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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Plot is not as complex as previous books in the series. Need to suspend more disbelief than usual for this story. Lots of complicated facts from the past are uncovered too quickly and by coincidence. Although lots of flashbacks are used, too much of the past in provided by characters‘ reminiscences.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was very bad book and honestly I just changed it from two to one stars. I was hoping for a noir romp like the first book but instead this dragged in convenient plot devices and characters felt stale, like how many times can Lisbeth Salander disappear into the night and return to next book exactly the same?
4 stars
Checking back on my reading history, the first time I read the first book of the series was back in May 2009 i.e. more than 10 years ago! I really liked this first installment and it was the occasion to discover the universe of thriller/ detective books à la Swedish and the fascinating Lisbeth Salander. It is hence with great sadness that I learned that this 6th iteration of the series, written by David Lagercrantz, would be the last one (and in all probability, no other author will be allowed to pick up for sequels). Ah, the end of an era *sigh*
I will be frank. After reading [b:The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo|2429135|The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)|Stieg Larsson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327868566l/2429135._SX50_.jpg|1708725] (with a few re-reads and many times catching the good TV series versions), I did not have the courage to read [b:The Girl Who Played with Fire|5060378|The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium, #2)|Stieg Larsson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1351778881l/5060378._SX50_.jpg|6976108] and [b:The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest|6892870|The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium, #3)|Stieg Larsson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327708260l/6892870._SX50_.jpg|12883496]. While I did watch the TV adaptations (that were very good but was still pretty much icky for its crude themes and violence), I could not face reading the personal/ traumatic backstory of Lizbeth and its contemporary links and effects. Then, David Lagercrantz was commissioned to continue the series by the family of Stieg Larsson and his first book was [b:The Girl in the Spider's Web|25074850|The Girl in the Spider's Web (Millennium, #4)|David Lagercrantz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1427843648l/25074850._SX50_.jpg|27669153]*. I started reading it as it promised to be less focused on Lisbeth's vendetta against her family and more geared towards the thriller part. However, with the introduction of the character of Camilla, Lisbeth's psychotic twin sister, proud heiress to the criminal empire of their father, I felt we were back to the vendetta themes of Books 2 and 3. The writing style was good and easy to follow (translator: George Goulding) but I did not continue because of the Camilla connection. Same problem for the 5th book, [b:The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye|32599492|The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye (Millennium, #5)|David Lagercrantz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491924236l/32599492._SY75_.jpg|53178961], it started good and very enticing but I could not continue. Given this background, I surprised myself by having completed the read of The Girl Who Lived Twice and totally enjoyed it. Yes, there was Camilla again, but I think I liked this book because the Camilla plot was not the main one. At the heart of The Girl Who Lived Twice, there is a good old detective story (not thriller) that was very fascinating to follow. And the writing style (and translation) flowed very easily so that it was a pleasure to read. As with any Millenium books, the plot is deliciously complex and it would take very long to recount the whole plot.
At the end, Lisbeth burns down the ancestral home of her father. She is now finally free of all ghosts of her past and she is ready to "begin again". I loved the ending. When I read those last lines, I was happy to think that in future Millennium books there would be no more vendetta themes and I would be able to enjoy fully the detective/ investigation elements. However, I was quickly saddened to discover that it was the last book of the series!
So, this Book 6 was a really good surprise with an enticing, even if a bit too complicated, main plot. It had its weakness in terms of the feeble reasons for Forsell to stay silent, the somehow deus ex machina appearance of the MI-6 man, the too easy way Mikael was fooled by the baddies (after being thoroughly warned by Lisbeth to be careful and knowing the capabilities of Camilla and co) and the weak red herring associated with the misheard word Memsahib. However, it remained a very enjoyable and fast-paced read in very good English. More importantly, it made me discover interesting things about climbing on Mount Everest. After reading the book, I came across this very interesting and good GQ article that provided me with even wider knowledge. All in all, bravo to Mr David Lagercrantz for his good contributions to the Millennium series. I am not sure whether Books 4-6 would be approved by Stieg Larsson but David Lagercrantz has the merit of being a very decent writer (with an excellent English translator).
* Trivia: Before reading this book, I watched the 2018 American movie version first on a plane. What really surprised me was that the movie evoked the fact that Camilla had been sexually abused by her father and Lisbeth knew but ran away, leaving Camilla alone. At the end of the movie, Camilla committed suicide because she realised she had become as evil as her father. These of course do not happen at all in [b:The Girl in the Spider's Web|25074850|The Girl in the Spider's Web (Millennium, #4)|David Lagercrantz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1427843648l/25074850._SX50_.jpg|27669153] (a 2015 book) and [b:The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye|32599492|The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye (Millennium, #5)|David Lagercrantz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491924236l/32599492._SY75_.jpg|53178961] (a 2017 book)!! And are only introduced (more or less) in the 2019's The Girl Who Lived Twice!! Coincidence? Mutual inspiration from the movie towards the book??? I am very puzzled about all this.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes