Don't bother with this book!

[Scott]

I'm kicking myself for finishing this book. It is such a good idea for a story and is so poorly written, edited and perhaps translated. I know that the author had died and I wonder if this is even a final copy meant to be published. This book is really a mess, don't bother!

[Tami]

If the author died, how did he write the next book?

[Scott]

Tami wrote: "If the author died, how did he write the next book? " Possibly all of them were written or at least had drafts of each book

[Tami]

Interesting, looks like there is a third one too.

[Scott]

Tami wrote: "Interesting, looks like there is a third one too. "
The truth is, I don't know how it was published. The poor writing made me wonder if this was an actual final draft of the book. I think it is also poorly edited. These are only my opinions posted on a website that encourages people's opinions. If you disagree and you like this book, GREAT. I didn't like it.

[Grammarbroad]

Wow...the first post warned everybody about this book. But it wouldn't have helped me, either, because I don't read anything about books I haven't read so that I can make up my own mind. Not well written... difficult to read book... did not hold my interest... HYPE.

The movie was much better than the book. I won't read another one. I might watch the movies, if I'm really bored.

[James]

I avoided this series due to its popularity but was pleasantly surprised by it's quality. The story was fantastic and well-constructed. The writing quality was average but I can't really judge the author because I read the English translation. I'd say the book is worth a read but you won't see it on any of my top 10 lists. The movies were very well done and the screenplay was written by someone who clearly understands how to make a good transition from book to movie.

[Alain]

I chalked up what I perceived as the poor writing to translation. However Lisbeth's hacking skills were more asserted than demonstrated. We ended up not learning very much about the killer's motivation (which is usually one of the more interesting aspects of stories such as these). Also, for being portrayed as kind of a tired schlub Mikael Blomquist gets a lot of action.

I was very excited to read this book and ended up being very disappointed. I doubt I will read the other two.

[Rodney]

I believe they were all published posthumously. I could be mistaken but I believe they were "found" after he died. I don't believe there was a publishing agreement before that time. I was under the impression that Larsson wrote them in his spare time, for fun.

I was greatly disappointed in this book as well. I figure it is just not a series for me and I have no intention of reading the rest. It started out interesting but became verbose and any intriguing turns of events felt bland in the end.

EDIT: He did send the trilogy off to a publisher. They were not published until after his death in 2004.

[Liz]

The second one is even worse. I can't bring myself to waste life on the last one. Whatever happened to the editor's pen?

[Angela]

I could not even finish this book.

[Dee]

maybe because I did the audiobook version, I didn't seem to have a lot of issues that others had - the narrator was really good and it made the book enjoyable - more importantly, it opened up a whole new genre to me, nordic noir and since then i've discovered even better writers like Henning Mankell, Karin Fossum, James Thompson

[Sheila]

I had listened to the Audio version of these 3 books, and the first and second one I really enjoyed listening too, but the 3rd really dragged on a bit at times... I am glad that I had the audio version, it would have been a harder book to follow by reading. The story was really interesting and complicated. Pretty good.

[Daniel]

Amen! One of the worst books I have ever read. I made it through 90% and couldn't bring myself to finish.

[[deleted user]]

If you don't like very mature content then this book is not for you....I'm under 18 and I enjoyed this book very much. So please..stop saying how much you hate the book..I know you can comment whatever you like..but its rude to those like me who actully liked it..if you didn't like it...don't just say "this is the worst book ever" and rant....tell us why you don't like it and maybe some people will actually care.

[[deleted user]]

I enjoyed this book! I do not care for murder mysteries, but I could not put down this book! I think the main reason why I love this series is that Lisbeth and I have so many things in common. I finally found a female character I could connect with.

[[deleted user]]

James wrote: "I avoided this series due to its popularity but was pleasantly surprised by it's quality. The story was fantastic and well-constructed. The writing quality was average but I can't really judge th..."
Agreed! So many popular books nowadays are such rubbish that it makes me ill. But I was fascinated by this series.

[Maggie]

You know the main story is good. But, all the finance crap is retarded. Well, maybe I just don't understand it but, imo it really took away from the book. Also, the ending pissed me off to no end! I have the other 2 as audio books. I think somehow that would not be as a waste of time if they suck as well.

[[deleted user]]

what is sad...is that the writter died before he could finish the 4th book..but he wrote the 5th..so it can't be published

[Jen]

I had a hard time getting through this book, but didn't dislike it enough to not read the rest of the trilogy. And I am glad I did read the other two. There was a lot going on in this book, and a lot of characters to keep straight. The 2nd and 3rd book elaborated a lot on the history of a lot of the characters, so a lot of questions were answered, and ultimately I liked how everything ended. I would still highly recommend this series, even though I didn't like the 1st book as much.

[Trike]

This was easily one of the worst books I've ever read. Just completely amateurish writing with a metric crapload of bad Marty Stu moments. Everyone I've asked who liked the book skipped over major parts of it, such as the seemingly endless details about laptop computers and which brand to buy. It's like the guy just lifted his journal verbatim and added "thus So-and-So opened a catalog and began reading about" to his mundane blather. Just awful on all fronts.

[Judy]

I, too, struggled with the book and was disappointed with all of them. Finished all three because I felt I would eventually "get" it and ended up not reading for a week after - decompressing :)

However, this is interesting. I had heard a story and just did some research to ensure its' credibility. Steig had a girlfriend of 32 years who helped with the books and was actually the one to send them to the editors posthumously. However, his father and brother stepped in and took her to court and were given control (editorial and financial). They completely cut her out. Now, however, she has what he had started as the 4th novel on a laptop and is "vowing revenge". Wow - that seems like a better story in itself :) I'm including a link to one of the articles I read.
http://www.newser.com/story/112081/st...

[Dee]

i read about that - they basically had a common law marriage, he didn't want the real thing because he was afraid of threats to her because of some of his journalism stuff that he had done - the case is going back to the courts apparently - but since he died without a will - I mean, who would think you would die climbing a couple of flights of stairs like he did - the result will probably stay as it currently is

[Elizabeth]

I liked this book. Once I got past a lot of the financial stuff I found thr story quite compelling. I put the less than stellar writing down to the fact I read a translation. I'm about halfway through the second book and am enjoying that as well. Of course I think I am quite a bit older than previous posters so that may have something to do with it. I was fascinated to learn the hisotry behind the book involving the girlfriend and Steig's familye

[Judy]

I agree with you. It is sad, however. I'm quite sure there was enough money for everyone (and then some). They had a lifetime together and she was cut out. It is quite sad, the things that greed will do...

Dee wrote: "i read about that - they basically had a common law marriage, he didn't want the real thing because he was afraid of threats to her because of some of his journalism stuff that he had done - the ca..."

[Tazitazitazi]

Dee wrote: "maybe because I did the audiobook version, I didn't seem to have a lot of issues that others had - the narrator was really good and it made the book enjoyable - more importantly, it opened up a who..."

Maybe you should try reading books by Jo Nesbø. I like his Harry Hole series.
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

[John]

Scott wrote: "I'm kicking myself for finishing this book. It is such a good idea for a story and is so poorly written, edited and perhaps translated. I know that the author had died and I wonder if this is eve..."

I went ahead and purchased a copy because of all the rave coming from my library members. I have not cracked it open because it is notorious for being very hard to get into because of all the foreign names. When I am feeling braver I will attempt it.

[Rodney]

John wrote: "I went ahead and purchased a copy because of all the rave coming from my library members. I have not cracked it open because it is notorious for being very hard to get into because of all the foreign names. When I am feeling braver I will attempt it."

"Blomkvist has to be one of the most difficult name I have ever seen. Especially with only 9 letters! My brain got tongue tied just trying to read it.

[Dee]

but i'm sure individuals in Sweden etc would have as difficult time trying to pronounce some of the names of individuals in the US

[Lauren]

I do agree that the beginning takes too long and the end is unnecessary but the middle and actual story is great. I have yet to read the second and third book but I have heard that they are better. Will let you know when I get to them.

[Rodney]

Dee wrote: "but i'm sure individuals in Sweden etc would have as difficult time trying to pronounce some of the names of individuals in the US"

I agree. I think that the cultural differences are what makes it difficult for some people to enjoy this book. I admit I fall into that category.

[Dee]

maybe I enjoyed it so much because I love reading about other cultures...

[Viviana D.]

Scott wrote: "I'm kicking myself for finishing this book. It is such a good idea for a story and is so poorly written, edited and perhaps translated. I know that the author had died and I wonder if this is eve..."

I COMPLETELY AGREE! I didn't ever bother to read the rest of his series. Over HYPED!!

[Sarah]

I just graduated high school and I enjoyed the book. I got caught up in the murder mystery in and of itself. Although I must say the ending did fall a bit flat, and the final chapter I almost skimmed. Also one of my best pen pals lives in Sweden. Bias? Lol. Although I must say I don't intend to read the other two of the trilogy at the moment. In my book [pardon the pun] 500 pages is considered a "long" book. I'm a novice reader, so excuse me on that front. A friend told me the second book is over 700 pages. I just don't feel like diving into the sequel as of now. Maybe sometime in the future.

[Lulu]

It was a good book I thought.

[[deleted user]]

I forced myself to read this dribble. After being so disappointed with the first chapter I hoped it would get better. It didn't. Usually I read every line, reread some paragraphs, analyze the book as I read but this garbage was so bad I skipped whole pages of useless background on uninteresting characters. Lisbeth Salander must be the most boring character despite the authors attempts of making her unique. Blomkvist, huge dickhead. The murder was the only thing that kept me going and when it was solved, in the most anticlimatic way possible, there was still empty story left.
This book was so terrible, I'm not even going to proofread this review, something the author must not have done either.
It would have been much better as a short story.

[Simon]

I'm with most of you. Impenetrable, dull, prosaic, exposition-heavy, editing-light, poorly translated. Other than that, an absolute triumph.

[Denise]

Liz wrote: "The second one is even worse. I can't bring myself to waste life on the last one. Whatever happened to the editor's pen?"

I can't bring myself to finish the last one either!

[Hayley]

I'm almost halfway through the 3rd book and have enjoyed the entire trilogy. I will admit it took me a while to get into it but since then have found it hard to put down.
There were one or two issues (probably due to the translation) but I'm upset most of you did not enjoy it - but each to their own. I'm sure you all have many other books you prefer instead.
As much as many people rely on the opinion of others when it comes to whether or not to read something - might I suggest my trick of picking up a book that looks appealing and flicking to a random page and reading what happens. It may not always work but I find it fun to do ;D

[RH]

I found the first of the three books the hardest to read, mostly because the Wennerstrom story was very dry, and was the "bookends" of the plot. The other two books are better paced.

[Siddharth]

Becca wrote: "I found the first of the three books the hardest to read, mostly because the Wennerstrom story was very dry, and was the "bookends" of the plot. The other two books are better paced."

Very true. The wennerstrom story is a bit dull, but I did enjoy the book. I am hoping the other two books are better.

[Sarah]

I really liked this book. Granted, the writing is simple, but that's part of why I liked it. I have been reading a lot of classics, and it was nice to take a break and read a simpler writing style.

Also, I enjoyed all the subject matter, even the Wennerstrom affair, most likely because I find the world of finance interesting. As to the cultural differences, I thrive on that as well. This year, I have also read "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe and "The Posionwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver. Both of those books take place in Africa... talk about cultural differences and not being able to understand how to pronounce names... but that is what I like to find in books. Once I started reading this book, I looked on Wikipedia and did some research on Sweden. It helped to give me a deeper understanding of the novel. I also looked up how to pronounce the names.

Furthermore, I made some real world connections. Today in corporate America, how many businesses have we seen taken down because of shady dealings? Too many and those are just the ones that got caught.

I can see why some people do not enjoy this book, but I loved it. It took a little extra effort on my part, but it was worth it.

[Dee]

Sarah - you might like Frozen Assets - its by an icelandic author; and has a financial angle to it

[Jan]

I enjoyed the trilogy... can't comment on any one particular book, though, as I read all three, one right after the other, like one huge story.It wasn't an easy read and I can see where some folks might not have enjoyed the plot or the characters or the setting. I loved it though, and couldn't put the series down. Violence is something I can read about, but I can't watch it (so I won't be watching the movies). This is a trilogy that appealed to me (in my 50's ) and my parents (in their 80's).

[Sarah]

Dee wrote: "Sarah - you might like Frozen Assets - its by an icelandic author; and has a financial angle to it"

Thank you!

[Jeannette]

I enjoyed the book. I was quite dark, but if you can get past that, I thought the story was compelling. Thought they did a great job on the foreign version of the movie, and I can't wait to start the next book of the series.