Did Anyone Else Hate This Book?

[Zmkc]

I hated the creepy sexual violence

[Delia]

Linda wrote: "Lee wrote: "Way overrated. If you cut out the first 100 pages, and the last 100 pages (all the journalism nonsense), it stands pretty well-- but it was a bad decision to waste the reader's time wit..."

I believe that if Steig Larson had lived to edit the book the first 100 pages would have been 30. He was a journalist first and foremost. But characters are so brilliant! Love Lisabeth and Mikael!

[Delia]

Michelle wrote: "i think it might be a hard read due to all the foreign words and spellings. i did power thru that and ended up loving it! i read the next one and enjoyed it as well. i starting the third one and..."

I think you are right Michelle. I think some of the translations were a problem. LOVE kindle for helping with that!

[Delia]

Ken wrote: "I've now see the whole movie series with English subtitles and/or English dubbed in and the English version of this series and I have read all three books and I still enjoyed them quite a bit. The..."

Ken, did you have a preference for versions of the movie? Really like Daniel Craig in The U.S. version. But have heard the Swedish version was much better.

[Ken]

Delia wrote: "Ken wrote: "I've now see the whole movie series with English subtitles and/or English dubbed in and the English version of this series and I have read all three books and I still enjoyed them quit..."

Honestly I don't think I have an actual preference. If I went out and bought them I would by all 4. I'm planning to get the books in a hard copy format since my versions of the books are on my Kindle.

I think I would probably lean toward the Swedish version.

[Delia]

Ken wrote: "Delia wrote: "Ken wrote: "I've now see the whole movie series with English subtitles and/or English dubbed in and the English version of this series and I have read all three books and I still enj..."

Thanks Ken!

[Ken]

Delia wrote: "Ken wrote: "Delia wrote: "Ken wrote: "I've now see the whole movie series with English subtitles and/or English dubbed in and the English version of this series and I have read all three books and..."

You are quite welcome.

Now I have to move on to read the next ???? 2400 books that I have.

If they ever make an English version of the other two stories of this series I will have to go see them also.

[Karen]

I read the first book, and thought, not bad, but not great. I started the 2nd book, read about 25%, and I couldn't get any further. I don't see the reason for all the hype around the series.

[Liz]

Meran wrote: "Nope. Loved it. Yes, it's from a different country, a different culture. Other peoples think differently, plots SHOULD be differently paced. I enjoy the differences.

I must note that reading all t..."

[Liz]

Salander is a hero for today's women, in a very misoginystic world. Loved Lisbeth, loved how she was written, and the huge mystery unfolding in the background, amazing trilogy, I mourn Larsen's passing.

[Delia]

Liz wrote: "Salander is a hero for today's women, in a very misoginystic world. Loved Lisbeth, loved how she was written, and the huge mystery unfolding in the background, amazing trilogy, I mourn Larsen's pas..."

I'm with you!

[Liz]

Swedish sub-titles was the best, how I saw it first, really got you into the feel of the foreign firl. BTW I hate sub-titles, and didn't grouse once about this. On another note, was very surpised and pleased at the US version with Daniel Craig, knew he could act, and Rooney Mara(sp?)tough act to follow, big shoes to fill, the actors did brilliantly, the writers not so much, call me a purist, but I love Salander!!

[Ken]

Delia wrote: "Liz wrote: "Salander is a hero for today's women, in a very misoginystic world. Loved Lisbeth, loved how she was written, and the huge mystery unfolding in the background, amazing trilogy, I mourn ..."

I agree with you also. I'm 68 and since I was a kid I always felt that women were 2nd class citizens which is not right.

[BookDeliria (Dia)]

I liked it. Sort of. It was gripping enough for me to finish it. But then, I was a bit reluctant to get the second book.

I liked the movie. Rooney handled the part very well. And Craig fits the role. I was satisfied with the movie.

And yes, I like Salander. She was the kind of girl who can deal with the world's troubles. IN her own ways. Which is what I like about her.

[Freddy]

It may be a lot of things but informative is not one of them. I took nothing away from this book. Larsson is a very poor researcher: he comments on someone going to work for a dotcom comapny in the 1980's! Not sure if the blame lies with him or the editor for being a lazy so and so.

[Mary]

Thank you... I thought something was wrong with me because so many just loved the book....Was it like Jane Austen and Edgar Allen Poe? I needed to keep reading it to finally enjoy it...I even bought book 2 and 3 thinking that maybe I would grow to love it.

