Anyone finding it hard to get through?

[Deb]

Oh am excited now to see the movie and then maybe I can read all the books!!!!!!

[Stormy]

I had trouble reading this book too. THEN I decided to try to listen to it, via audio book. The guy who reads it does a great job, and I am glad I gave it a chance. These books are amazing!

[Shelly]

I only was able to read around 100 pages and had to quit reading it.

[Dee]

Simon Vance is really good as the narrator! I've started picking up audiobooks I normally wouldn't have listened to because I saw him narrating them and haven't been disappointed yet

[Laekan]

It was hard for me to get through too what with all the family members and history. But it picks up. I promise. I ended up really liking it. I'm about to start the next one

[Deb]

I also struggled with this book at first but wound up loving the series. I remember a co-worker of mine saying the same thing about it. If you decide to continue reading it, I suggest reading in small doses until you reach a point in the book where you don't want to put it down. Or switch to something else and maybe you'll pick it up again in the future, maybe you won't.

[Kim]

Ivy wrote: "Ok, I have had this book for months and continue to try to get through it but I just can't seem to get through the second chapter. I keep hearing from everyone its great, but you have to first get ..."

Ivy wrote: "Ok, I have had this book for months and continue to try to get through it but I just can't seem to get through the second chapter. I keep hearing from everyone its great, but you have to first get ..."

This book is a slow read..until around page 250...After that it is a roller coaster and really sets you up for the next 2 books....
Just make it a goal to read before Dec 21st when the movie comes out :) Good Luck!!

[Sruthi]

I think one of the main reasons I got through the book quickly is because I'd seen the movie before. There is a lot of information in it and it can be a tedious read. It's quite alright, though, once you get past the first 50 pages or so.

[Sandy S]

I enjoyed this series very much. But you shouldn't go into the trilogy looking for romance or adventure. As for backstory, there is always a necessity for an author to included some backstory, for, many readers, may come into a series, without reading the preceding books. Authors always hope that some of their books can be read on their own, without the necessity of the previous book, and therefore, some background and back story is necessary.

[Cherie]

Katherine wrote: "I never had any problem getting into these books--loved the story right from the start. I will admit that the Scandinavian names were a bit difficult to keep straight but then again Wuthering Heigh...

I did have some trouble getting into the book because of all of the Scandanavian names etc, but I loved it. Same with Wuthering Heights! I have only watched the 1st movie, but I am glad I saw it AFTER I read the books.

[Sandy S]

Here is a quote ...that I found to be true in most cases...

“Never judge a book by its movie.” (J. W. Eagan)

[Teresa]

I bought it because everyone seemed to LOVE it and raved about how they couldn't wait to read the next. After a few attempts I lent it to a friend as I wasn't "getting" it. In the mean time I watched the movie and that sparked a new interest, demanded the book back and really enjoyed it. I am normally a purest and think the book is always better than the movie, but am glad I did this one in the wrong order.

[Madelon]

Ivy wrote: "Ok, I have had this book for months and continue to try to get through it but I just can't seem to get through the second chapter. I keep hearing from everyone its great, but you have to first get ..."

When I started THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, I too thought of putting it aside. I am so not interested in the world of high finance. Read that second chapter and then the third. I would bet you won't put it down after that!

Also, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO pretty much stands on its own; however if you follow it up with THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, you will find that you will have to also read THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST. The second and third books could have been one long book.

Once I got past those first lagging pages, I couldn't put the series down.

[Madelon]

I have noticed that a number of people mentioned the difficulty of Swedish names. You will find this to be true of any book written about a place with which you are not familiar. For example, the book VODKA, by Boris Starling, is perhaps worse because so many Russian names seem virtually unpronounceable. I enjoy visiting places in the world I will probably never see, so my way around those names is to not try to pronounce them in my mind, but rather see them as a picture. More or less, this group of letters is this character.

[L]

Deb wrote: "I didnt enjoy this book at all...Its so hard to read..the movie looks good..maybe if I see the movie i can try to reread the book!! Grrrr"

I kept trying to get through the first book with no luck. My dad and friends were telling me how great it was . . . but boy was all that financial stuff boring! Then I watched the first movie, the Swedish version. After that, I flew through the books. Not wanting to watch the other films until after reading. I am really looking forward to the US versions of the movies.

[Elen]

Ivy wrote: "Ok, I have had this book for months and continue to try to get through it but I just can't seem to get through the second chapter. I keep hearing from everyone its great, but you have to first get ..."

