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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
This book is mostly an interesting locked-room whodunit, but as I read further in the book, I realized that there are plenty of other things going on. I really enjoyed all of the characters - especially Lisbeth, Mikael,and Erika - and Larsson did a wonderful job of creating the entire dysfunctional Vanger clan. I look forward to reading his next novel!
Normally, if a book doesn't grab me within the first 100 pages, I stop reading. There are just too many books to waste time reading one that doesn't addict me quickly. This book was the exception and was absolutely worth it. It took me weeks to get through the first 250 pages because they just didn't make me want to keep reading. After that however, I couldn't put it down!
This book started a little slow for me, but once I got into the main mystery of it I couldn't put it down. Unfortunately, I ended up seeing the movie before reading this, so I already knew what was going to happen at the end. Even so, I was completely absorbed in the story. I love Lisbeth Salander, the character for whom the story is named. She is one gritty and tough female!
This was an exciting and engaging read. I am excited to continue on with the rest of the series.
This was an exciting and engaging read. I am excited to continue on with the rest of the series.
Not as good as the first perhaps but still an excellent read that make you want to reach for the third installment.
Wow, I just really don't understand all the hoopla around this book. It's monumentally dull, for one thing. Nothing actually happens until around page 400. It's clumsily written (although admittedly that could be a function of the translating). The characters are all two-dimensional. Pages and pages and PAGES are devoted to such fascinating topics as research methods, journalism, the Swedish stock market, and my personal favorites, open-faced sandwiches, clothing choices, train schedules, and the precise times of day that people do various activities. By the end the pointlessness of the entire novel just made me angry. I kept hoping for some fantastic pay-off that would make it worthwhile, but it never materialized. I will certainly not be reading the other two.
The story is entertaining but the characters are all fairly one dimensional. This is the best book of the series, however, and is a bit more solid than the two sequels.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's a massive bestseller for a reason! When I first saw these books in the bookstore, they looked like nothing I would ever read. Since they were all over the place, I was definitely curious. I hate it when I feel like I'm missing out. My interest was piqued when I read that they were doing a US version of the movie. Knowing nothing about the book (not even that it was Swedish), I already sided on with the purists who were against a US version. Having taken three film courses I was clearly an expert on all things cinema. lol.
Anyway, I cheated seeing the movie first and I'm surprised the book was so close to the screenplay. The book is better and well worth the read. Although it is really dark and quite disturbing, it's a surprisingly quick read. I thought the characters were well written and the mystery took time to unravel.
Not really a spoiler, but the original title translates to "Men who Hate Women". One can only guess that the title was changed for marketing purposes especially to English as it doesn't really roll off of the tongue. I admired the decision to add statistics about violence against women on the intro page to each part. It brought you back to reality instead of just allowing yourself to believe it could never happen.
Anyway, I cheated seeing the movie first and I'm surprised the book was so close to the screenplay. The book is better and well worth the read. Although it is really dark and quite disturbing, it's a surprisingly quick read. I thought the characters were well written and the mystery took time to unravel.
Not really a spoiler, but the original title translates to "Men who Hate Women". One can only guess that the title was changed for marketing purposes especially to English as it doesn't really roll off of the tongue. I admired the decision to add statistics about violence against women on the intro page to each part. It brought you back to reality instead of just allowing yourself to believe it could never happen.
This book started slow and could have used an editor mercilessly tightening up the first hundred pages. But once it gets rolling, it's intriguing and compelling.
I'm sure there's been plenty of debate as to whether or not the brutal rape scene was gratuitous. I feel that it was. It was nice to see Salander get back at him but there could have been other ways to draw her character out.
From the title, I expected Salander to be the main character in the book, but she seems very much secondary to Blomkvist.
I'm sure there's been plenty of debate as to whether or not the brutal rape scene was gratuitous. I feel that it was. It was nice to see Salander get back at him but there could have been other ways to draw her character out.
From the title, I expected Salander to be the main character in the book, but she seems very much secondary to Blomkvist.
This book was a disappointment on so many levels. Not only did it take upwards of 200 pages to actually REALLY pick up the pace, but it also climaxed prematurely. The really interesting part of the story ended about 100 pages before the book did. The end dragged so much that I actually felt like I was force feeding myself the book. I also was not a fan of the gratuitous scenes of sexual violence and rape. Overall, this book was a let down and I probably won't read the other books in the trilogy because of it. (However, never say never).