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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
I would really like to give this book a 3.5 to be honest, once it got going I quite enjoyed it. I like the action and the relative complexity of the plot. However it does have a lot of filler content... And it's a 700 page book...
Should be read along with the first one in the series, The [b:Girl with the Dragon Tattoo|2429135|The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)|Stieg Larsson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275608878s/2429135.jpg|1708725].
I am vexed. I like the books, even though I would not normally read novels fraught with sex and misogyny. Clearly, Larsson is interested in society's overwhelming anti-feminist views and behavior. In fact, I am writing this review/reaction to these books today because I actually cried a little thinking about the struggles women face, particularly those that are not born into normalcy.
My thoughts on this are rough, but I am really drawn to the stories because of the feminist perspective that Larsson writes from. I believe the misogyny in these books is a device to express the depths of where hatred against women lives in western society - in basements and under the care of psychiatric facilities, rather than out in the open. It's sort of an eyes wide shut sort of thing (sorry to have borrowed that one from Kubrick). The consensual sex in these books is far from staid, but Larsson seems to be making a statement: compliance with mainstream behaviors should not be a requirement for women to live freely, as they wish.
In his books (the 2 that I read so far) the primary female characters (Salander, Harriet Vanger, Berger, Cecilia Vanger, Miriam Wu) must adjust their lives to accommodate or avoid the events put upon them.
Salander thrashes about trying to overcome the abuses she witnessed as a child and the ones she suffered through as a young adult. She creates a second identity for herself, just so she can exist in a world that is completely against her. All the false reports and accusations against her are believed by the vast majority of people in Sweden, but for a handful of people that actually know her. Her stint in the Carribean allows her the freedom to exist free from judgment by others. But what really forced her into her own was the brutal rape she suffered by her guardian. I was angry Larsson had her get breast implants - what's that? She certainly did not appear to be a person concerned about society's pressures and Aspberger's, really?? God forbid she be born an exceptionally intelligent female! The implants make more sense in the context of her quest for self-discovery. Who the hell is she anyway, since men have been abusing her since she was a child and she was left to be a shell of a person. The implants are actually a device that shows she is human.
Berger is somehow Larsson's ideal woman. She likes sex, so she keeps two lovers - a husband and a boyfriend. She's broken through the glass ceiling professionally and socially. She is confident with herself. She seems to balance both male and female traits very well. However, I feel like there is something empty about her character.
The Vanger women suffered brutal abuse and retreated into their own - Cecilia stayed in close proximity to her family and was deemed a bitch. Harriet lived as two people - a dead one and a successful business woman and mother.
Miriam Wu lives as someone on the fringe, but appears to have confidence in herself. Her ability to trust a woman (Lisbeth) is the catalyst to being victimized. The image the media portrays of her is again eaten up by the public - they think, of course she's a slut and must be guilty of associating with a psychopathic murderer! This depicts some of the feminist perspective I feel is constant in Larsson's writing - he recognizes that women who go it alone, particularly those that choose something a little less than mainstream are relegated to the fringe and must be guilty of poor judgments and associations.
Then there is the half-brother who feels no pain and implants his will on any unfortunate soul that crosses his path (or that of his father). Is he not the white male majority that rules the planet? His only fear is of the dark (put another way, it's when he has lost control of his surroundings). Of course, the dark could have another direct connection to race, but that is left out in this book, so I won't presume it.
I like the books. They were well written and I stayed with every passage, though I did find myself wondering why I liked much of the first third of this novel. It's compelling and I am glad I read them both. The first book was better at expressing place. Played with Fire is choppy and seems to need better editing; Larsson's premature death is reflected here since he could have/should have gone through the text another time to clear up some dangling elements and the ridiculous ending (very much written for a blockbuster film, which made me think someone else actually wrote the last few pages). I'll definitely read the third book. I expect a little more character development on the part of Berger.
I am vexed. I like the books, even though I would not normally read novels fraught with sex and misogyny. Clearly, Larsson is interested in society's overwhelming anti-feminist views and behavior. In fact, I am writing this review/reaction to these books today because I actually cried a little thinking about the struggles women face, particularly those that are not born into normalcy.
