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katiec128's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
4.0
slow burn but the last 100 pages keep you on the edge of your seat
danilanglie's review against another edition
4.0
There are a lot of things about this book that don't really hold up and I wasn't thrilled about reading. I feel like the character of Lisbeth being described multiple times as "anorexic" to describe her physique isn't the greatest, and there's a weird sort of exoticizing of her androgynous (read: thin, without curves) body.
There's also just sort of... the cliche of the bad guy here. I don't really have a fascination for serial kidnappers/rapists/murderers, I think having a mystery where the solution is "some people are just super super evil and want to hurt people for their own pleasure" is... well, look, obviously people like that do exist and that is a core fascination of the whole true crime world, but it's not what I look for typically on the rare occasions I pick up a mystery/thriller.
I could do without the Blomkvist/Salander romance angle altogether, if I'm honest.
But all that said? Man, this book is just compulsively readable. The large cast of characters, the intriguing road towards finding the truth, the political and financial intrigue, the sometimes sinister sometimes welcoming Vanger clan... it's all just so much fun to read.
I also enjoy, despite the things listed above, how liberal this book is; the fact that the title character is canonically someone who sleeps with women sometimes and that's not made into much of a "thing" at all, or Blomkvist and Berger and her husband having a modern ethical non-monogamy thing going on, or the way Blomkvist takes a shot at the entire financial system as being a bunch of traitorous speculators completely divorced from the reality of Swedish industry... the fact that the symbol of the Vanger family stepping into a new era is going to be Cecelia and Harriet running things instead of the men... I don't know. There's a lot going on here that I really like.
Salander is a character type you see a lot nowadays, the autistic-code super-genius who doesn't play by the rules. But I think she ultimately works for me because she's allowed to be vulnerable sometimes, she's allowed to have her doubts, she's allowed to change her mind or compromise her initial impressions on things. A couple of my favorite moments come towards the end of the book. One, when she takes Blomkvist to task for wanting to publish the details about the Vangers, even though it will hurt Harriet. And the other, right in the final pages: "Salander's greatest fear... was that people would laugh at her feelings." You read that and so many things click into place about her.
I also really like Blomkvist as a protagonist; he's a straightforward guy with deep flaws but also strong principles, and his bravery and intelligence really shine off the page.
I decided to re-read this as part of my project to read the stuff sitting on my shelf that I last read over a decade ago, and I wasn't really looking forward to this one at first. But now I'm so glad I picked it back up, and I'm excited to dive into the other two books in the trilogy sometime soon!
There's also just sort of... the cliche of the bad guy here. I don't really have a fascination for serial kidnappers/rapists/murderers, I think having a mystery where the solution is "some people are just super super evil and want to hurt people for their own pleasure" is... well, look, obviously people like that do exist and that is a core fascination of the whole true crime world, but it's not what I look for typically on the rare occasions I pick up a mystery/thriller.
I could do without the Blomkvist/Salander romance angle altogether, if I'm honest.
But all that said? Man, this book is just compulsively readable. The large cast of characters, the intriguing road towards finding the truth, the political and financial intrigue, the sometimes sinister sometimes welcoming Vanger clan... it's all just so much fun to read.
I also enjoy, despite the things listed above, how liberal this book is; the fact that the title character is canonically someone who sleeps with women sometimes and that's not made into much of a "thing" at all, or Blomkvist and Berger and her husband having a modern ethical non-monogamy thing going on, or the way Blomkvist takes a shot at the entire financial system as being a bunch of traitorous speculators completely divorced from the reality of Swedish industry... the fact that the symbol of the Vanger family stepping into a new era is going to be Cecelia and Harriet running things instead of the men... I don't know. There's a lot going on here that I really like.
Salander is a character type you see a lot nowadays, the autistic-code super-genius who doesn't play by the rules. But I think she ultimately works for me because she's allowed to be vulnerable sometimes, she's allowed to have her doubts, she's allowed to change her mind or compromise her initial impressions on things. A couple of my favorite moments come towards the end of the book. One, when she takes Blomkvist to task for wanting to publish the details about the Vangers, even though it will hurt Harriet. And the other, right in the final pages: "Salander's greatest fear... was that people would laugh at her feelings." You read that and so many things click into place about her.