Hi Ivy, thank goodness some one who feels like me. I just couldnt get into it. Maybe I just wasnt in the mood and I am going to give it another try, (not sure when mind) as everyone I know loved it !!!! Part of it for me is the country and the names. I have never heard of some of the places and just could not relate to them.like Hallstahammar and Bullando.Furusund Strait Page 16 and 17. The waters of Riddarfjarden (what) the roof tops of Gamla Stan .Maybe Im lazy but not sure I can stick with a book to the 100 page if its boring me. Mickey message 49 stuck with it and loved it so maybe its worth giving it another go?

[Mark]

I actually liked this book enough to give the second a go, but that's where I lost interest in reading the third book. The first book is at least a bit realistic and Salandar has yet to become a Mary Sue.

[David]

I plodded through it, and won't be reading the next 2 books in the Trilogy. I don't blame Larsen, he died before it was sold to a publisher. I blame the editor. The old saying "Get it written and then get it right," is so true. 600 pages should have been pared to 400 or so. My review is here on this site.

[Tamara]

The first two were easy to get through, in my opinion. It's the third that I've been struggling with. After about 50 pgs I had to put it down. I picked it up a few weeks but still no luck - had to put it back on shelf.

[Wayward Child]

I really don`t think it is that difficult. I`ve read the entire book in some four or five days. It was interesting to me from page one.

[[deleted user]]

I feel the same. Couldn't get past the 2nd chapter.

[Deity]

After I got through the first couple of chapters the book became much easier to read. I loved this entire series once I could get through trying to pronounce the names.

[Janine]

I actually ended up getting through the first two on audiobook and am just waiting for the final to arrive at the library. I listen during my long commute.

[Elisa Santos]

I loved all of the books: the 1st one starts very slow because of the background info on characters and the start of the plot but i didn´t found it unbearable to read - if i don´t know much about finance and industry i better get my eyes peeled and learn something from it. It does pick up when Lisbeth enters in it.
The 2nd book is less slow and the 3rd starts almost in mid-action so, it´s defo worth the read.
It´s a pitty that we will never see the whole saga complete - it was supposed to be 10 books in it - but i will say that these 3 are in my top favourites of all times: Stieg Larson had a gift for writting intricated plots and conspiracies.

[Kathryn]

When I first picked up TGWTDT, I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't even really know what the story was about, nor did I realize it was part of a trilogy. When I went to buy the book, TGHKTHN had just been stocked on shelves.

Upon reading the beginning of TGWTDT, I did find it a bit difficult to understand. The beginning starts off with talking about the flowers, then the Wennerstrom Affair, and you're wondering, "What does this have to do with anything? And, who or where is the girl with the dragon tattoo?" However, for those who are struggling with the first two chapters or so, just keep reading. I found if I just read it, and didn't try so hard, it got easier, and I absorbed more of the background information than I had originally thought.

When I finished the book, I realized the only difficult part in the book, was completely necessary. We all have to have some background knowledge of the past to understand the actions of those in the present/future. I also found once it got back to the Wennerstrom Affair later on in the book, it all made sense, all came together, and realized S.L. had to have written the story that way. Would it have been a better book if he had introduced Lisbeth in the beginning and put the W. A. in the middle or end? I don't think so. I think it would have jumbled up the story, and would not have made much sense. That was part of Blomkvist's past, which brought him to the engaging part of the story and eventually Lisbeth.

Also, if anyone is having trouble with the names of places or rather the details of the street names and buildings, etc....To be quite honest, I just made a mental picture in my head of what I thought things looked like, to some extent. Since I've never been to Sweden, at times, I just even kind of didn't read too much into the directions or specific places. I wondered as I read these books, if S.L. even thought his trilogy would be internationally recognized, which is why he put so much detail into the places, thinking maybe the Swedes would know what he's talking about. Just a thought...

As far as the movies go...The foreign versions are really good. I do have a problem with the way they mixed things up in the first one in relation with the way Blomkvist found Lisbeth, the order of the mystery, and several other things. But, oh well. The book is DEFINITELY much better, MUCH better. I am looking forward to watching the U.S. version, though I am kind of unsure how the producers will portray the story.

All in all, the Millenium Trilology is by far, the best thing I have ever read in my life. S.L. is VERY blunt, and I thoroughly enjoyed he was. It made for a more realistic story. And to be quite honest, I think the story was very, very believable. To me, everything made sense. He tied up every loose end, every aspect of the story to make it all fit, make it work. And he did it brilliantly.

[Elisa Santos]

To me the movies were pretty close to the books, it followed them almost truthfully and i am sort of curious as to see how Hollywood will deal with Lisbeth´s rape - it will not be an easy task.

Stieg Larson was a genius! He was blunt but it had to be - he was not writting P&P, so it was adequate the language and sceneray he used. It is a very today book.

