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brakebills42's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, and Animal death
Moderate: Ableism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Xenophobia and Abortion
stargirllxo's review against another edition
5.0
This book is amazing! At first, it was slow to get into, but that is because I've been having a hard time finding books I enjoy reading. However, once I got into this book, I realized how invested I was into the characters and the story. This was achieved through the fact that the book showed multiple points of view. For some people, they do not enjoy this style of writing, however, I think it was critical to the book and what made it so greatly written. Since it is a mystery novel, I was able to make predictions and either see them come true or be completely wrong, either way, it made reading the book much more enjoyable since I wanted to see whether I was right or wrong.
readergirly99's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jenny_hedberg's review against another edition
5.0
En bra bok som höll mig fängslad ända till slutet, om man bortser från början som var lite långtradig.
thezoetrope's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kavita_badal_07's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the Swedish movie quite a bit, s surprisingly I was a little disappointed with this book. One of the issues I had, as with the movie, was the sequence of events which does not induce much of a desired to actually care about the characters and their lives. Another thing is that it took me 12 chapters to finally get into the book and if I didn't what it was aiming for, probably would not have continued or taken a year or 2 before reattempting to take it off my list.
The one exception being Lisbeth, who by the end of the book is still not entirely likable but you are left wondering what it is about her past that she doesn't share with the reader. You already know that she's wicked smart and her that a history of abuse (which seems to be mostly expected of men throughout the novel) and many social aversions keep her extremely withdrawn and isolated. Despite the stereotypes that surround her and those that have been perpetuated by her, she appears to have a very strong, if slightly off-kilter mind. She is accustomed to darkness and delights in breaking through the worldly facades and uncovering that darkness.
Blomkvist is even less likable as a character, though everyone seems to either really love him or hate him. I Found myself not caring about his illustrious career or his fall from grace. He supposedly the one moral figure, this really great guy with values and conviction but I don't know if it is the subject matter of the financial or just the writing but anything relating his articles or magazines bored the hell out of me. I also find it a little that all the woman who spend an extended amount of time in company and or bed inevitably fall in love with him.
The one part I actually grew to enjoy was the Vanger plotline, even though there are way too many of them and once again they too are not very likeable. I eventually found myself drawn into this mystery and was pretty content with outcome and climax. The juxtaposition of the motivation and actions of both the victims was also done really well, if slightly uncomfortable and often quite disgustingly.
All in all not the worst book I have ever read but also one that leaves something to be desired. There is also a dearth of real character development and what somewhere in writing or the translation the warmth of the characters is lost. You don't a fall in love with them and you don't really care all that much where they go next. It is almost as if it is merely set pieces being moved around without any emotion or inclination of their own.
The one exception being Lisbeth, who by the end of the book is still not entirely likable but you are left wondering what it is about her past that she doesn't share with the reader. You already know that she's wicked smart and her that a history of abuse (which seems to be mostly expected of men throughout the novel) and many social aversions keep her extremely withdrawn and isolated. Despite the stereotypes that surround her and those that have been perpetuated by her, she appears to have a very strong, if slightly off-kilter mind. She is accustomed to darkness and delights in breaking through the worldly facades and uncovering that darkness.
Blomkvist is even less likable as a character, though everyone seems to either really love him or hate him. I Found myself not caring about his illustrious career or his fall from grace. He supposedly the one moral figure, this really great guy with values and conviction but I don't know if it is the subject matter of the financial or just the writing but anything relating his articles or magazines bored the hell out of me. I also find it a little that all the woman who spend an extended amount of time in company and or bed inevitably fall in love with him.
The one part I actually grew to enjoy was the Vanger plotline, even though there are way too many of them and once again they too are not very likeable. I eventually found myself drawn into this mystery and was pretty content with outcome and climax. The juxtaposition of the motivation and actions of both the victims was also done really well, if slightly uncomfortable and often quite disgustingly.
All in all not the worst book I have ever read but also one that leaves something to be desired. There is also a dearth of real character development and what somewhere in writing or the translation the warmth of the characters is lost. You don't a fall in love with them and you don't really care all that much where they go next. It is almost as if it is merely set pieces being moved around without any emotion or inclination of their own.
gilliske's review against another edition
5.0
Ik lees deze reeks voor de tweede keer en dit eerste deel beviel me alvast net zo goed als de eerste keer.
Het is een vrij dik boek. De auteur neemt dan ook de tijd om zijn karakters en context vorm te geven. Hierdoor is dit waarschijnlijk niet echt een boek voor de liefhebbers van korte, snelle, actie verhalen.
Mij smaakt dit echter wel. Want Larsson verliest zich naar mijn smaak niet onnodig in details. Hij geeft voldoende mee opdat je je kunt inleven in het verhaal en om de personages voldoende diepgang te geven, zonder saai of langdradig te worden.
Het plot zelf is meesterlijk bedacht en goed uitgewerkt.
Enige minpuntje vond ik de dochter die plots uit het niets opduikt in het verhaal om dé tip te geven waarmee Blomkvists onderzoek echt van start kan gaan (i.v.m. de verwijzingen naar bijbel teksten). Dit voelde voor mij te veel als een 'deus ex machina'.
Maar dit stoorde mij niet zo erg dat ik het boek er minder voor scoor.
Ik heb immers al twee keer enorm genoten van het verhaal! En wie weet doe ik dat over een paar jaar nog eens opnieuw...
Het is een vrij dik boek. De auteur neemt dan ook de tijd om zijn karakters en context vorm te geven. Hierdoor is dit waarschijnlijk niet echt een boek voor de liefhebbers van korte, snelle, actie verhalen.
Mij smaakt dit echter wel. Want Larsson verliest zich naar mijn smaak niet onnodig in details. Hij geeft voldoende mee opdat je je kunt inleven in het verhaal en om de personages voldoende diepgang te geven, zonder saai of langdradig te worden.
Het plot zelf is meesterlijk bedacht en goed uitgewerkt.
Enige minpuntje vond ik de dochter die plots uit het niets opduikt in het verhaal om dé tip te geven waarmee Blomkvists onderzoek echt van start kan gaan (i.v.m. de verwijzingen naar bijbel teksten). Dit voelde voor mij te veel als een 'deus ex machina'.
Maar dit stoorde mij niet zo erg dat ik het boek er minder voor scoor.
Ik heb immers al twee keer enorm genoten van het verhaal! En wie weet doe ik dat over een paar jaar nog eens opnieuw...
orangeslices's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
"Men Who Hate Women" was the original title of the Swedish thriller that later came to be known as "The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo." Each section of the book is prefaced with a statistic about the violence that is endured by Swedish women that goes unreported and consequently, unknown. Braced with the facts in mind, the plot unravels to an obvious conclusion about who is the perpetrator behind Harriet Vanger's disappearance. Drawn from the same vein, Stieg Larsson, falls into cliche trappings. The perspective pieces from Lisbeth falls flat - which is disappointing because I was so excited to meet her character - her punk looks and intelligent character was the main draw. Unfortunately, all of the women of import are drawn to Blomkvist (who's not very interesting) and women that are meant to be written as independent and whip smart (e.g. Erika and Lisbeth and Cecilia), they all fall for him and even draw up petty emotional "catfights" over him.
I really can't draw myself to read any more of the books because the debut book in the series falls flat.
I really can't draw myself to read any more of the books because the debut book in the series falls flat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, Antisemitism, and Confinement
Minor: Animal death, Incest, Child abuse, and Animal cruelty