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bubothereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I thought Larsson wrote strong characters, created a spooky atmosphere, had great pacing, and had fine writing (though it might be better in its native Swedish). But, I can't get past how graphic this novel is. Some scenes are still scarred in my head and I wish I'd never read them. I skimmed over it where I could, but he also wove important plot points into those scenes, so they weren't entirely avoidable.
And though there are parts of Lizbeth Salander that I like as a character, I woefully dislike that he had Blomkvist refer to her as having Asperger's Syndrome (an outdated term, but not sure if it was when this was written). Larsson wrote her VERY stereotypically for autism if this is the case. As an autistic myself, who's also been through loads of trauma, I find it disgusting to paint this violent stereotype—it's not true, even with PTSD. And even if it is true for some, using her as a character with these characteristics makes neurotypicals feel like all autistics are like this (and she's not an own-voice) or make autistics feel mislabeled and unseen.
It's so frustrating to continue having this harmful narrative spread. It's what causes us to get held against or will, or worse.
I really found the mystery intriguing. But, I can't continue with the series for the aforementioned reasons.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Ableism, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
serena_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Abortion, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
gm_vak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
doomluz's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcoholism and Religious bigotry
Minor: Infidelity
sbaryluk's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Torture