Essay topic: I need a book to compare to GWDT

[Cindy]

I am taking a Contemporary Fiction class and need a book that is easily compared and contrasted to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Any suggestions for books and comparison/contrast would be greatly appreciated.

[Dee]

you could take like a popular mystery by a US author and compare things like timeline; themes; success/failure in solving etc

[Megan]

Maybe The Da'Vinci Code or Angels and Demons...both have a man/woman duo and intricate crime/injustice to solve....

[Annemarie]

The Lovely Bones, both address rape. Both have the theme of the "past is in the present". And both address father-daughter relationship (I'm talking about Harriet's relationship with her uncle and not her biological father).

[Kerry]

The Fifth Woman by Henning Mankell. Another Swedish author. Police procedure. Another analytic vengeful female, predates TGWTDT.

[Jumana]

The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo is close I think.

[Tina]

Is Salander a detective, a victim. or a perpetrator? The answers you got assume different roles. I'd try The Mermaids Singing, by Val McDermid, any V.I Warshawsky novel by Sarah Paretsky - Total Recall, Burn Marks, Tunnel Vision; (female detective, patterned, especially the early ones, on the strong,silent Raymond Chandler detective Philip Marlowe. Or go to the source, and look for The Big Sleep, by Chandler.

[Maureen]

Thomas Harris' book Red Dragon might work. TGWTDT also reminded me a great deal initially of Agatha Christie's And Then There were None (originally called Ten Little Indians) because of the island setting. Depends if you want to compare characters, plot, or setting, I guess.

[Harold]

There is an intersting book that takes place over a 200 year span which tries to solve a genealogical mystery and combines murders et.al., I recommend In the Blood:A geneological crime mystery which I am 2/3 finished.

[Shane]

I think that the Hunger Games trilogy might be interesting to compare with this trilogy: both feature strong resourceful female characters with unique skills - and they're trilogies that have been adapted as movies; and in terms of contrast: they are written for different audiences (young adult v. adult - although many adults read Hunger Games) and take place in entirely different settings - although in both cases the heroine is up against the larger forces of society.

[Roy]

You may have spotted that Blomquist in 'Dragon Tattoo' was reading Val McDermid's 'The Mermaids Singing' - the inclusion is I am sure to apologise for so much of Stig Larsson's plot being 'borrowed' from McDermid's epic - you have got to read it - in my opinion 'The Mermaids Singing' is much more graphic and totally gripping.

[Cate]

Wicked by Gregory Macguire-critiqued from the feminist perspective of the central female protagonist-they both actually have a lot in common.

[Ankit]

I guess you should go for a Scandinavian writer only as they write the best crime fiction. But since you are looking for a contrast as well, you can also go for English or American Mystery writers. I would suggest you go for Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer

[Nicholas]

Everyone seems to compare this book with "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" trilogy, having enjoyed Stieg Larsson's world, this book was reccommended to me on that basis. Maybe there is a fad for Swedish literature, but I was not dissapointed. The characters were, if anything more "viable", and the relationships between them interesting.Gritty and mesmorising.

[Dee]

Nicholas - i'm confused - what book are you talking about? Thirteen Hours (in the msg above) or something else

[Nicholas]

Sorry!When I cut and paste, sometimes my wife won't let me use the sharp scissors. I left behind the book title.
The book I was referring to;-
Sebastian Bergman
by Michael Hjorth and Hans Rosenfeldt.

[Carrie]

If you want to compare a girl with a dragon tattoo to a detective with a drinking problem, but both of whom kick major ass, try Jo Nesbo's "The Snowman". Larsson's trilogy got me hooked on Nesbo's works, both Scandinavian crime fiction & both featuring addicting & addictive antiheroes.
Someone else recommended Gregory Maguire's "Wicked", which I second, & although the books are worlds apart, GWDT & Gregory's works both present different political & personal perspectives of misunderstood strong female characters.

[Dee]

I would love if the OP came back and told us what she ended up doing her essay on = since the original one was 3 months ago

[Ankit]

Carrie wrote: "If you want to compare a girl with a dragon tattoo to a detective with a drinking problem, but both of whom kick major ass, try Jo Nesbo's "The Snowman". Larsson's trilogy got me hooked on Nesbo's..."

I totally agree with you. I think Jo Nesbo is quite similar to Stieg Larsson and equally enjoyable. Though I have not read much of him I have a feel for Scandinavian writers. Their style of writing is thoroughly professional when it comes to crime fiction whereas the American or English writers write it for fun.

[Katherine]

Megan wrote: "Maybe The Da'Vinci Code or Angels and Demons...both have a man/woman duo and intricate crime/injustice to solve...."

Megan, no disrespect, but how can you compare Dan Browne to Steig Larrson?

[Katherine]

Cindy wrote: "I am taking a Contemporary Fiction class and need a book that is easily compared and contrasted to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Any suggestions for books and comparison/contrast would be greatly a..."

I don't know who wrote the book, but there was a really good movies made out of it "Smilla's Sense of Snow" Probably worth checking out

[Ankit]

Katherine wrote: "Cindy wrote: "I am taking a Contemporary Fiction class and need a book that is easily compared and contrasted to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Any suggestions for books and comparison/contrast woul..."

I have read Smilla's Sense of Snow. It was written by Peter Hoeg. I think its excellent book but I would still say Jo Nesbo is better and much more in respect with Stieg Larsson.

[LindaJ^]

I expect Cindy has already written her essay but the question is still interesting! I don't think I would compare Girl with a Jo Nesbo book. I like Nesbo's Harry Hole series but think there are way more contrasts than similarities between Harry and Lisbeth. And, I concur with Katherine in that I do not think I'd compare Girl with a Dan Brown book.

I've seen Mountains of the Moon compared to Girl and would agree that the main character of Mountains has many similarities to Girl. The authors' styles and the cores of the books are very different, however.

I agree with Tina's suggestion of a comparison of Girl with one of Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski novels. Vic certainly gets battered enough, although I do not remember a rape. Of the books I've read of those suggested in the earlier comments, I think that may be the best, but I've not read many of the others mentioned.

[Dee]

I could see the comparision with GWTDT and Dan Brown - they are both non-professionals (journalist/outcast and professor/analyst) solving crimes that the standard law enforcement has been unable to/or is struggling to

[Dave]

Cindy,
Try the Hannibal Lecter series by Thomas Harris. Chilling!
Have fun.

[Tytti]

Yes, I also think (hope) that she has written her essay already but I just thought of a book that might interest some: Purge by Sofi Oksanen, Finnish-Estonian author. (I do think she is a much better writer than Larsson... She has won literary awards with Purge.)

The book deals with violence against women in Estonia from WW2 through occupations and Soviet years and to the '90s.