He left some loose ends for the other books, if you look closely, Kathryn.....

[Leanne]

I LOVED these books! They are my favorite books and I found them very easy to read. I read each book in about 4 days because once I started I couldn't put them down. My family was left feeling neglected and came to dread the girl with the dragon tattoo...they knew as soon as I started "hanging out with her" I'd be ignoring them and their meals/laundry/housework until the last page was turned....

[Kathryn]

Maria wrote: "To me the movies were pretty close to the books, it followed them almost truthfully and i am sort of curious as to see how Hollywood will deal with Lisbeth´s rape - it will not be an easy task.

St..."
I was talking about the Millenium Trilogy as a whole by that point...

[Steph]

I found it very hard to read this book, I really struggled at the start and kept talking myself out of just putting it away and not finishing it, but I stuck it out and I'm glad I did because people were raving about it. I'm glad I finished it as otherwise I would just be wondering if it was any good. I wanted to know more about Lisbeth but I don't think I could be bothered to read the 2nd or 3rd books. I found that there were too many explanations about Swedish culture, I thought it would be better to have an appendix rather than integrating it within the story, and the start and end with the court case I didn't enjoy. I plan on seeing the movie when it is out as I think this is one case where the movie could be better than the book.

[Elisa Santos]

Steph wrote: "I found it very hard to read this book, I really struggled at the start and kept talking myself out of just putting it away and not finishing it, but I stuck it out and I'm glad I did because peopl..."

You get more info on Lisbeth precisely on the other 2 books that you haven´t read - and she does have and intersting story to tell as most of the folow-up action is centered around her.

@Kathryn - i understood as much: the plot was finished by the end of the books - the 2nd one could be a stand-alone and you could just as easily get well within the plot.
What i meant was that there were a few issues that he left hanging for the folowing books such as Lisbeth´s twin sister, her other brothers that her father mentioned, etc.

To me theses are thetop of top in therms of writting, scenery, plot, characters that feel real and of describing swedish society and coustumes - it even spiked my curiosity as to visit Sweden:i just became a fan of the swedes! I am starting to go on another splurge and start Camila Lackberg´s mistery novels....

[Kate]

I had a hard time starting this book. But it is worth pushing through the beginning. I also had a hard time with a few chapter in the middle of the 3rd book.

[Linda]

Very difficult to get into, it took me several months & reading other stuff in between, once i reached a certain point in the book, I couldn't put it down! Definitely worth persevering with, the 2nd book was much easier to read as you already know the characters well. The 3rd of the trilogy is still on my to read list, but hope to get on to it sometime soon!

[Mickey]

I managed to get through it but it was too dark for me.
Depressing people, depressing situations. I didn't like any of the characters. Didn't read the next books in the series.

[John]

I found the whole trilogy a compulsive read, after I got through the first 100 pages. But that's what I also found with Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. Years afterwards, those books remain in mind, while a couple of hundred that were easy to read from the first sentence have totally disappeared from memory.

[Kathryn]

I agree with you John. There's something about the story I still think about. I feel like I carry them in my mind all of the time, and like you said, other books I've read, have easily escaped my memory. Its really rare for me to find a book, or rather three books, to do that to me. For me as well, it was definitely a compulsive, "I have to know what happens," "I can't put these books down," obsession. I read the trilogy last year, and I think about it quite often as if I just finished the last book. Truly a stunning piece of work.

[Elisa Santos]

Yes, the story is so freaky but at the same time so "now", so near....i often too, catch myself thinking of the story and characters: i even got to have definitions such as "this is so Lisbeth´s style" etc.

[John]

Sasha wrote: "I too listened to the audiobooks, however, when certain scenes sparked my interest, I would refer to the book to clarify any confusion. With the aid of the audiobooks, I was able to make it throug..."

Sasha,

I have been tempted to try audiobooks for quite a while now. How long does it take to listen to an audiobook compared to the time you take to read one?

Cheers,
John

[Emily]

I had a hard time as well due to the European spelling and all the foreign names and locations. I put it down for a month and went back a little more prepared and got thru it fine after that.

[Adrienne]

You just have to get threw the first part of the book and then towards the middle it gets really interesting. Its worth reading the beginning.

[Dee]

@John - I did the audiobooks for all 3 - I think they run about 15-19 hours each - which for me was about 2 solid weeks of transit time to work per book. I do tend to read faster than I listen, BUT I miss a lot of small details that I pick up when I listen. So for me it is a give and take kind of scenario. Simon Vance the narrator is good, he is one of my favorites and since listening to these, I have been known to pick up other books narrated by him that I normally wouldn't have read

[Sarah]

Agreed, it's very hard to get through the first 150 pages. My tactic was just to sit down and read. Honestly, it seems silly, but that's what you have to do. Although, I skimmed a lot of it and it didn't change the story for me. I probably will not read the second and third ones, the first was just a little too explicit.

