority of the reviews here and admit that this is a remarkable novel with a lot of drive and vigor, few paragraphs of filler, and a wild read. Larsson is an intelligent writer, and the continuous feel of his story and characters demonstrates a heightened skill level and the translation seems to be transparent, but as I cannot read the novel in its native tongue, I guess I'll never know. It is with a heavy heart that I downgrade my opinion from four stars to three: the book's shortcomings are tough to ignore. I wish there were a three and a half.
First, I'll go ahead and toss in my "ignorant American" commentary and say that the proper nouns in their original Swedish were distracting at times. The author assumed that I knew that this name was feminine or this place was affluent, whereas I had to draw those conclusions in context. My own shortcomings, you shout? Possibly, but I would have thought a more skilled translator to be able to fix those references. Most notably: "gaol" is a prison referenced several times throughout the book, though I have no idea what it meant. At first the term seemed to be interchangeable with "jail" but then I got the impression that it was simply a forced boarding house, or "minimum security" prison, but as it was never explained, I still have no idea.
Second, I will admit that I am a stickler on plot holes and Larsson has very, very few. I did note, however, that Blomkvist and Salander seem to find each other in a very forced way: Frode needs to find a biblical researcher and thinks of the woman who performed a background check? It seemed a little contrived. I also thought Bjurman might make another appearance after his paralyzing thought, "I have to get that video", but he did not rear his ugly face (and tattooed torso!). It lead me to believe that Larsson left that door open but ran out of time to include him back into the story.
Most severe, however, is clearly the denouement. After the climax, things started to drop out of sight quickly. Personally, I didn't understand why Salander didn't want to involve the police, but I guess that's her call. I thought the plot against Wennerström was far more elaborate than it needed to be, and focused a lot on the procedural process of publishing, which I gather is what Larsson really enjoys. The whole thing seemed too long, except for the final few paragraphs, which gloss over the relationship between the two main characters and rather obviously prepare Salander for the sequel.
Where Larsson really lost the fourth star, however, was putting no effort into making Blomkvist a full character. Mikael appeared to be a narrator at times, observing and deducing, but rarely acting. He drudged up a little anger at Frode after the climax, but even that dissolves after a pleasant paycheck. Lisbeth is definitely the highlight of the book and makes it worth reading, but she can't save the sinking ship after it has sprung a leak.
Overall, I recommend reading it and think you'll like it, too. But I can point you to countless titles I think you'd enjoy better.
Book Review: Men Who Hate Women
Summary: 4 Stars
This book starts slow (and I do mean slow - 100 pages of explanation of Swedish finance and economics to establish the background), but suddenly pulls the reader in. While the elaborate set-up is sometimes tedious, it is completely necessary to create a backdrop to the mystery, which actually ends 100 pages before the end of the novel. The final 100 pages are then payoff for all of your studying in the first 100, and presumably lay the groundwork for the next two books in the trilogy. In short, stick out those slow opening chapters, it's worth it.
The story's setup is a traditional 'locked room' mystery. Forty years ago the favorite granddaughter of one of Sweden's captains of industry, Henrik Vanger, went missing, presumably murdered. Blomkvist, the lately down-and-out journalist, is hired to do a biography of the Vanger family and maybe solve the mystery along the way. He eventually ends up with a research partner in Lisbeth Salander, a gothed out, anti-social, abused young woman with Asperger's Syndrome. She is cold, analytical, and angry. She always gets even. And you will love her. Will they solve the mystery? Will they be killed along the way? Will Blomkvist regain his journalistic credibility? These are the surface concerns that drive the mystery.
The Swedish title of the book is something closer to Men Who Hate Women, and the entire book revolves around this theme. Not just in the murder mystery portion, but in the social interactions of the male and female characters. The Sweds are clearly as misogynistic as the rest of the West. This is the real plot that drives the book. The author handles his theme deftly. Larsson is clearly sympathetic to the omnipresent dangers to women in porno-driven, patriarchal, Western society. His scenes of violence are never gratuitous, and he does not linger on the abuse of women in a voyeuristic way, unlike so many films, tv shows, and books that seem to relish the display of imperiled women. Larsson also reverses sexual stereotypes (not as feminist as rejecting them altogether, but it's a place to start); his male lead, Blomkvist, does not run around 'saving' the women in this novel. His female lead Salander is no damsel in distress. She relies on no one but herself and is perfectly capable of extracting herself from dangerous situations by using her analytical brain. Through Salander (clearly Larsson's favorite character, despite the initial focus on Blomkvist) Larsson comments on the failed governmental structures in place to prevent abuse, the unpleasant daily capitulations women must make to save themselves, and the unfortunate realities for women who fall between the cracks of society. Not only does Larsson comment, he gets angry. And you *definitely* want to see Salander angry.
The 100 pages at the end of the book wrapping the story back around to the first 100 are increasingly implausible. The tale takes a veer into Jennifer-Garner-in-Alias territory before the book's denouement. On the whole though, a satisfying mystery, a thought-provoking social commentary, and a solid beginning to what promises to be a riveting trilogy.
Book Review: Gripping for much of the time but disappointing ending
Summary: 4 Stars
This book has become enormously popular and it's easy to see why. After a slow start in which the author introduces the main characters and sets the scene, we are plunged into a fascinating investigation of a crime, or possible crime, committed 40 years in the past. The heiress of a wealthy industrial dynasty in Sweden has disappeared. The old scion of the family hires an investigative reporter to make a final attempt to find out what happened to her. He in turn teams up with a young investigator, (the girl of the title) who possibly has Asperger's Syndrome -- at any rate, she does have a photographic memory and an unbelievable talent at computer hacking. Together, they peel back the onion layers, gradually revealing the terrible truth.
Some observations: having lived in Sweden, I wondered how many foreign readers got references to previous Swedish financial scandals -- Ivar Kreuger the Match King -- and political crises -- the Palme assassination, the Ebbe Carlsson affair. There are references to the Wallenberg family, which controlled a large portion of the Swedish economy for many decades. It would also help to have a working knowledge of Astrid Lindgren, the beloved author of Swedish childrens books like "Pippi Longstocking." Perhaps it doesn't matter but it certainly helped me read the book knowing some of the places described and with a rough idea of Stockholm and Swedish geography.
I was amused by the fact that the journalist, Carl Mikael Blomquist, is sentenced to three months in prison for libel. First, in the United States, libel is a civil, not criminal matter. I read on one website dealing with the First Amendment, the following:
"Fewer than half of the states have criminal defamation statutes. Some of those laws, though still on the books, have been invalidated by court decision. Even in states where criminal libel laws exist, prosecution under those statutes is rare."
But the prison is like a holiday camp. Blomquist is allowed to keep his laptop and carry on with his work. He himself looks back on his prison term as a kind of stress-free rest period. That would never happen here.
The ugly side of the Swedish nanny state is demonstrated by the treatment of Lisbeth Salandar, the youthful investigator, who is a ward of the court and remains under the control of a state-appointed guardian well after she becomes a legal adult. How is this possible? Only in a country which gives the state such power over the individual, on the grounds that it is "for his or her own good."
That brings me to the next point: so many Swedish mysteries seem to have sick, perverted, violent, disgusting acts of sexual violence at their heart, and this is no exception. Does this reflect the traditional, uptight, repressed national character.?
I think the depiction of one particular act and the victim's reaction to it is very unrealistic.
I enjoyed this book but I found the last 50 pages a severe anticlimax so I'm only giving it four stars. But I acknowledge that Stieg Larsson knows how to tell a good story - definitely an above-average mystery/thriller.