[Jennifer]

I tried to read it but it was so blah...didn't make it past chapter 2.

[Kt]

You put my feelings about this book to words exactly

[Colleen]

i saw the movie before the book. i liked it, but i found the book hard to get through. the second book was much better; it was my favorite of the 3. i liked the third book too. i liked all the movies. love how lizbeth takes the law in her own hands and waits for no one's help. you go girl!

[Susanna]

cbw wrote: "I also hated this book. There were entire sections of the book that had nothing to do with the mystery at hand, they didn't help to develop a character or move the plot forward. Pointless."

My thoughts exactly.

[Nicole]

I liked this book up until they found out about the father and brother and what they did. Then the end of the book I feel just dragged on when the mystery was already solved.... The second book I started but couldn't get into it.

[Ashley]

The majority of this thread is a testament to the dead American spirit. Every cry of hate for the "foreign phrases" and "clunky" is just a sandwich board for insulated ignorance of foreign culture and the beauty of that diversity. This book was not written with an American audience in mind. It was Americanized to some extent with its publication in English, but its themes and purposes were directed at Larson's Swedish society.

[Elisabeth]

I hated this book, but I actually really liked the writing. I enjoyed the exploratory, thoughtful parts; I liked the character building. I thought it was a really well-written mystery, and if had not turned into a torture/sex fantasy I would have loved it.

I hated the story. If I wanted nasty I would watch the news. I thought the villain too evil to be believable, and I thought the author took too much pleasure in that evil. I did not read the sequels.

[Dan]

"I thought the author took too much pleasure in that evil." Totally agree with that. I felt it spilled over into the pornographic.

[Liina]

YES! and I also got the Da Vinci Code vibe which I also really disliked. I don't understand the market for these kinds of books or why they are so popular. They're super cheesy and unoriginal.

[Paul]

Just finished it... The build up dragged along, almost gave up but made it to the meat of the story and really liked it. The last 100 pages, which came after the conclusion of the central story was odd. Had to struggle to get through that.

[Trike]

Ashley wrote: "The majority of this thread is a testament to the dead American spirit. Every cry of hate for the "foreign phrases" and "clunky" is just a sandwich board for insulated ignorance of foreign culture..."

It wasn't written with humans in mind.

[Silverpiper]

Laurie wrote: "I'm also a hater. Thought it was poorly written and clunky, with unnecessary detail that served no purpose other than distraction. I never read any of the other books in the series. Scheduled root ..."

Well said Laurie! I totally agree.

[Stephen]

For those who hate the book -sorry- I didn't it's the first book for a long while I couldn't actually wait to pick up and continue- I can understand it can be confusing with so many Characters and side plots- but they do link eventually I just got on with it
I had the same 'hate' feeling about Harry Potter but that was nearly 20 years ago I'll give them another go once I finish book 2 & 3 (maybe)
Take Care

[Roy]

I really enjoyed the first book of the trilogy. Very gritty, very powerful archetypal characters, nicely flawed humans. The writing was evocative, and contributed to my embracing the world of the story.

Books two and three, however, we're a duty-read for me. I finished number two based on the promise of number one. And then plowed through volume three just to get through to the end of the story. (The story worked for me; the writing didn't. In literary theory terms, the fibula was solidly constructed, but the sjuzet was clunky.)

[Shauna]

I thought this book was gratuitously violent & much too heavy in pointless detail. I couldn't get past the 2nd chapter either. What the masses find entertaining about this author, I'll never understand.

[[deleted user]]

I think I commented on this book before but I'll say again that I didn't care for it. Have no intention of reading anymore of these books or watching any of the movies.

[Lori]

I found this book abominable and a disturbing harbinger of the direction our literary interests are declining. At first I thought the poor writing was due to the translation. But the unnecessary and distracting details continued to mount. I began to skim pages to finish and true to form, the end was wrapped up quickly, too easily, and unimaginatively in mundane details.

[Chelsie]

I couldn't get through the first one. I thought it was rather dry, and kept telling myself it would pick up in the next few chapters, but it never did. Half way through, I gave up and never looked back. Didn't bother watching the movie.

[Hayes]

the first book was my favorite. although there were really boring pointless parts! I read it after my grandmother recommended it to me ( really my grandmother) & she loved it. the rape scene was harder for me to watch in both the Swedish and American film versions than it was to read. I gave the books 3 stars not my favs but ive read worse. Im glad I read them and know what the hoopla is about!

