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fatcatprincess 's review for:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larsson
I am sure everyone has read the book or at least seen the movie for this popular title. I was finally able to check it out from the library so I can keep up with pop culture.
This was a really good book; not a great one but a really good one. One of the main characters is Mikael Blomkvist who has recently been hit with a libel conviction and decides to take some time away from the magazine he publishes. He ends up being hired by Henrik Vanger to help discover what happened to his great niece Harriet who disappeared over 35 years ago. Vanger has hired a security firm to do a background check on Blomkvist. This firm employs Lisbeth Salander, a 24-year-old tattooed computer hacker, who conducts the search on Blomkvist.
There are several plots going on in this story, the first being the disappearance of Harriet Vanger and the entire Vanger family who’s corporate empire has diminished over the years but is still a big player in the industrial field. Blomkvist begins his investigation into Harriet’s disappearance with some reluctance and doubt he can solve a mystery over 35 years-old. Meanwhile, the reader is also learning more about Salander who is under state guardianship in Sweden and has been since she was 13. Salander is quiet, reserved and socially awkward but turns out to be one of the top investigators at her security firm where she works. The two stories running parallel to each other is interesting and leave the reader wondering how and when Blomkvist and Salander will meet to solve the Vanger mystery.
Another plot line involves Blomkvist’s libel conviction and his journey to clear his name and prove Wennerstrom’s guilt. Wennerstom is the financial guy who appeared to be embezzling money or something along those lines. This entire plot line bored me to tears and in fact was a poor way to start off the book as I almost didn’t continue to read it as did nothing to keep my interest. I can’t even fully give this plot line a proper review because I skimmed over it.
Lastly is Lisbeth Salander. Her entire character is a plot and probably the best out of the entire book. Salander may have Asperger’s syndrome based on her lack of social skills yet has a photographic memory that certainly helps her with her investigative job. The reader is able to see how Salander processes things and also how she handles dire situations. Her character is truly the backbone of the book and it is a shame that she doesn’t get more word time.
Here are some things I didn’t care for:
*The book was way too long. The entire plot of Blomkvist and his vendetta against the financial man, Wennerstrom, could have been left out. It did absolutely nothing for me and was not nearly as intriguing as the rest of the book. (see paragraph above referencing this particular subject)
*There are so many ‘players’ in the Vanger family that I had a hard time keeping them straight. I almost needed an index in the back so I could refer to it in case I couldn’t remember which great cousin Henrik Vanger was speaking of. There was a picture of a family tree towards the beginning of the book but didn’t really help me keep everyone straight.
*Lisbeth Salander was not in the book nearly enough. Her character was one of the most interesting and complex ones yet the reader is not able to fully revel in her.
*Larsson has a knack for including the most minute and boring details. Including what the character is eating for breakfast (two sandwiches, one liverwurst and one sausage) to putting cigarettes away in his pocket. (Note these may not be the actual details but you get the drift). I don’t know if something was lost in translation or actually if something was added in the translation but there was a lot of meaningless details to read.
*The book is saturated with sex and violence. There is a disturbing rape scene and even more killings and sadistic acts throughout the book. While I wasn’t bothered by it, I could see that a lot of people may be.
Overall, this was an intriguing read that I was surprised by since I didn’t have really high expectations. The Vanger family mystery and Lisbeth Salander’s plot lines were definitely the highlight for me. I enjoyed it enough that I will be reading the second book in the trilogy.
This was a really good book; not a great one but a really good one. One of the main characters is Mikael Blomkvist who has recently been hit with a libel conviction and decides to take some time away from the magazine he publishes. He ends up being hired by Henrik Vanger to help discover what happened to his great niece Harriet who disappeared over 35 years ago. Vanger has hired a security firm to do a background check on Blomkvist. This firm employs Lisbeth Salander, a 24-year-old tattooed computer hacker, who conducts the search on Blomkvist.
There are several plots going on in this story, the first being the disappearance of Harriet Vanger and the entire Vanger family who’s corporate empire has diminished over the years but is still a big player in the industrial field. Blomkvist begins his investigation into Harriet’s disappearance with some reluctance and doubt he can solve a mystery over 35 years-old. Meanwhile, the reader is also learning more about Salander who is under state guardianship in Sweden and has been since she was 13. Salander is quiet, reserved and socially awkward but turns out to be one of the top investigators at her security firm where she works. The two stories running parallel to each other is interesting and leave the reader wondering how and when Blomkvist and Salander will meet to solve the Vanger mystery.
Another plot line involves Blomkvist’s libel conviction and his journey to clear his name and prove Wennerstrom’s guilt. Wennerstom is the financial guy who appeared to be embezzling money or something along those lines. This entire plot line bored me to tears and in fact was a poor way to start off the book as I almost didn’t continue to read it as did nothing to keep my interest. I can’t even fully give this plot line a proper review because I skimmed over it.
Lastly is Lisbeth Salander. Her entire character is a plot and probably the best out of the entire book. Salander may have Asperger’s syndrome based on her lack of social skills yet has a photographic memory that certainly helps her with her investigative job. The reader is able to see how Salander processes things and also how she handles dire situations. Her character is truly the backbone of the book and it is a shame that she doesn’t get more word time.
Here are some things I didn’t care for:
*The book was way too long. The entire plot of Blomkvist and his vendetta against the financial man, Wennerstrom, could have been left out. It did absolutely nothing for me and was not nearly as intriguing as the rest of the book. (see paragraph above referencing this particular subject)
*There are so many ‘players’ in the Vanger family that I had a hard time keeping them straight. I almost needed an index in the back so I could refer to it in case I couldn’t remember which great cousin Henrik Vanger was speaking of. There was a picture of a family tree towards the beginning of the book but didn’t really help me keep everyone straight.
*Lisbeth Salander was not in the book nearly enough. Her character was one of the most interesting and complex ones yet the reader is not able to fully revel in her.
*Larsson has a knack for including the most minute and boring details. Including what the character is eating for breakfast (two sandwiches, one liverwurst and one sausage) to putting cigarettes away in his pocket. (Note these may not be the actual details but you get the drift). I don’t know if something was lost in translation or actually if something was added in the translation but there was a lot of meaningless details to read.
*The book is saturated with sex and violence. There is a disturbing rape scene and even more killings and sadistic acts throughout the book. While I wasn’t bothered by it, I could see that a lot of people may be.
Overall, this was an intriguing read that I was surprised by since I didn’t have really high expectations. The Vanger family mystery and Lisbeth Salander’s plot lines were definitely the highlight for me. I enjoyed it enough that I will be reading the second book in the trilogy.