My thoughts on this are rough, but I am really drawn to the stories because of the feminist perspective that Larsson writes from. I believe the misogyny in these books is a device to express the depths of where hatred against women lives in western society - in basements and under the care of psychiatric facilities, rather than out in the open. It's sort of an eyes wide shut sort of thing (sorry to have borrowed that one from Kubrick). The consensual sex in these books is far from staid, but Larsson seems to be making a statement: compliance with mainstream behaviors should not be a requirement for women to live freely, as they wish.
In his books (the 2 that I read so far) the primary female characters (Salander, Harriet Vanger, Berger, Cecilia Vanger, Miriam Wu) must adjust their lives to accommodate or avoid the events put upon them.
Salander thrashes about trying to overcome the abuses she witnessed as a child and the ones she suffered through as a young adult. She creates a second identity for herself, just so she can exist in a world that is completely against her. All the false reports and accusations against her are believed by the vast majority of people in Sweden, but for a handful of people that actually know her. Her stint in the Carribean allows her the freedom to exist free from judgment by others. But what really forced her into her own was the brutal rape she suffered by her guardian. I was angry Larsson had her get breast implants - what's that? She certainly did not appear to be a person concerned about society's pressures and Aspberger's, really?? God forbid she be born an exceptionally intelligent female! The implants make more sense in the context of her quest for self-discovery. Who the hell is she anyway, since men have been abusing her since she was a child and she was left to be a shell of a person. The implants are actually a device that shows she is human.
Berger is somehow Larsson's ideal woman. She likes sex, so she keeps two lovers - a husband and a boyfriend. She's broken through the glass ceiling professionally and socially. She is confident with herself. She seems to balance both male and female traits very well. However, I feel like there is something empty about her character.
The Vanger women suffered brutal abuse and retreated into their own - Cecilia stayed in close proximity to her family and was deemed a bitch. Harriet lived as two people - a dead one and a successful business woman and mother.
Miriam Wu lives as someone on the fringe, but appears to have confidence in herself. Her ability to trust a woman (Lisbeth) is the catalyst to being victimized. The image the media portrays of her is again eaten up by the public - they think, of course she's a slut and must be guilty of associating with a psychopathic murderer! This depicts some of the feminist perspective I feel is constant in Larsson's writing - he recognizes that women who go it alone, particularly those that choose something a little less than mainstream are relegated to the fringe and must be guilty of poor judgments and associations.
Then there is the half-brother who feels no pain and implants his will on any unfortunate soul that crosses his path (or that of his father). Is he not the white male majority that rules the planet? His only fear is of the dark (put another way, it's when he has lost control of his surroundings). Of course, the dark could have another direct connection to race, but that is left out in this book, so I won't presume it.
I like the books. They were well written and I stayed with every passage, though I did find myself wondering why I liked much of the first third of this novel. It's compelling and I am glad I read them both. The first book was better at expressing place. Played with Fire is choppy and seems to need better editing; Larsson's premature death is reflected here since he could have/should have gone through the text another time to clear up some dangling elements and the ridiculous ending (very much written for a blockbuster film, which made me think someone else actually wrote the last few pages). I'll definitely read the third book. I expect a little more character development on the part of Berger.
Plot points get pulled down by the endless description of banality
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this immediately after the first book. It was a good idea. The pacing of the story is completely different than the first book. For starters, there is no mystery that our characters are called in to solve, but rather, shocking events that affect the characters directly and they then must deal with them. Without spoiling it, the middle third of the book carries quite a dramatic tension for the reader, and once that is over it never really feels settled. That whole suspense was a brilliant stroke of the writing pen by Larsson. I found myself cleaning through 100 pages in a sitting until the book was over. Once again, expect some violent imagery and plausible, although not entirely clever, plot twists. The end of this leads directly into the third book, not as a cliff hanger, but as an obvious transition.
I think this may be my favorite so far. I felt the story was much more suspenseful this time around and I was unable to put it down for the last few chapters. My only complaint is that I felt it some of the nefarious characters seemed to meet a rather anti-climactic end. I also was glad that I didn't start reading until the third book was already available. I think the ending seemed a little bit like a cliffhanger so I was very glad that I didn't have to wait a long time to find out what happens next. I downloaded the next book right away!
dark
tense
medium-paced
If you thought the first one was graphic, I wouldn't read this one. Good but gross at times.
A good second book in the series. While the mystery wasn’t as interesting, we got a lot more insight into the character of Lisbeth. I look forward to the next book in the series.