[Sarah]

I absolutely agree, I hated the book too. What a load of crap.

[Cathy]

I have read all three books thinking that i would like at least one of them. The story was okay, but i wasnt impressed with any of them. I think either you will like these books or you wont.. no in between with them.

[Ken]

Cathy wrote: "I have read all three books thinking that i would like at least one of them. The story was okay, but i wasnt impressed with any of them. I think either you will like these books or you wont.. no in..."

Agreed

[Lindsay]

I honestly hated the book. I read a few chapters and simply gave up because there was no "hook" for me, it just didn't spark my interests at all. I did watch the movie though and I found it much more enjoyable. I was actually able to get through it once I had seen the movie although I did skip some details that I felt weren't needed.

[Lourdes]

I liked the books, all 3 of them. Went further to see the Swedish movies and the American version, which I really didn't care for specially due to the way they messed it up bringin things from the second book.
Back to the books, my overall feeling is that these books are NOT for all readers and that's the reason there are so many "haters" out there.
I'm not going to say that it was easy for me to get into the books as the first 29 pages of book one were pure torture but once I passed that point, I was dragged into the plot and could not wait to finish reading them. I went through all 3 books in a rather short time considering that I am a single parent working full time, but all my free time was devoted to it and did not regret it. Yes, the story is disturbing, cruel and extremely violent but the Swedish name for the first book says it all: "Men Who Hate Women". If people would take the time to do a bit of research prior reading it because it's on the New York Times bestseller list or something of the sort, then they would not be so upset about the books. Again, this is my personal opinion and I hope not to offend anybody with it.

[Barbara]

The first comment I read mentioned hating this book but I really can't see why. I will agree that it was difficult to get through the first few chapters and I did keep wondering why I needed to know so much about how the government functioned, but it became evident as I read, that I could not understand this young woman nor her reactions to the world around her, without that knowledge. I loved all three books and read all three straight through. I do love buying a series and keeping the story going on. I loved that our counterculture character had certain morals that could not be compromised and that she did have a need to be more then who and what she was.

[Teague]

Hated it. Couldn't understand why it was so popular. Because it's so shocking? Because it panders to male fantasy? Because the author is continental European? Having lived four years in Brussels, I was excited to read a book from the mind of someone from that place, and I found it did give me perspective on how Europeans think and feel. But the sex and violence... so gratuitous. I'm convinced that, in the end, that is what made the book so popular.

[Pamela]

I loved all three books. I have re-read them twice. I have watched the swedish films twice. I refuse to watch the American version. Everybody in my family has read and loved the books. I have to agree though, the first book is hard to get through until half-way in.

[✿Claire✿]

I really enjoyed the middle third of the book but I thought the beginning and end were unecessary and spoilt my enjoyment of the book.

[Lora]

I wanted to love Stieg, really I did. I gave fresh attempts to each book...all abandoned. And that is something I have a hard time doing to a book. I gave them 1 star.

[Andrew]

I listened to all 3 - about 9 months separating each - during a (former) long commute to/from work. I wonder how much my appreciation of the series was due to Simon Vance's interpretation?

On a related front, is it just my small subset / selective memory, or do they always get Mr. Vance or other British readers to record the works of the Scandanavian writers??

[Trike]

Andrew wrote: "On a related front, is it just my small subset / selective memory, or do they always get Mr. Vance or other British readers to record the works of the Scandanavian writers?? "

I don't know about that, but they surely do it for the movies. In films everyone in The Hague sounds British, when in reality they sound American.

[Dania]

I am starting to see that descriptions like "Well written" and "Odd" are entirely subjective.

Here on Goodreads I have seen some many essays and epistles tearing down novels to disgrace... and I say "omg this must be complete shit" only to read the book and completely enjoy it.

Likewise I find books that have a zillion high ratings and I have to toss it in the trash after a chapter or two... not even fit for giving away.

So I take each review and opinion with a grain of salt because every human's experience is different and what I am drawn to, inspired by, interested in is different from other people.

But to answer your question - I PERSONALLY enjoyed the book. The style is not my favourite but it was not terrible either. I got through it and went on to the next one.

[Cathy]

I am sorry... I read all three books thinking that one of them would catch me and i would like it.. but i didnt like any of them... it jumped around to much for me.. However, I tell my friends to read them and see what they think..So far most have like them..

[[deleted user]]

I think the first book was enough for me. I don't have any desire to read the rest of them.