I also really like Blomkvist as a protagonist; he's a straightforward guy with deep flaws but also strong principles, and his bravery and intelligence really shine off the page.
I decided to re-read this as part of my project to read the stuff sitting on my shelf that I last read over a decade ago, and I wasn't really looking forward to this one at first. But now I'm so glad I picked it back up, and I'm excited to dive into the other two books in the trilogy sometime soon!
tsumners9837's review against another edition
5.0
Not gonna lie, the character development was slow going. However, if you stick with it and utilize the map for the Vanger family tree early on.... this story is fantastic! Kept me on my toes and definitely was a page turner. Immediately started the second book in the series afterwards. Stick with it and don’t get caught up in the slow writing and many characters!
spaceyyycasey's review against another edition
2.0
I struggled with giving this book 2 or 3 stars. While I enjoyed the overall plot of the book, there were a lot of things I didn’t like about it that made my reading experience not the best.
First, the writing style. The author simultaneously gives too much and not enough detail. I never felt like I truly understood the characters and their personalities. The writing was very much “He did this” and “She did that” instead of showing the reader. Additionally entire sections of the book were taken up by unnecessary details (ie. what type of computer Blomkvist uses, in depth explanations of Swedish business that was just unnecessary and boring).
Second, this book deals with two major mysteries, and it should’ve just focused on one. By the time we figure out the ending of the Vanger family story, we still have 150 pages left to wrap up the business mystery. I really didn’t care about this second plot point and wish the entire book was focused on the Vanger family.
Third, and probably the most glaring reason I didn’t like this book, is the way female characters were written. It was just so clear from the first description of Lisabeth that this book was written by a man. I did not like that the majority of her development in this book revolves around her relationship with a man in her life. I also found the descriptions the author uses of her (she’s described as “anorexic looking” seemingly every chapter) to be just not it. Even though Lisabeth is supposedly the main character in this series, I feel like I learned almost nothing about her aside from descriptions of her appearance.
First, the writing style. The author simultaneously gives too much and not enough detail. I never felt like I truly understood the characters and their personalities. The writing was very much “He did this” and “She did that” instead of showing the reader. Additionally entire sections of the book were taken up by unnecessary details (ie. what type of computer Blomkvist uses, in depth explanations of Swedish business that was just unnecessary and boring).
Second, this book deals with two major mysteries, and it should’ve just focused on one. By the time we figure out the ending of the Vanger family story, we still have 150 pages left to wrap up the business mystery. I really didn’t care about this second plot point and wish the entire book was focused on the Vanger family.
Third, and probably the most glaring reason I didn’t like this book, is the way female characters were written. It was just so clear from the first description of Lisabeth that this book was written by a man. I did not like that the majority of her development in this book revolves around her relationship with a man in her life. I also found the descriptions the author uses of her (she’s described as “anorexic looking” seemingly every chapter) to be just not it. Even though Lisabeth is supposedly the main character in this series, I feel like I learned almost nothing about her aside from descriptions of her appearance.
mdevlin923's review against another edition
3.0
The interconnected story of journalist Mikael Blomkvist, computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, and missing heiress Harriet Vanger.
10501's review against another edition
3.0
Fun, mindless crime thriller. The writing (or the translation?) is stunted at times, with the author displaying a clear male gaze. The pacing is decent and the characters are, if not vivid humans, at least able caricatures of reality.
nerdie_kitten's review against another edition
5.0
A rip-roaring serial killer adventure. It boasts a timely over-riding theme.. a remarkable and distinctive punk heroine, a fascinating portrait of some aspects of modern Sweden and a steadily accelerating narrative.
joaniesickler's review against another edition
3.0
It's a little slow to get going but turns into a really good read.
vihren's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0