[Tita]

I blame this book for getting behind on my 2011 reading challenge. I was stuck reading it forever!

[Deanna]

I had no problem "getting through" any of the 3 books in series. Yes, disturbing, but it was the influences on her character and life that drove the books. I finished in 2 to 3 days. Hated their is no more in series. My least favorite character in the books was him. I found him weak with no direction in his personal life. His choices or lack thereof bothered me more than hers. I could understand hers. His were dumb.

[Deanna]

Yes

[Elisa Santos]

Mikel, in terms of personnal life i wouldn´t describe him as having no direction - he simply savours the moment: he is envolved with Erika in a very special kind of relationship that both want, even her husband and the other one´s that pass along his life are just that - going with the flow of the moment, no strings attached....it´s a whole other thinking process - in Sweden is very common, for what i could research.
Career wise he is a very respected journalist, that likes to emerge himself in the stories while working on them - tbh i found Mikel quite fascinating and pitty that there isn´t anymore books to continue.

[Kathryn]

I agree with you Maria. I found Blomkvist to be an interesting and likeable character in the fact I sometimes wish I could be like him. Not everyone has a care in the world, and not everyone has to. He has a very laid back approach to life, and it would be nice, especially for someone like myself who has a million things to worry about, to be so laid back and take things as they come. And like Maria said, Sweden is a very different place, and Europe in general is from America. Europeans criticize Americans a lot because we are always 'do it now' instead of 'do it tomorrow.'

As far as having 'no direction,' not everyone in life HAS to have direction. Maybe he's accomplished everything he's wanted to. But also, in this story, he's still caught up with the backlash of the Wennerstrom Affair, had to go to jail, deal with the highly publicized story of the affair, get out of jail, and he needed to stay hidden for a while so Millenium could make a full-force comeback. Also, when you look at Micke, he did have some direction in the story: his desire to help Lisbeth. He didn't stop until he achieved that.

Don't take this the wrong way, but just because he doesn't want to become the prime minister of Sweden, doesn't mean he doesn't have any direction. Like I said, he might be exactly where he wants to be. Not everyone wants to get married and have children. In fact, I think he mentions something about his personal choices in life in the books.

[Huw]

Here's a suggestion and I invite comment/criticism (be gentle, please). If we agree that Salander is a high functioning sociopath who plays by her own rules she needs a foil to work against, the literary equivalent of the straight man in a double act.

Blomkvist is ordinary but highly principled, insightful and intelligent. How many of us would have second guessed Salnder's actions and intentions? He goes to jail for his beliefs and the journalistic principals by which he operates would be the envy of many in the real world. In a way he has to operate within societal norms as a way of making Salander's actions even more outrageous.

Perhaps it is Blomkvist's ordinariness (if such a word exists) that makes him so attractive to Salander.

[Kathryn]

Lorenzo wrote: "Blomkvist strikes me as one who is wed to his work, an aging idealist who still believes he can change the world with a great story. Although Erika Berger is his long time lover, Millennium magazi..."

Completely agree. :)

[Elisa Santos]

I can agree with Lorenzo - Mickel´s longest and more constant relationship will be with Millenium magazine.

Kathryn, i am an European and we have a different frame of mind than Americans, but even then every country has his own mentality and coustumes that differ from one another. I agree completly with you when you say that Micke is right where he wants tobe and is content - his goals have been fulfilled and everyone has different objectives for his life - if we all wanted or care about the same we would be doomed!

Huw - Mickel went to jail exactly because he didn´t want to betray his principles and wanted to maintain his journalistic independence - not very many persons in the world can say that: fight for their principles and have the moral strenght to stick by htme, no matter what; to me, even if he didn´t managed to get the cackground story about Wennerstrom and went bankrupt, he would still be a happy, accomplished man because he didn´t sell his soul.
Lisbethis a real page turner: her character is magnétic. she iss so inteligent,yet misfit,yet put aside by society, she was misjudged, ill-treated andstill she manages to keep her head on her shoulders, suck it in and get through and still make a place for her (a very confortable one, i might add) and win, in the end....wow i really have to read them again!

[Dee]

I wouldn't call Lisbeth a sociopath - that implies a lack of empathy on a negative scale (meaning they don't realize what they are doing is wrong)...more likely she has something like aspergers which still has the lack of empathy that you see in sociopaths, but its positive - in that they don't identify the wrongness of their actions at times - The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty is a good book that explains it and as I was reading, I was thinking about lisbeth